> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.alk.work/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Deal Screening

> Extract and summarise key information from investment memos to evaluate opportunities quickly

## Overview

Deal Screening is a workflow for extracting and summarising key information from company documents (typically an investment memo) so teams at venture capital, private equity, and corporate development firms can evaluate opportunities quickly and consistently.

**What you get:** a structured table of extracted fields you can review, edit, and export.

<Tip>
  To set up the Deal Screening workflow (creating sessions, uploading documents, running a workflow, and exporting), see [Setting Up a Workflow](/workflows/setting-up-a-workflow) for a comprehensive guide. This page focuses on what's specific to **Deal Screening**.
</Tip>

## When to use Deal Screening

Use Deal Screening when you need a consistent first-pass view of an opportunity, including company basics, performance signals, risks, and an initial recommendation.

## Step-by-step usage

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the workflow">
    Navigate to the Workflows section and select **Deal Screening**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Upload the memorandum">
    Upload the memorandum (PDF recommended).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Run extraction">
    Click **Run** to begin extraction.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review extracted fields">
    Review the AI-extracted fields and edit anything that is incorrect.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm the decision">
    Confirm the Screening Decision and Fit Score.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Validate outputs">
    Use Table view, Block view, and Wrap to validate outputs against the source.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Export">
    Export results (CSV or Excel) for reporting.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Inputs

* **Recommended document type:** investment memo, pitch deck, or company memo (PDF)
* **Best results:** searchable text PDFs (not scanned images)

## What's specific to Deal Screening

1. **Columns are your screening criteria.** Deal Screening works best when your columns mirror how your team actually screens deals.
2. **Run produces a first-pass extraction.** After you click **Run**, ALK fills the table with extracted values.
3. **Review is part of the workflow.** Treat outputs as draft. Edit key fields (especially numeric fields) before exporting or sharing.

## Standard fields (default columns)

| Field              | Description                                                               | Field type      | Task type                   |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------- | --------------------------- |
| Document           | Uploaded memorandum(s) associated with the deal                           | File Upload     | Validation                  |
| Company Name       | Extracts the company name from the memorandum                             | Text            | Extraction                  |
| Industry / Sector  | Extracts the company's primary industry from the memorandum               | Text / Dropdown | Extraction / Classification |
| Funding Stage      | Extracts the company's current funding stage (Seed, Series A, etc.)       | Single Select   | Classification              |
| Raise Amount       | Captures capital raised or being raised from the memorandum               | Number          | Extraction / Reasoning      |
| Valuation          | Extracts the company valuation as stated in the memorandum                | Number          | Extraction / Reasoning      |
| Key Metrics        | Summarizes revenue, growth, user numbers, or other performance indicators | Text / Number   | Summarization               |
| Team Summary       | Provides an overview of the founding team or key management               | Text            | Summarization               |
| Red Flags          | Highlights potential risks, concerns, or issues                           | Text            | Classification / Reasoning  |
| Screening Decision | Overall recommendation (Proceed, Review Further, Do Not Proceed)          | Single Select   | Reasoning                   |
| Fit Score          | Numerical or qualitative score indicating deal alignment                  | Number / Rating | Reasoning / Validation      |

## Customising Deal Screening columns

You will get better results if you tailor columns to match your screening rubric. If you want to add, remove, or rename columns, see [How to Customize a Column](/workflows/setting-up-a-workflow#how-to-customize-a-column).

Common custom columns to consider adding:

* Business model
* Geography / market
* Target customer (ICP)
* Pricing and packaging
* Go-to-market motion (sales-led, PLG, channel)
* Revenue model
* Unit economics signals (CAC, LTV, gross margin) where present
* Competitive landscape
* Use of funds
* Key risks and assumptions
* Open diligence questions

## Important notes

* Always validate key figures in the source document.
* If a field is consistently wrong, simplify the column name or add a short instruction to the column prompt.

## Related articles

* [Setting Up a Workflow](/workflows/setting-up-a-workflow)
* [How to Customize a Column](/workflows/setting-up-a-workflow#how-to-customize-a-column)

## Need help?

If you run into issues, contact the Wamiri support team at [support@wamiri.com](mailto:support@wamiri.com). Include:

* What you were trying to do
* What happened instead
* Any error messages
* Steps to reproduce
* Screenshots or recordings (if available)