Having counseled investors through dozens of venture transactions in New York and beyond, I can say with confidence that due diligence isn’t a checkbox exercise. It’s the process of stress-testing every material assertion made during the fundraising process and, just as importantly, surfacing the risks that never made it into the deck.
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The National Venture Capital Association’s October 2025 update to its model stock purchase agreement didn’t make headlines outside the venture bar, but it quietly did something meaningful: it formally incorporated tranched financing mechanics into the model documents. That might sound like a technical tweak, but it’s actually a recognition of how common milestone-based investments have