FAQ
Common questions and troubleshooting for sources, generation, downloads, credits, and more
Answers to common questions and solutions to common issues.
Quick answers for PE and deal teams
Common questions from private equity, M&A advisory, and corporate development teams.
Can I connect PitchBook, CapIQ, or other data providers?
Not directly. Deliverables AI does not integrate with third-party data providers like PitchBook, S&P Capital IQ, or Bloomberg. This is consistent with our no-integrations-by-design security approach — we don't maintain persistent connections to external data systems.
Recommended workflow:
- Run your queries in PitchBook, CapIQ, or your preferred provider
- Export the results as Excel (.xlsx) or PDF
- Upload those exports as sources in Deliverables AI
- Generate your deliverable — the AI will synthesize the data into your deck
This keeps you in full control of exactly which data enters the system. Learn more about supported file types →
What output formats do you support?
PowerPoint (.pptx) is our primary output — fully native and editable, not image-based. Every chart, table, and text box is a real PowerPoint object. We also produce Word (.docx) documents through document agents for written analyses and memos. We do not produce Excel output. More on downloads →
How long should I expect generation to take?
Depends on the mode and deck size. Express and Smart modes typically finish in 5-15 minutes. Comprehensive mode — which runs web research alongside your sources — can take 30-60 minutes for large decks (40+ slides). This is by design: the AI is doing thorough research and building a detailed narrative, not just formatting slides. More on timing →
Is my deal data safe?
Yes. All data is encrypted (TLS 1.3 in transit, AES-256 at rest), your workspace is isolated, and we never use your data to train AI models. We intentionally avoid integrating with data rooms or VDRs so we never have persistent access to your sensitive repositories. Full security details →
Can I enforce brand consistency across my team's output?
Yes, through custom agents. Create an agent with your brand guidelines, preferred structure, terminology, and formatting rules. Everyone on your team can use it to produce consistent output. For enterprise clients, we also support custom PowerPoint templates with your exact slide layouts, fonts, colors, and logos.
Sources
What file types and limits do you support?
Documents (.doc, .docx, .pdf, .txt), presentations (.ppt, .pptx), spreadsheets (.xls, .xlsx), and images (.png, .jpg, .jpeg, .webp). Max 20 MB per file. Full details →
My file won't upload
Check that it's under 20 MB and a supported format. For large files, try compressing images or splitting into multiple files.
Web scraping failed
Some websites block automated access. Try a specific page URL instead of full site, or download as PDF and upload manually.
What does "Indexing" mean?
The AI is processing and indexing your sources (works for 2-5 minutes typically, up to 20 for large sets). Let indexing complete before generating.
Can I upload audio files?
Not directly. Audio files (.mp3, .wav, .m4a) are not currently supported. However, you can easily work around this:
Recommended workflow:
- Use your meeting recording tool — Most tools (Zoom, Teams, Grain, Otter, Fireflies) automatically generate transcripts
- Download the transcript — Export as .txt or .docx
- Upload to Deliverables — Add the transcript as a source
Alternative for standalone audio:
If you have audio without a built-in transcript, use any transcription service:
- Upload to YouTube (unlisted) and use our YouTube link feature—we'll extract the transcript automatically
- Use free tools like Otter.ai, Whisper, or Google's speech-to-text
- Paste the transcript directly using the "Copied text" option
Meeting transcripts are goldmines for CIMs—they capture details about the business, growth plans, and founder motivations that rarely appear in formal documents. Always upload your kickoff meeting transcript.
What is Deep Research?
AI-powered web search that finds and adds relevant public information to your project. The AI researches and compiles results over 3-5 minutes. Learn more →
Security and privacy
Is my data secure?
Yes. All data is encrypted end-to-end (TLS 1.3 in transit, AES-256 at rest), your workspace is isolated from other customers, and we never use your data to train AI models. Full security details →
Who can access my data?
Only users you explicitly invite to your workspace. Our support team can only access your data with your explicit permission. Learn more →
Generation
What's the best way to create a CIM?
Upload your financial statements, management interviews, company overview, and market research as sources. Use Presentation Maker with a prompt like "Create a comprehensive CIM for [Company Name]" and select Comprehensive mode for the most thorough output. Typical CIMs are 35-50 slides. Prompting guide →
How long does the AI work?
- Indexing: 2-5 minutes typically, up to 20 minutes for large file sets
- Presentations (Express/Smart): 5-15 minutes for most decks
- Presentations (Comprehensive): 15-45 minutes for typical decks; up to 60 minutes for large CIMs (40+ slides) with extensive web research
- Deep Research: 3-5 minutes
Comprehensive mode takes longer because the AI actively searches the web, evaluates dozens of sources, and synthesizes them into your narrative. The extra time directly improves output quality and depth.
Can I cancel a generation in progress?
Yes. Click the stop button next to the progress bar to cancel at any time. You won't be charged for slides that weren't completed. This is useful if you realize you need to change your prompt or add more sources.
My deliverable failed to generate
Check that sources finished indexing, then try again. Simplify complex prompts if needed. Contact support if it fails repeatedly.
