The SeedLegals Qualified badge: the faster way to identify investment-ready startups

Have you seen the SeedLegals Qualified badge on some of the pitches that come across your screen?

Here’s what the badge means, and why investors use it to quickly filter for startups worth a closer look.

UK startups earn the SeedLegals Qualified badge when they pass three layers of screening:

• Background checks – key company records and fundraising structures have been reviewed to help identify issues that could delay investment
• Completed pitch profile – there’s enough information on their pitch page so you can decide to engage or not
• KYC (Know Your Customer) – the company is real and the directors are checked against Sanctions & PEP lists.

The badge doesn’t tell you if a company is a good investment. But it does tell you that a series of key operational, structural and verification checks have already been done for you. So you can focus on evaluating whether the opportunity is a good fit, rather than spending time uncovering basic investor-readiness issues later in the deal.

✅ Background checks
Avoid issues later in the round

Many fundraising problems don’t appear in the pitch deck. They show up later to kill or stall deals and frustrate everyone.

The SeedLegals Qualified badge includes checks designed to identify those operational and structural issues before they slow down the investment process.

• Cap table and ownership review
  We review Companies House filings alongside company share records to help identify discrepancies, unresolved share activity and other issues that could complicate a funding round.
• Share structure review
  We review share classes, shareholder rights and related company records to help identify unnecessary complexity or structural issues that could create friction during fundraising.
• Convertible instrument review
  If the company has previously raised using convertible instruments (including SeedFASTs or SeedNOTEs), we review their status to help identify outstanding conversion rights and potential future dilution before the round progresses.

✅ Pitch checks
Quickly assess whether the opportunity is worth your time

When you see the SeedLegals Qualified badge, you know that you’ll find the information you need upfront to judge whether this is something you want to pursue.

The SeedLegals team checks whether core investment information has been properly presented upfront.

• A clearly defined raise target
  Quickly understand the scale and intent of the round.
• SEIS/EIS fundraising status
  Quickly see whether the company is planning to raise under the SEIS/EIS tax relief schemes.
• A defined business model and/or financials including revenue streams
  It’s clear how the company plans to make money and grow.
• A clear problem, vision and solution
  What the company is building and why it matters.
• Founder and team information
  Context on the people behind the business and their relevant experience.
• In short: a completed pitch profile with all supporting materials
  Including a pitch deck and elevator pitch video, so you can get a read on the founding team and how they work.

✅KYC checks
Helping confirm the company – and the directors – are legitimate

Before a startup receives the SeedLegals Qualified badge, the SeedLegals legal team carries out a series of verification checks.

This step is to make sure the company, founders and fundraising details all line up before the conversations go any further.

• Founder and director verification
  We check that founders and directors are correctly linked to the company and match Companies House records.
• Company information checks
  We review details including the registered company name, jurisdiction and address against official filings to spot inconsistencies early.
• Legal name and documentation checks
  We check that legal names and records match across SeedLegals and official filings. This helps avoid delays when documents are signed and funds start moving.
• Sanctions and PEP screening
  Directors are screened against sanctions lists and politically exposed persons (PEP) databases as part of standard compliance checks.
• Bank account verification
  We verify company bank details to help reduce payment issues and admin delays during the raise.

Invest through the platform built for startup funding

The SeedLegals Qualified badge is designed to help you identify startups that are prepared for investment conversations.

SeedLegals for Investors helps you manage everything that happens next.

Run your deals on the UK’s #1 startup funding platform – from first conversation through to signed documents, SEIS/EIS certificates and portfolio tracking.

With SeedLegals for Investors, you can:

• Create and share investment proposals
• Negotiate terms and e-sign documents
• Store deal documents and SEIS/EIS certificates
• Model exits, forecast returns and monitor cap tables
• Create or join syndicates
• Chat with founders and collaborate with co-investors on-platform
• Access AI-powered tools and expert support when you need it

Whether you’re making your first angel investment or managing an active portfolio, SeedLegals helps you run your deals faster.