The Deckwise Playbook
A working library for startup sourcing, screening and due diligence. Fund with conviction, defend every call.
The method
Guides
The Complete Guide to Startup Sourcing
Startup sourcing is the active search for companies worth evaluating before any of them apply. Where screening filters the deals you already have, sourcing…
The Complete Guide to Startup Screening
Startup screening is the process of turning a large pool of applications or deals into a small, ranked shortlist worth a closer look. Done well, it lets a…
The Complete Guide to Startup Due Diligence
Due diligence is the deep investigation you run before committing to a startup. Where screening ranks many companies quickly, due diligence goes deep on th…
How-to guides
How to Screen Hundreds of Startup Applications Without Burning Out
Screening at volume fails in a quiet way: past a certain number, "reading" every application silently becomes "skimming" every application, and nobody deci…
How to Build an Investment Thesis You Can Actually Score Against
An investment thesis is a written statement of what you back and why, specific enough that it sorts real candidates rather than just describing your taste.…
How to Write an Investment Memo That Holds Up in Committee
An investment memo is the document that carries a candidate into a decision: it states the thesis fit, lays out the verified facts, names the risks, and re…
Concepts & frameworks
What Is a Defensible Shortlist?
A defensible shortlist is a ranked set of candidates where every place on the list has a reason you can show: which claims were verified, how each candidat…
The Verification Layer: The Missing Step in Most Deal Flow
Every deal-flow stack organizes applications: intake tools collect them, CRMs track them, data terminals enrich them, spreadsheets score them. Almost none…
Comparisons
Manual vs AI Screening: Which Is Right for Your Program?
Manual screening means a human reads every application and scores it by judgment. AI screening means software extracts, verifies and scores the claims firs…
Deckwise vs Spreadsheets for Startup Screening
A spreadsheet is where almost every program starts: one row per applicant, a few columns for scores, a shared tab for the committee. It is free, flexible,…
How to Choose a Startup Screening Tool
There is no single "best" startup screening tool, because the tools in this space solve different problems. Some collect applications, some manage deal flo…
Deckwise vs Submittable
Submittable is grant and program management software: it collects applications through forms and portals, routes them to reviewers, and administers the mon…
Deckwise vs Optimy
Optimy is social impact management software: a modular platform for running CSR, sponsorship, grant and community-investment programs. Deckwise is the eval…
Deckwise vs Affinity
Affinity is a deal-flow CRM with relationship intelligence: it captures your network and pipeline automatically from email and calendar data, and enriches…
Deckwise vs Harmonic
Harmonic is a startup discovery database: a large dataset of companies and people you search and enrich to find opportunities early. Deckwise is the evalua…