Pre-term-sheet founder vetting
Identity, criminal, civil, prior-litigation, regulatory, and adverse-media screening on the founders behind a deal — analyst-verified, with rush available for time-sensitive term-sheet decisions.
For Venture Capital
Founder diligence on a term-sheet timeline.
OnTrial delivers pre-term-sheet founder vetting and pre-close diligence on portfolio targets — with a documented 48-hour rush SLA for the moments when the round is moving and the read needs to be right.
When VCs use OnTrial
Three cadences for three decisions.
Term sheet
48-Hour Rush
Documented 48-hour founder vetting for compressed term-sheet decisions. Identity, prior-litigation, regulatory, and adverse-media — analyst-verified.
48 hours · per founder
Pre-close
Level 1
Comprehensive screening on the full founding team — identity, criminal, civil, watchlist, regulatory, and adverse-media.
2–5 business days
Enhanced
Level 2
Level 1 plus beneficial-ownership mapping, prior-business deep-dive, and reputational analysis across jurisdictions.
5–10 business days
The work
What the diligence covers.
Pre-close enhanced diligence
Beneficial-ownership mapping, prior-business surface, regulatory and reputational deep-dive across jurisdictions — before the round closes.
Co-founder & key-executive workups
Background investigation, prior-employment context, reputational signals, and litigation surface on the full founding team — including international co-founders.
Social media — founder context
DeepMedia surfaces public posts, network mapping, and behavioral signals across 400+ platforms — for context that doesn't appear in a database screen alone.
Typical engagements
When VC funds use OnTrial.
- Pre-term-sheet founder vetting
- Pre-close enhanced diligence on portfolio targets
- International co-founder background workups
- Adverse-media and regulatory screening on founders
- Beneficial-ownership mapping for layered cap tables
- Cryptocurrency exposure analysis on crypto-adjacent founders
- Follow-on round principal verification
The operating discipline
The same standard applies at every speed.
Every internal role at OnTrial is held by a veteran of the U.S. military, federal law enforcement, or state / municipal law enforcement — by mandate. Every finding analyst-verified. SOC 2 Type II, FCRA, GLBA, CCPA compliant. AI governance posture documented — see AI Governance and Data Security. California Private Investigator License 189000.
FAQ
For VC diligence, specifically.
- Can OnTrial complete founder diligence on a term-sheet timeline?
- Yes. OnTrial publishes a documented 48-hour rush SLA for pre-investment subject diligence — built specifically for time-sensitive decisions including VC term-sheet windows.
- Does OnTrial cover international founders?
- Yes. OnTrial supports cross-border due diligence on foreign founders with regulatory and watchlist screening across jurisdictions, beneficial-ownership mapping, PEP identification, and global asset and reputational exposure.
- What does a founder workup include?
- Identity, criminal, civil litigation history, regulatory and watchlist screening, adverse-media surface, and reputational signals. Level 2 adds beneficial-ownership mapping, prior-business deep-dive, and broader reputational analysis. Rush turnaround available.
- Can OnTrial document a founder's prior business or legal history?
- Yes. Prior-litigation surface and prior-business documentation are standard in Background 360 and Level 2 due diligence. Findings are sourced and timestamped for use in IC memos and follow-on diligence cycles.
See the founders, clearly.
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