AI Prompts for Perplexity for Due Diligence

I am doing preliminary due diligence on [COMPANY NAME]. Give me a comprehensive overview based on public information: their founding history, main products or services, estimated size (revenue, employees, customers), leadership team, investors or ownership structure, and any major milestones or pivots. Cite your sources so I can verify and go deeper on the most important points.

Find all significant news coverage, press releases, and public mentions of [COMPANY NAME] from the past [TIMEFRAME, e.g., 3 or 5 years]. Organize by: positive milestones (funding, partnerships, product launches), controversies or negative coverage, legal or regulatory issues, and leadership or ownership changes. I want the full picture, not just the highlights.

Who leads [COMPANY NAME] and what are their backgrounds? For each key executive: their professional history, previous companies they have led or worked at, any notable successes or failures at prior companies, any public controversies, and how long they have been in their current role. Cite sources for each person.

What is the funding history of [COMPANY NAME]? I want to know: every funding round with the date, amount, lead investors, and valuation if disclosed, the total capital raised to date, any notable investors and what their involvement suggests about the company's trajectory, and any signs of distress such as down rounds, bridge financing, or extended time between rounds.

Are there any known legal disputes, regulatory actions, compliance issues, or government investigations involving [COMPANY NAME] or its leadership? Search for: lawsuits filed against or by the company, regulatory fines or sanctions, OSHA violations, environmental issues, employment disputes that became public, and any mentions of the company in court records or regulatory filings.

What public signals exist about the revenue or financial health of [COMPANY NAME]? Look for: any revenue figures disclosed in press releases or interviews, customer numbers or growth metrics that have been publicly stated, analyst estimates if available, and indirect signals like hiring pace, office expansions or contractions, and any reported financial milestones.

What can I learn about [COMPANY NAME]'s customer base and customer satisfaction from public information? Find: any disclosed customer counts or names, customer reviews and their trends over time, any public churn or retention metrics, notable customer wins or losses, and any evidence of whether the business appears to have a loyal or satisfied customer base.

Are there any public signals that [COMPANY NAME] may be experiencing financial distress? Look for: mass layoffs or unusual hiring freezes, office closures, legal actions from creditors or suppliers, negative coverage from employees on Glassdoor or Blind, delayed product releases that could indicate resource constraints, and any public statements about financial challenges.

How does [COMPANY NAME] compare to its main competitors in terms of market position? Find public information on: how they are perceived relative to competitors by customers and analysts, whether they appear to be gaining or losing market share based on available signals, their pricing position in the market, and how competitors or industry observers publicly describe them.

What significant contracts, partnerships, or customer relationships does [COMPANY NAME] have that are publicly known? Look for: major customer announcements, technology or distribution partnerships, any disclosed contract wins or losses, exclusive arrangements that have been reported, and any concentration risk signals where the company appears dependent on a small number of relationships.

Research the professional background of [PERSON'S NAME]. Find: their career history and key roles, companies they have founded, led, or been senior at, any notable successes or failures at prior companies, any public controversies or negative press, and their current public reputation in their field. Cite sources.

Are there any public legal issues, court cases, or regulatory actions involving [PERSON'S NAME]? Search for: civil or criminal cases where they are named, regulatory sanctions from financial or professional bodies, any public controversies involving alleged misconduct, and mentions in legal filings or public court records. Be specific about sources.

I want to verify these claims made by [PERSON'S NAME]: [LIST CLAIMS, e.g., they founded X company, they were previously a VP at Y, they have 20 years of experience in Z]. What public records, LinkedIn information, press coverage, or other sources can confirm or contradict these claims?

What is [PERSON'S NAME]'s reputation in [INDUSTRY OR FIELD] based on public information? Look for: how they are referenced in industry press, any thought leadership or public speaking that indicates their standing, feedback or commentary from others in their field, and whether they appear to be well-regarded, controversial, or unknown in their sector.

Research the corporate connections between [COMPANY NAME] and its founders or executives. Look for: other companies they have started or been involved with, whether those companies have had legal or financial issues, any patterns in how they structure or exit businesses, and any related-party relationships that might be relevant to evaluating this company.

Based on my research into [COMPANY OR PERSON], the information I have found is: [PASTE YOUR NOTES]. Identify the most significant red flags or areas of concern that emerged. Rank them by seriousness and explain why each is concerning. Also flag any areas where the public information is conspicuously absent, which can itself be a signal.

I have researched [COMPANY OR PERSON] and could not find information about: [LIST GAPS]. Help me assess why these gaps might exist. For each, tell me: whether this type of information is typically public and the absence is unusual, whether there are other ways to find it, and whether the gap itself should be a concern going into a deeper diligence process.

Write a preliminary due diligence summary based on what public research reveals about [COMPANY NAME]. Structure it as: company overview, key findings (positive), key concerns or red flags, gaps where information is unavailable publicly, and recommended next steps for deeper diligence. I will use this to decide whether to proceed to formal due diligence. Note: based on the following research I have gathered: [PASTE YOUR NOTES].

Based on my preliminary research into [COMPANY OR OPPORTUNITY], what are the most important questions I should seek to answer in formal due diligence with access to non-public information? Prioritize the questions by: what could be a deal-breaker if the answer is wrong, what could significantly affect valuation or terms, and what is less critical but still worth verifying.

I am evaluating [DESCRIBE OPPORTUNITY OR SITUATION]. Find examples of similar [acquisitions, investments, partnerships, situations] that have gone well and others that have gone poorly. What were the factors that distinguished the successful from the unsuccessful? I want to understand what the known risks and success factors are for this type of deal based on how comparable situations have played out.