DocSend
Use deck sharing when
You are circulating a pitch packet, you want view data, and the file is something you would be willing to see forwarded. Not for the full diligence set.
DocSend vs Fordata
DocSend vs Fordata: sending a deck versus running a diligence room
Reviewed August 21, 2026 by Robb
DocSend is a way to send and watch a document. Fordata is a virtual data room product used when a process needs folders, permissions, and an audit trail — often M&A or a heavier raise. Using a deck tool as a data room is how the general ledger ends up in a forwarded link. Using a VDR to send a teaser is how you overbuild. Match the box to the stage.
Fordata / VDR
Use a VDR when
A buyer or a lead needs a structured room: financials, contracts, cap table, IP, permissions by folder, a log of who saw what. Heavier. Appropriate when the process is real. Empty VDRs look like you are pretending.
Index first, upload second
A room without an index is a junk drawer. We start with what a quality-of-earnings or Series A diligence actually asks for, then fill. Pretty empty folders do not impress anyone who has bought a company before.
Permissions are the product
Corporate vs financial vs ‘everyone with the deck link’ should not be the same access. Stage it. Revoke it. The vendor name matters less than the habit.
Finance owns the financial folders
Not marketing. Not the intern the night before. Current close, consistent naming, no ‘FINAL_v7_really.’ That is how a VDR earns its cost.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need Fordata specifically?
You need a room that can permission and log. Several vendors do that. Pick one your counsel will live in. We are vendor-neutral.
Can a seed round skip a VDR?
Often yes. A clean folder and a cap table may be enough. When a lead’s counsel asks for a room, do not improvise in email.
What is the first folder we should be proud of?
Financials that match the close, and a cap table that matches the paper. Everything else is easier after that.