Inside Startup Due Dil: the AI tool turning hours of VC diligence into 10 minutes

SMRK VC, a Ukrainian venture capital firm, has unveiled Startup Due Dil, an AI-powered web application aimed at streamlining the process of conducting startup due diligence. The platform automates the collection, verification, and structuring of information during the due diligence process, which typically takes several hours to several days to complete manually.

Founded by Vlad Tislenko, a partner at SMRK VC and a former technology entrepreneur, Startup Due Dil began as an internal tool built to support Tislenko's own work in evaluating investment opportunities. The platform currently employs ten AI agents, each responsible for distinct areas of analysis, including the team and founders, market, competitors, technology and product, traction and financials, business model, regulatory compliance, ownership structure and cap table, and legal considerations.

An orchestrator AI agent, named Oracle, plans the diligence process, coordinates the specialist agents, evaluates their work, and ensures the final report is comprehensive. Users primarily need to upload the startup's pitch deck to begin an analysis; additional documents such as financial statements, legal documents, and relevant links can be provided for a deeper review.

The platform cross-references the submitted materials with public sources to validate claims, and presents the final report with source citations, highlighting key findings in red, yellow, and green flags to indicate material risks, inconsistencies, areas requiring clarification, and verified positive signals, respectively. While the AI agents work diligently during the 10-minute analysis, the platform acknowledges the risk of occasional mistakes and emphasizes the importance of human oversight in due diligence.