How to set up a data room for investors

Organize your fundraising documents in a Restricted Room, create a link for each fund, and review verified visits and recorded document activity.

02:58 min

Before you start

  • You need a HummingDeck account on Pro or Business for the Restricted access and Discussions shown, plus the investor email addresses or company domains you want to admit. Investors verify their email without creating a HummingDeck account.
  • Prepare your deck, financial model, cap table, and supporting documents as PDF, PowerPoint, Word, Excel, or HTML files up to 100 MB each. Pro supports fifteen active Rooms, fifteen documents per Room, and fifty active audience links per Room; Business has no ceiling on these counts.
  • Use previewable documents for page-level activity. Download-only files are served as downloads, so they do not produce page-reading analytics. Keep a source copy before replacing a file because the previous file is not retained for restoration.
  • The optional custom-domain section requires Business and a workspace owner to request the subdomain. Wait for HummingDeck Support to confirm activation before sharing links on it.

Follow the steps

  1. Upload your fundraising files

    Open your Library, choose Add document, and select the files for the raise. You can upload a batch of up to twenty files at once. Wait for processing to finish and check each document before adding it to the Room.

  2. Create a Restricted Room

    Open Rooms, choose New Room, and name it for the raise. Choose Restricted and add the partners who should get in. This access mode requires each visitor to verify an approved inbox. Access mode is fixed per link; create a new link if you need a different mode.

  3. Group documents in sections

    Add the documents from your Library and arrange them under section headings. The example uses Deck and financials, Diligence pack, and Legal. Keep the Room's document count within your plan's limit and check that the deck, numbers, and supporting files agree.

  4. Add your demo and booking page

    Add a content tab with a Loom or YouTube product demo, then another with your Calendly page. The provider must allow recipients to access and embed the content, such as a public or unlisted video. Choose Preview and also test while signed out to check the investor experience.

  5. Create a link for each fund

    Create a separate Restricted Room link for each fund and copy its URL into your message to that audience. Each link has its own allowlist, recorded activity, and discussions while sharing the same Room documents. List individual partner emails or allow the fund's exact company domain. A domain rule admits any eligible inbox at that domain; add subdomains separately and use individual addresses for personal email providers. Use separate Rooms when funds should receive different document sets.

  6. Check email verification

    The investor opens the Room link, enters an approved email address, and follows the access link sent to that inbox. The access link expires after fifteen minutes and should be kept private. Verification establishes control of an approved inbox, not legal identity or decision authority. An investor does not need a HummingDeck account.

  7. Enable questions beside documents

    In the link's settings, turn on Discussions. Your investor can ask a question beside the financial model or another Room document, and you can follow the notification to reply in the Room. Conversations stay within that audience link. Use Discussions for questions and replies during focused diligence.

  8. Review recorded investor activity

    Open the Room's Activity tab to see verified visits and the documents opened. Open a document's Analytics to inspect Page Engagement for previewable files and filter by company, contact, or share link. Recorded page activity and time help plan your follow-up; they do not prove that someone read or understood the content. Enable view notifications on the relevant link when you want an email for recorded document opens.

  9. Update a file or close a fund's link

    To update the numbers, open the document in your Library, choose Replace, and select a local file of the same type. Wait for processing, check the preview, and reload the Room to see the current version. Links, access settings, and activity history remain. Replace is unavailable while the document has an active Proposal link with response controls. When a fund passes, switch Link active off for its Room link. This closes that link for everyone using it while other Room links keep working.

  10. Optionally share from your own domain

    On Business, the workspace owner can request a subdomain such as investors.yourcompany.com in Workspace settings. HummingDeck Support supplies the DNS records and confirms activation. Once the domain is live, Room links use it, and Restricted Room links can have a readable name subject to availability. The original link keeps working.

Transcript

Read the transcript

00:00A data room for your investors

Here's how to set up a data room for your investors. Your deck, financial model, cap table and legal documents in one room. Access only for the investors you approve. And a clear view of what each one reads.

00:16Add your files

Start by adding your files. PDF, PowerPoint, Word, Excel or HTML all work, and you can upload a whole batch at once.

00:29Create a Restricted room

Create a Room for the raise and choose Restricted. Add the partners who should get in, here Priya and Tom at Harbor Ventures. Everyone confirms their email before the room opens.

00:45Group documents in sections

Add your documents in sections: Deck and financials, Diligence pack, and Legal.

00:56Add tabs and embeds

A room can hold more than files. Add a tab with a product demo from Loom or YouTube, and another with your Calendly page, so investors can book a call without leaving the room. Then click Preview to see the room the way an investor will.

01:17A link for each fund

Make a separate link for each fund, so every group has its own list and its own activity. For Meridian Growth, allow the whole company domain.

01:31Your investor confirms their email

Priya opens her link and confirms her email. HummingDeck sends her a one-time access link, and the room opens. She doesn't need an account.

01:43Questions beside a document

Turn on Discussions for the link, and Priya can ask a question right beside the financial model. You get an email, and you reply in the room.

01:58See what each investor reads

Back in your room, see who came in and what they opened. Page by page, you can see where each investor spent their time, and you get an email when someone opens a document.

02:13Update a file, end a link

When the numbers change, replace the file. The link stays the same, so everyone sees the current version. When a fund passes, switch off its link. The others keep working.

02:30On Business: your own domain

On Business, share the room from your own domain. Request a subdomain in Workspace settings, and HummingDeck Support sends you the DNS records. Once it's live, every link uses it, and a Restricted link can get a readable name. Set up your own data room with the link below.