# Verify startup revenue claims before they reach a memo

> To verify startup revenue claims, pin each one down first: what is counted, over which period, in which currency, and where it came from. Delsivo's claim tracker, part of the pilot, keeps every claim with its source and one of four labels: Founder reported, Corroborated, Disputed or Unresolved. When the deck and the interview disagree, both statements stay and a verification task goes to an analyst.

Source: https://delsivo.com/use-cases/verifying-traction-claims · Updated 2026-11-06 · Planned, not available yet

## Key takeaways

- A claim is only checkable once its definition, period, amount and units are written down.
- Deck claims are suggested with slide citations; an analyst accepts or edits each one (Pilot).
- Revenue schedules and contracts come in through scoped file requests on your portal and are scanned before anyone opens them (Pilot).
- Earlier statements are never overwritten. When facts change, both versions stay with their sources.

## Why revenue claims drift between deck, call and data room

The same number often means different things in different places. Annual recurring revenue on a slide may include one-off services. Customers may include unpaid pilots. A monthly figure may be a peak month rather than an average. None of this needs bad faith: founders compress, and definitions get lost between the deck, the call and the spreadsheet.

The example from Delsivo's product requirements is typical. A deck reports 20 enterprise customers, and in the interview the founder clarifies that 12 are unpaid pilots. A fund that keeps only the latest number loses the fact that the story changed, which is often the most useful thing it learned.

## The fields that make a claim checkable

Claim fields, with a made-up example

| Field | Sample value | Why it matters |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Assertion | USD 600K annual recurring revenue | What the founder said, in their words |
| Metric definition | Active subscription contracts, annualised, excluding services | Turns a label into something you can check |
| Period | As of 30 September | Separates a snapshot from a trend |
| Amount and units | 600,000 USD | Avoids currency and scale mix-ups |
| Source | Deck v2, slide 7 | Where to look, and which version |
| Owner | The analyst assigned | Who is checking it |
| Verification state | Founder reported | How far the check has got |

## How to verify startup revenue claims step by step

1. When the deck is read, Delsivo suggests claims with slide citations. Deterministic checks flag numbers that contradict each other across slides (Pilot).
2. An analyst accepts each claim, tightens its definition and period, and becomes its owner (Pilot).
3. Send the revenue quality form template and a scoped file request for the revenue schedule or the contracts behind it (Pilot).
4. Uploads are scanned for malware, versioned and linked to the request. Suspicious files stay quarantined (Pilot).
5. The analyst compares the document with the claim and marks it Corroborated, citing the file and page, or Disputed, citing both sources (Pilot).
6. Statements from the founder interview join the same claim with their timestamps (first release).

## What the four evidence labels mean in practice

- Founder reported: stated in the deck, a form or the interview, not yet checked. Most claims start here, and that is normal.
- Corroborated: backed by a document, a data room file or an analyst's own check, with that source cited.
- Disputed: two sources disagree. Both are kept and cited, and a verification task is created.
- Unresolved: not enough evidence either way yet. It becomes a question or a request.

The label text is always shown with its colour, so nobody has to remember what a colour means.

## What Delsivo does not do with revenue

- It doesn't connect to a startup's bank or accounting system. Evidence comes from documents the founder uploads and from your own checks.
- It doesn't audit financial statements or replace an accountant's review.
- It doesn't decide whether a number is good enough. It shows what is backed and what isn't, and your team judges.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can Delsivo pull revenue straight from a startup's accounts?

No. Delsivo works from the deck, forms, interview answers and uploaded documents. A founder can upload a revenue schedule or an export from their accounting system through a file request.

### What happens to the original claim when a founder corrects a number?

It stays. The correction is added beside it with its own source, so you can see what was said first, what changed and where each version came from.

### Who can mark a claim Corroborated?

A person on your team. AI can suggest claims and point out conflicts, but accepting a claim or changing its label is an analyst's decision.

## Related pages

- [Claims and evidence](https://delsivo.com/claims-and-evidence)
- [Requests and data rooms](https://delsivo.com/data-rooms)
- [Delsivo for angel syndicates](https://delsivo.com/for/angel-syndicates)
- [Claim tracker](https://delsivo.com/features/claim-tracker)
- [How to verify startup traction](https://delsivo.com/how-to-verify-startup-traction)