How to build an Investment Memo Generator

StackAI automates memo drafting by consolidating pitch decks, financials, meeting notes, and external research—cutting turnaround time from hours to minutes and ensuring professional, error-free reports.

Challenge

Analysts lose hours gathering inconsistent data across the web, decks, and spreadsheets, then reformatting it into a memo. This agent standardizes the process, surfaces gaps, and keeps the tone investor-grade so the team can focus on diligence, not document wrangling.

Industry

Finance

Department

Finance

Integrations

SharePoint

Crunchbase

A ready-to-use StackAI workflow that pulls public, internal, and financial data to draft a decision-ready Investment Memo with Business Overview, Competitive Landscape, Financials, and Executive Summary.

TL;DR

  • What it does: Automates research, synthesis, and memo drafting for a target company.

  • Who it’s for: PE/VC, growth equity, corp dev, venture studios.

  • Time to value: ~1 hour to configure; 5–10 minutes per company thereafter.

  • Output: One structured memo + consolidated sources.

Common Pain Points of Writing Investment Memos

  • Fragmented sources (news, LinkedIn, Crunchbase, internal notes).

  • Manual KPI calculations and frequent errors.

  • Repeated memo formatting and inconsistent structure.

  • Missing citations and version sprawl in shared drives.

What the Agent Delivers

  • Clean, four-section memo: Business Overview, Competitive Landscape, Financial Overview, Executive Summary.

  • KPI Snapshot with computed metrics (ARR, runway, payback, NRR, churn, Magic Number).

  • Citations merged and deduped from all inputs.

  • Open questions & next steps for the IC deck.

Step-by-Step Build (StackAI nodes)

1) Company Name (Input)

  • Goal: Set the company name once and reuse it across all nodes.

  • Example: StackAI


2) Data Sources

  • Goal: Gather both external and internal data for analysis.

2.1) Web Search (App)

  • Goal: Pull public info (site, news, reviews) from the web.

  • Key config: Query = {/Company} (optionally add + company), Country = UNITED_STATES.

2.2) LinkedIn Search (App)

  • Goal: Fetch company page details and growth signals.

  • Key config: Type = companies; Query filter fields selected (summary, follower_count, positions, employee_count, tagline, description, industry, headquarter, founded_on, funding_data).

2.3) Crunchbase Search (App)

  • Goal: Get funding, investors, acquisitions and basic profile.

  • Key config: Query = {/Company}; Country = UNITED_STATES; TopK = 5.

2.4) Sharepoint (Knowledge Base)

  • Goal: Pull internal deal docs (notes, DD, memos) for citation.

    • Connect SharePoint → Knowledge Base (Chunks, Hybrid search).

    • Settings: Chunk 2500 / Overlap 500, Advanced extraction + OCR ON.

    • Sync folders: Meeting notes, Due-diligence, Past memos, Similar deals.

2.5) Financials (Files)

  • Goal: Provide hard numbers for KPIs and trends.

  • What to upload: Excel/CSV/PDF from the company.

  • Example file: stackai_financials_2024_2025.xlsx

  • Tip: Keep Advanced Data Extraction (tables) ON for PDFs; Excel/CSV reads cleanly as is.

  • Used by: Financial Overview node as the primary source of truth.

2.6) Management Presentations (Files)

  • Goal: Add company-provided context (GTM, pricing, roadmap, customer logos).

  • Example file: Stack_AI_Finance_Brochure_Jun2025.pdf

  • Used by: Business Overview, Competitive Landscape, Financial Overview for qualitative color and claims.


3) Business Overview (LLM)

Goal: Explain what the company does, who it serves, and early traction.

Model: Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Anthropic) -  Excellent long-context synthesis and clean, jargon-free writing.

Instructions

You are assisting a private equity firm in drafting investment memos. 

TASK

Write the Business Overview section only using the information provided from external sources and internal documents.


SCOPE & CONTENT

- Describe what the company does and the problem it solves.

- Outline primary products/services and key features.

- Identify target customers and core use cases.

- Explain the business model and pricing approach (if available).

- Detail the go-to-market motion and channels, including geography/footprint.

- Provide evidence of traction or momentum (team size, growth signals, funding stage).

- Highlight differentiators and moat signals, along with brief risks/unknowns if material.

STYLE

- Maintain a neutral, concise, professional investor tone.

- Limit to 180–300 words, structured in 2–5 short paragraphs (no headings, no bullets).

- Output only the body text of the section without preamble or explanation of method.

DATA HANDLING & RELIABILITY

- Prefer official/recent sources (company site, filings, LinkedIn); then reputable media.

- In case of conflicting facts, choose the most credible/recent and note any material discrepancy in one short clause.

- If a key detail isn’t found, write “Unknown” rather than guessing.

