Is it safe to email my financials to an investor?

It is common and it is the least safe option. An attachment lives forever in their inbox and in every inbox they forward it to, with no record and no way to withdraw it. A link you control does the same job with a trail and an off switch.

What should a watermark say?

The recipient name or email, the company name, and the date and time of viewing. That combination makes a screenshot attributable without making the page hard to read.

Should I let investors download?

Usually yes. Most investors keep a diligence file and will ask for a copy anyway. Allow downloads on the link and rely on the watermark; switch a link to view-only when you have a specific reason.

What happens when I revoke a link?

The view stops working immediately, including in a browser tab that is already open, and any file link expires within a minute. What the recipient downloaded while the link was live stays with them, which is why the watermark matters.

How long should a link stay open?

Set an expiry when you create it. Sixty to ninety days covers most raises, and a link you forget about then closes on its own. Extend it if the conversation is still going.

Guide

Sharing financials and evidence with investors securely: scope, watermark, revoke, and know who looked

By the Vanward team · Last updated September 14, 2026

Share company evidence with investors through a link you control rather than an attachment you cannot take back: scope each link to one recipient and the documents that conversation needs, watermark every page with their name and the time, let them download only when you choose, and withdraw the link the moment the conversation ends. Attachments and open folder links cannot be revoked, cannot be traced, and are forwarded more often than founders expect.

A raise means showing strangers the inside of the company. Some of them will invest; most will not, and a few will end up on the board of a competitor. So share what each conversation needs, know who opened it, and keep the ability to take it back.

The four controls that matter

Scope

Each recipient gets their own view containing only the documents their stage of the conversation needs. An associate deciding on a first meeting sees the deck and the KPI summary. A partner with a term sheet sees everything. When the term sheet falls through, the view goes with it. Scoping per recipient also means you can change one investor's view without touching another's.

Watermark

Every page carries the recipient's name or email, the company name, and the moment of viewing. It does not stop a screenshot; it makes a screenshot attributable, which is what changes behavior.

Downloads, on your terms

Allow downloads by default so the investor can keep a diligence file, and switch a link to view-only when there is a reason. Be honest with yourself about what view-only buys: it discourages copying, it does not prevent it. The watermark and the revoke are the controls.

Revoke

The conversation ends, the view ends. A revoked link should stop working immediately, even in a tab that is already open, and any file links should expire within a minute.

Know who looked, and at what

A record of opens and file views per recipient is the same information a sales team gets from a proposal tool, and it is the most useful signal a founder has during a raise. Three opens of the financials and none of the contracts says the investor is modeling. No opens for ten days says they have moved on. Use it to decide where to spend your follow-up.

Attachment, folder link, or live link

Comparison point	Email attachment	Shared folder link	Live link (ReadiLink)
Can be withdrawn	No	Yes, but copies already made remain	Yes, immediately; files expire within a minute
Scoped per recipient	By hand	By hand, easy to get wrong	Yes, per link
Watermarked	No	No	Yes, name and time on every page
Shows the current version	No, a snapshot	Yes if you overwrite files	Yes, always the current record
Shows verification and date	No	No	Yes, on every item
Records who opened what	No	Rarely	Yes, per link and per file
Forwardable	Freely	Freely	The link works, but every page names the original recipient

What to share, and when

What belongs in each send depends on where the conversation is. The guide on what to send after a first meeting lists the five documents for the follow-up and what to hold until there is a term sheet.

Three habits

Name every link after the person, not the firm, so you can revoke one without the other. Set an expiry at creation (60 to 90 days covers a raise) so forgotten links close themselves. Replace documents at the source rather than sending updates, so every live view shows the current version and nobody is working from the model you sent in March. This is how ReadiLinks work in CapReadi.

Questions founders ask

Is it safe to email my financials to an investor?: It is common and it is the least safe option. An attachment lives forever in their inbox and in every inbox they forward it to, with no record and no way to withdraw it. A link you control does the same job with a trail and an off switch.
What should a watermark say?: The recipient name or email, the company name, and the date and time of viewing. That combination makes a screenshot attributable without making the page hard to read.
Should I let investors download?: Usually yes. Most investors keep a diligence file and will ask for a copy anyway. Allow downloads on the link and rely on the watermark; switch a link to view-only when you have a specific reason.
What happens when I revoke a link?: The view stops working immediately, including in a browser tab that is already open, and any file link expires within a minute. What the recipient downloaded while the link was live stays with them, which is why the watermark matters.
How long should a link stay open?: Set an expiry when you create it. Sixty to ninety days covers most raises, and a link you forget about then closes on its own. Extend it if the conversation is still going.