# Collect founders' files into the right place, scanned before anyone opens them

> A secure file request for founders in Delsivo asks for one specific document, such as a revenue schedule or cap table, and gives it a slot on the deal. The founder uploads through your portal while signed in. Each file is checked for type and size and scanned for malware before anyone can preview it. Planned for the pilot release; Delsivo is at design partner stage, with nothing generally available.

Source: https://delsivo.com/features/scoped-file-requests · Updated 2026-11-06 · Planned, not available yet

## Key takeaways

- Each requested file has its own slot on a specific deal, not a shared folder.
- Uploads need a signed-in founder session on your portal.
- Files are checked for type, size and content, then malware scanned. Suspicious files stay quarantined.
- Your team opens files through short-lived links issued after a permission check.
- Full data rooms with folders, guests and watermarks are planned for the first release.

## How a secure file request for founders works

1. Your analyst adds a file question to a request, for example "Monthly revenue by customer, last 12 months", and sends it.
2. The founder signs in to your portal with a one-time code and sees the slot with the description and due date.
3. The founder uploads the file. It goes straight to private storage, not through an email inbox.
4. Delsivo checks the file type against its actual contents, checks the size, and runs a malware scan.
5. Once the file is clean, it appears on the deal in its slot, with an upload status your analyst can see.
6. The analyst reviews it, accepts it, or asks for a corrected version.

## What happens to a file after upload

Upload checks and outcomes

| Check | What it does | If it fails |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Type | Compares the file's actual contents with its extension | Refused with a reason the founder can act on |
| Size | Checks the file against the limit for that slot | Refused before upload finishes |
| Malware scan | Runs before preview, extraction or indexing | File stays quarantined, the founder is told it couldn't be accepted, staff are alerted |
| Permission | Every open or download checks who is asking | Access denied and logged |

A quarantined file never reaches previews, search or AI. Nothing reads a file until the scan says it is clean.

## Why slots and not a shared folder

A shared folder link grants access to everything in it, to anyone who has the link, for as long as it exists. Files end up named final_v3_REAL.xlsx and nobody is sure which one answers which question.

A slot belongs to one deal and one request. The founder sees only the slots asked of them. Your team sees each file next to the question it answers, with who uploaded it and when. A replacement upload is kept as a new version, and the earlier one stays available to authorised reviewers.

## Who can open the files

Files are kept in private storage, encrypted at rest. Links to open them are short-lived and issued only after a permission check, so a forwarded link stops working quickly. More on the controls is on [security](https://delsivo.com/security).

- Analysts and partners with access to the deal.
- The founder and invited teammates, for their own uploads.
- Nobody else in the pilot. Named guests with expiry are planned for the first release.

## Pilot upload slots and first release data rooms

The pilot covers authenticated uploads into deal-specific slots. The first release adds full rooms with standard folders, batch upload, previews, file-level questions, guests, watermarks and an activity log. Those are described on [data room templates](https://delsivo.com/features/data-room-templates) and [data room guest access](https://delsivo.com/features/guest-access-and-watermarks).

## Frequently asked questions

### Can founders email the file instead?

They can, but then it sits outside the deal record. Uploading through the portal puts the file in its slot, scanned and linked to the question it answers.

### What happens if a file fails the malware scan?

It stays in quarantine and is never previewed, extracted or indexed. The founder is told it couldn't be accepted, and Delsivo staff are alerted.

### Can a founder replace a file they already uploaded?

Yes. The new upload becomes a new version, and the earlier one stays available to your team.

### Are secure file requests available yet?

No. They are planned for the pilot release. Delsivo is at design partner stage, so nothing is generally available.

## Related pages

- [Founder information request](https://delsivo.com/features/founder-requests-and-forms)
- [Data rooms](https://delsivo.com/data-rooms)
- [Security](https://delsivo.com/security)
- [VC data room template](https://delsivo.com/features/data-room-templates)