CITATIONS (required)

At the end, add a plain list titled Sources: with one line per source (title or doc name + URL if present). Do not use inline citations or any other formatting

Prompt

Draft the Business Overview section using the following information:

<Company>

{in-0}

</Company>

<CompanyData>

<WebSearch>

{action-1}

</WebSearch>

<KnowledgeBase>

{knowledgebase-0}

</KnowledgeBase>

<ManagementPresentations>

{doc-1}

</ManagementPresentations>

<LinkedInSearch>

{action-0}

</LinkedInSearch>

<CrunchbaseSearch>

{action-2}

</CrunchbaseSearch>

</CompanyData>

Return:

1) The body text of the section (no headings, no bullets, no preamble).

2) A sources list formatted exactly as:

Sources:

- <Source title or document name><URL if available>

- <Source title or document name><URL if available>

Main Settings

  • Citations: ON (end-of-text list).

Advanced Settings (Recommendation)

  • Temperature: 0.3 - Needs crisp, neutral prose with a little flexibility to weave facts into a readable paragraph.


4) Competitive Landscape (LLM)

Goal: Show where the company sits vs 3–6 competitors.

Model: Gemini 1.5 Flash (Google)- Strong at retrieval-style tasks and concise, contrastive bullets.

Instructions

You are an assistant in drafting investment memos for a private equity firm. You will receive information from the internet about a company, along with 

Your job is to draft the "Competitive Landscape" section of the memo. Draft that section and only that section. Your response cannot contain any additional formatting, just the body of the "Competitive Landscape" section.  Do not add any pre-amble, just respond with the text of the section.

Use the web_search tool to find out more about the competitors of the company

Prompt

Here is the Competitive Landscape section based on the provided information:
The competitive landscape for <Company>

{in-0} 

reveals a dynamic market with several key players. Below are snapshots of the main competitors:

- **Competitor A**: Brief description of Competitor A, highlighting strengths and market position.

- **Competitor B**: Brief description of Competitor B, focusing on unique offerings and challenges.

- **Competitor C**: Brief description of Competitor C, noting their market share and strategic advantages.

In conclusion, while <Company> 

{in-0} 

holds a significant position in the market, the competition remains fierce, with each player bringing distinct strengths and strategies that could impact future growth.

<CompanyData>

<WebSearch>

{action-1}

</WebSearch>

<KnowledgeBase>

{knowledgebase-0}

</KnowledgeBase>

<ManagementPresentations>

{doc-1}

</ManagementPresentations>

<LinkedInSearch>

{action-0}

</LinkedInSearch>

<CrunchbaseSearch>

{action-2}

</CrunchbaseSearch>

</CompanyData>

Main Settings

  • Citations: ON

  • Inputs/Tools: Web Search (set region if needed), LinkedIn, Crunchbase, Knowledge Base (similar past investments).

  • Max tokens: ~1,000–1,200.

Advanced Settings

  • Temperature: 0.25 - Comparison work benefits from structure and repeatability; lower variance keeps bullets tight.


5) Financial Overview (LLM)

Goal: Summarize the numbers, compute KPIs, and call out trends/risks.

Model: GPT-4.1 (OpenAI) - most reliable for calculations, following KPI formats, and caveats.

You are assisting a private equity firm in drafting investment memos.

**TASK**  

Write the Financial Overview section only, utilizing information from financial files, internal documents, and reputable external sources.

**SCOPE & CONTENT**  

- Prioritize hard numbers over narrative.

- Include the period covered and currency (e.g., “TTM as of Jun-2025, USD”).

- Provide Revenue/ARR (or MRR) and YoY growth.

- State Gross margin; EBITDA/operating margin (or best available proxy).

- Mention cash balance, monthly burn, and estimated runway.

- Outline funding history and most recent valuation (if available).

- Detail unit economics: CAC, LTV, payback period, NRR/GRR, churn, Magic Number (compute if inputs exist).

- Describe revenue mix by product/segment/geo and any notable customer concentration.

- Include pricing/ACV and sales pipeline indicators if provided.

- Highlight key trends and drivers; material risks or caveats (data gaps, one-offs).

**FORMAT**  

- Start with a 1–2 sentence introduction with time frame and data basis.

- Present a KPI Snapshot: a bulleted list of 8–14 lines (label  value).

- Include 1 short paragraph on trends/drivers.

- Add 1 short paragraph on risks/assumptions.

- Maintain a neutral, concise investor tone. Aim for ~220–380 words total.

- Use units and rounding for numbers (e.g., $12.3M, 67%, 5.4 months). Write “Unknown” if not found. Do not speculate.

**DATA HANDLING & RELIABILITY**  

- Follow this source order of preference: uploaded financial files management presentations internal KB public sources (company site, filings, LinkedIn, Crunchbase, reputable media).

- If facts conflict, choose the most credible/recent and note any material discrepancy in one short clause.

- Compute metrics when inputs are present; otherwise mark “Unknown”.

