Due Diligence Checklists › FoodTech › Seed
FoodTech Startup Investment Checklist: Seed Stage (2026)
This checklist covers 21 due diligence items for FoodTech 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.
21 checklist items · 2 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
FoodTech Sector
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GRAS status confirmed for all novel ingredients
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Production cost model at scale reviewed
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Taste test data reviewed with methodology
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Retailer agreements reviewed
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Food safety and recall plan documented
Deep Dive
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FDA GRAS status for all novel ingredients
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Production cost projection and manufacturing scale-up plan
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Retailer or QSR partnership agreements
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IP protection for novel production processes
Regulatory
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Verify: FDA GRAS determination for novel food ingredients
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Verify: USDA inspection for cell-cultured meat facilities
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Verify: Food safety recalls: product liability exposure
OSINT Signals
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Check: FDA GRAS notification database
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Check: USPTO patents for novel food production processes
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Check: Retailer SKU listings and shelf presence
DDR AUTOMATES THIS CHECKLIST
Upload a FoodTech startup pitch deck and DDR automatically completes 15+ of these 21 checklist items — sourcing data from 13 OSINT signals, benchmarking against 2 comparable companies, and detecting all 2 critical red flags.
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