Due Diligence Checklists › CleanTech › Seed
CleanTech Startup Investment Checklist: Seed Stage (2026)
This checklist covers 23 due diligence items for CleanTech startups at the Seed stage. Each item has been validated against institutional investor practice. DDR automates the majority of these checks from a single pitch deck PDF upload.
23 checklist items · 3 red flags automatically detected · See a sample DDR report
Seed Requirements
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Product-market fit signals: retention, NPS, organic growth
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Early revenue: $10K–$100K MRR is the seed sweet spot
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Repeatable go-to-market: clear acquisition channels with data
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Team completeness: key hires made, gaps identified
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Path to Series A: clear $1M ARR milestone credibly achievable
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Unit economics: CAC and LTV directional even if not optimized
CleanTech Sector
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Independent technical review of core technology completed
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Offtake agreements or LOIs for at least 12 months of revenue reviewed
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Supply chain risk assessment for critical materials
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Permitting status verified for all active projects
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IRA tax credit monetization strategy documented
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Manufacturing cost model at scale stress-tested
Deep Dive
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Technical diligence: independent engineering review of core technology claims
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Review all project agreements: PPAs, offtake, interconnection agreements
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Assess supply chain: critical materials sourcing (lithium, cobalt, rare earths)
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Review permitting status for any physical infrastructure projects
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Assess IRA tax credit applicability and monetization strategy
Regulatory
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Verify: FERC and state PUC interconnection requirements for grid-connected projects
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Verify: Environmental permitting: NEPA review for large projects can take 2–7 years
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Verify: IRA tax credit uncertainty: political risk of credit reduction or elimination
OSINT Signals
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Check: DOE awards and ARPA-E grants database
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Check: Patent filings in target technology area
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Check: LinkedIn team: engineering PhDs vs. sales headcount ratio
DDR AUTOMATES THIS CHECKLIST
Upload a CleanTech startup pitch deck and DDR automatically completes 16+ of these 23 checklist items — sourcing data from 13 OSINT signals, benchmarking against 3 comparable companies, and detecting all 3 critical red flags.
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