**CITATIONS (required)**  

End with a plain list titled Sources: with one line per source (title/doc name + URL if available). No inline citations or extra formatting

Prompt

Draft the Financial Overview section using the following structure:

1) Body text:

   Intro sentence(s)

   KPI Snapshot:

     - <KPI label><value>

     - <KPI label><value>

   • Trends/Drivers paragraph

   • Risks/Assumptions paragraph

2) Sources list formatted as:

Sources:

- <Source title or document name><URL if available>

- <Source title or document name><URL if available>

Utilize the following data:

<UserMessage>

{in-0}

</UserMessage>

<FinancialData>

{doc-0}

</FinancialData>

<CompanyData>

{doc-1}

{knowledgebase-0}

{action-1}

{action-0}

{action-2}

</CompanyData>

Advanced Settings

  • Temperature: 0.25 - Numeric accuracy first; low temperature reduces wording drift and prevents “creative” math.

6) Executive Summary (LLM)

Goal: Combine the three sections into a brief, IC-ready summary.

Model: Gemini 1.5 Pro (Google) - Excellent multi-doc synthesis and keeping structure tight.

You are assisting a private equity firm in drafting investment memos.

TASK

Write the Executive Summary section only. Synthesize the provided sections (Business Overview, Competitive Landscape, Financial Overview) and any attached company context. Do not introduce new research.

SCOPE & CONTENT (objective, decision-useful)

One-sentence snapshot of what the company does and the opportunity.

 Why now: brief market/context hook.

 Investment thesis: 3–5 crisp points grounded in traction, differentiation, and economics.

 KPI Snapshot: 6–10 key metrics (e.g., ARR/MRR & YoY, gross margin, cash/runway, NRR/GRR/churn, ACV, customer concentration). Use labels values.

 Risks & open questions: 2–4 items with the most material uncertainties.

 Next steps: 3–6 actionable diligence items or data requests.

 Do not make a go/no-go recommendation; stay neutral and factual. Mark missing items as “Unknown.”

FORMAT & STYLE

Neutral, concise investor tone.

 220–380 words total.

 Structure:

   1) 2–3 sentence overview paragraph

   2) Investment thesis: (bulleted list)

   3) KPI snapshot: (bulleted list, label  value)

   4) Risks & open questions: (bulleted list)

   5) Next steps: (bulleted list)

No tables. No preamble or method notes.

DATA HANDLING & RELIABILITY

Treat numbers in Financial Overview as source-of-truth if conflicts arise.

 Prefer facts already stated in the provided sections; do not speculate.

 If metrics can be computed from provided inputs, compute them; otherwise write “Unknown.

CITATIONS (required)

At the end, add a plain list titled Sources: with up to 12 unique items consolidated from the sources cited in the provided sections (title or doc name + URL if available). Do not invent new sources or add inline citations

Prompt

Draft the Executive Summary section based on the provided memo sections.

Return:

1) The body text structured as follows:

   - Overview paragraph

   - Investment thesis bullets

   - KPI snapshot bullets

   - Risks & open questions bullets

   - Next steps bullets (no preamble).

2) A consolidated sources list formatted as:

Sources:

- <Source title or document name><URL if available>

- <Source title or document name><URL if available>

<UserMessage>

{in-0}

</UserMessage>

<BusinessOverview>

{llm-4}

</BusinessOverview>

<CompetitiveLandscape>

{llm-5}

</CompetitiveLandscape>

<FinancialOverview>

{llm-6}

</FinancialOverview>

Advanced Settings

  • Citations: ON (consolidated/deduped from prior sections).

7) Investment Memo (Output)

Goal: Combine all sections into one final, formatted memo.

  • Use a Template node to stitch together results from each AI Agent.

  • Reference outputs directly:

    • Executive Summary → /Executive Summary

    • Business Overview → /Business Overview

    • Competitive Landscape → /Competitive Landscape

    • Financial Overview → /Financial Overview

  • Add headings (H2) for clarity: Executive Summary, Business Overview, Competitive Landscape, Financial Overview.

  • The template merges everything into a clean document with consistent structure.

  • Export as text, PDF, or DOCX for sharing with the investment committee.

8) Export Interface (Advanced Form)

Goal: Turn the workflow into a simple, shareable form your team can use to run memos without opening the builder.

  • What it becomes:

    An Advanced Form with three fields:

    1. Company (type the target company here)

    2. Management Presentations (upload deck/PDF)

    3. Financials (upload XLSX/CSV/PDF)

      The Investment Memo appears in the Output area (with a Download PDF button).

  • How you share it:


    • Custom subdomain: e.g., acme.stack-ai.com

    • Password protection: enable to gate access

    • SSO protection: require company SSO to open the form

    • Allowed source URLs: restrict who can embed/open (domain allow-list)

  • When to use it:

    • Internal reviewers or deal teams can type the company, drop the files, and submit—no editing the graph.

    • Perfect for repeat runs and handing off to associates or diligence partners.


Video Walkthrough: How it Works

See the Investment Memo Generator in action in this short demo.


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Secure Connections. Trusted Data Handling.

We prioritize your security and privacy, ensuring safe database connectivity with strict data processing controls.

Get started

Secure Connections. Trusted Data Handling.

We prioritize your security and privacy, ensuring safe database connectivity with strict data processing controls.