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How do you filter and prioritize VC deals?

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As a venture capitalist, you have to deal with a lot of incoming deal flow from various sources, such as founders, referrals, networks, events, platforms, and more. How do you filter and prioritize the most promising and relevant opportunities for your fund and strategy? In this article, we will share some tips and best practices on how to apply a systematic and efficient approach to deal sourcing and screening.

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1 Define your criteria

The first step is to define your criteria for filtering and prioritizing deals. These criteria should reflect your fund's thesis, stage, sector, geography, and other preferences. You should also consider the quality and fit of the founding team, the market size and potential, the product or service value proposition, the traction and growth, the competitive landscape, and the deal terms and valuation. Having clear and consistent criteria will help you evaluate deals objectively and avoid bias or FOMO.

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Joy B.

Vanderbilt MBA '26 | On Deck Fellow | Laconia Venture Fellow | Finance | Strategy | Gateway Scholar
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clear investment criteria that align with your VC fund's strategy and objectives. Criteria might include investment stage, industry focus, geographical preferences, revenue targets, and expected return on investment (ROI). Example: A VC fund specializing in healthcare technology may define its criteria as follows: early to growth-stage companies in the healthcare IT sector with a minimum annual revenue of $1 million and a focus on digital health solutions.

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2 Use tools and automation

The second step is to use tools and automation to streamline your deal sourcing and screening process. You can use various platforms and software to source, track, and manage your deal flow, such as Crunchbase, Pitchbook, AngelList, Dealroom, Affinity, Airtable, and more. You can also use automation tools to filter and rank deals based on your criteria, such as Zapier, IFTTT, Google Sheets, or custom scripts. These tools will help you save time and resources, and focus on the most relevant and high-potential deals.

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3 Conduct initial screening

The third step is to conduct an initial screening of the deals that pass your filters and rankings. This screening can be done through various methods, such as reviewing pitch decks, executive summaries, websites, or demos; conducting online research on the market, customers, competitors, or trends; or reaching out to the founders or referrals for more information or feedback. The goal of this screening is to verify the validity and viability of the deals, and identify any red flags or deal-breakers.

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Joy B.

Vanderbilt MBA '26 | On Deck Fellow | Laconia Venture Fellow | Finance | Strategy | Gateway Scholar
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an initial review of incoming deal opportunities to eliminate those that clearly don't meet your investment criteria. This might involve a quick assessment of pitch decks, executive summaries, and basic company information. Example: Upon receiving pitch decks and executive summaries, the fund quickly eliminates deals that don't meet its criteria, such as companies in the biotech sector or startups with insufficient revenue.

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4 Schedule meetings and calls

The fourth step is to schedule meetings and calls with the founders of the deals that pass your initial screening. These meetings and calls are your opportunity to get to know the founders better, understand their vision and passion, assess their skills and experience, and ask them questions about their business model, product, market, traction, challenges, and goals. You should also use this time to share your fund's thesis, strategy, value proposition, and expectations, and gauge the founder's interest and fit.

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5 Perform due diligence

The fifth step is to perform due diligence on the deals that progress to the next stage of your process. Due diligence is a comprehensive and rigorous analysis of the deals, covering various aspects, such as legal, financial, technical, operational, and market. You should also conduct reference checks on the founders, customers, partners, and investors, and validate their claims and assumptions. Due diligence will help you verify the facts and figures, identify the risks and opportunities, and determine the valuation and terms of the deals.

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6 Make decisions and follow-ups

The final step is to make decisions and follow-ups on the deals that complete your due diligence. You should communicate your decision clearly and promptly to the founders, and provide feedback and reasons for your acceptance or rejection. If you decide to invest, you should proceed to negotiate and finalize the deal terms, sign the term sheet and the legal documents, and wire the funds. If you decide to pass, you should maintain a good relationship with the founders, and follow up on their progress and future opportunities.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Osman Ahmed

Bridging Technology & Business Disciplines | Venture Partner | Singapore PR.
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Even if you pass you should keep hold of the reasons why you passed so that if anything changes you can revisit the startup and reconsider. Founders should ask for permission to send updates or you should ask to remain updated if you're genuinely keen to revisit your decision. Founders, you should be sending monthly updates to your investors as a matter of course anyway. Part of that report process should be to keep a trimmed down version that you can send to investors that passed on you before. This should be low effort as you're not writing a new report and helps keep the door open should you decide to have an extension round for example. Investors also talk and refer deals to others. This will keep you top of mind.

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How do you filter and prioritize VC deals?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Define your criteria

2 Use tools and automation

3 Conduct initial screening

4 Schedule meetings and calls

5 Perform due diligence

6 Make decisions and follow-ups

7 Here’s what else to consider

Venture Capital

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How do you filter and prioritize VC deals?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Define your criteria

2 Use tools and automation

3 Conduct initial screening

4 Schedule meetings and calls

5 Perform due diligence

6 Make decisions and follow-ups

7 Here’s what else to consider

Venture Capital

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