The output doesn't match what I asked for
Be more specific in your prompt—add constraints like slide count, must-include topics, and audience. Prompting guide →
The slides are too generic
Add specific context: company details, metrics, audience. Compare:
- ❌ "Create a pitch deck for Acme Corp"
- ✅ "Create a pitch deck for Acme Corp, a B2B SaaS company with $2.4M ARR and 45 enterprise customers"
The data is wrong or made up
Provide exact numbers in your prompt or upload source documents containing the data you want cited.
What happens when information isn't available?
When the AI can't find specific data in your sources or through research, it will:
- Mark content as "Illustrative" — Indicates the data is a reasonable estimate based on context, not a verified fact
- Mark content as "TBD" — Indicates information that needs to be filled in manually
The system is trained to be factual and won't fabricate data. Look for these markers when reviewing your deck to identify what needs verification or client input.
The images don't match our brand
Include your company domain (e.g., "acme.com") for automatic branding, or specify aesthetic preferences. Visual style guide →
Downloads
What formats can I download?
Presentations: PowerPoint (.pptx) or PDF. Documents: Word (.docx) or PDF. You can preview any deliverable before downloading.
Note on Word documents: Document agent output is functional analytical prose — well-structured text with headers, bullets, and tables, but not a designed document with styled layouts. If you need a visually designed deliverable, use Presentation Maker for PowerPoint output. More on document agents →
Agents
Which agent should I use?
Presentation Maker (default) for slide decks. Document agents for written reports, memos, and analyses.
When should I create a custom agent?
When you need consistent structure, brand control, or repeatable output across your team. Custom agents guide →
What's the difference between Presentation Maker and Document agents?
Presentation Maker produces editable PowerPoint files (.pptx) with slides, charts, images, and citations. Use this for CIMs, pitch decks, management presentations, and any visual deliverable.
Document agents produce text-based output (Word documents or text). Use these for written reports, memos, Q&A documents, and analyses where you need prose rather than slides.
If you're getting Word documents when you expected PowerPoint, make sure you have Presentation Maker selected in the agent dropdown.
Credits and billing
How do credits work?
Credits are consumed when processing sources and generating deliverables. They refill monthly and don't roll over. Credit costs →
How much does a deck cost?
30-130 credits per slide depending on complexity. A typical 10-slide deck uses 500-800 credits. What drives costs →
I'm out of credits
Upgrade to Pro for more monthly credits, or contact us about Enterprise pricing.
Is pricing per seat or per user?
No—pricing is credit-based, not seat-based. You can onboard your whole team onto your workspace, and everyone can see and work within shared projects. Credits are shared across the team.
This means you pay for usage, not headcount. Add as many team members as you need without additional per-seat fees.
Languages
Does Deliverables AI work in languages other than English?
Yes. You can generate presentations in any language by specifying it in your prompt:
Create a 20-page CIM for Renault in French
How language support works:
- Output language — The AI generates all text content in your specified language
- Source documents — You can upload sources in any language; the AI will translate and synthesize as needed
- Mixed language — You can provide English sources and request output in another language (or vice versa)
Which languages work best?
The AI performs best with widely-spoken languages that have substantial training data:
| Tier | Languages | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| Excellent | English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch | Near-native quality |
| Good | Chinese (Simplified), Japanese, Korean, Russian, Arabic, Polish, Swedish | Strong quality, occasional phrasing issues |
| Functional | Most other languages | Usable but may need more editing |
For languages outside the "Excellent" tier, we recommend reviewing the output more carefully for natural phrasing and industry-specific terminology. Consider having a native speaker review critical deliverables.
Can I create bilingual presentations?
Yes. Specify both languages in your prompt:
Create a management presentation for Atlas Corp with each slide in both English and Japanese—English as the primary text with Japanese translation below.
Account
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How should I organize projects?
Create a new project when source materials differ. Keep related deliverables using the same sources in one project.
Common approaches:
- Per client — Most common for deal work. Create one project per client engagement (e.g., "Project Atlas CIM"). All sources and deliverables for that deal stay together.
- Per topic — Useful for recurring content like market reports. Create a project for "Consumer M&A Trends Q1 2026" and reuse it for similar future reports.
- Per deliverable type — Some teams prefer organizing by output type (e.g., "Management Presentations", "Teasers") with sources that apply broadly.
Can I use my firm's PowerPoint template?
Yes. On Enterprise plans, we integrate your firm's custom template so all generated presentations match your brand and standards.
What's included in custom template integration:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Slide layouts | Your firm's design system—title slides, content layouts, chart slides, etc. |
| Brand colors | Your exact color palette applied as theme colors |
| Fonts | Your licensed fonts (e.g., Myriad Pro, Europa) embedded in every deck |
| Logo placement | Your logos positioned correctly on title, TOC, and footer areas |
| Disclaimers | Standard legal text and confidentiality notices |
| Document structures | Pre-defined sections for CIMs, teasers, management presentations |
How it works:
- You provide your firm's PowerPoint template (.pptx)
- Our team configures it with the proper naming conventions and AI hints
- We test generation to ensure quality output
- Your template becomes available to everyone in your workspace
Custom templates typically take 1-2 weeks to configure. The setup is included in Enterprise pricing—no additional cost.
Contact us to discuss custom template setup during your onboarding.
Switching from another tool?
How does Deliverables AI compare to other presentation tools?
We've published detailed comparisons showing how Deliverables AI stacks up against popular alternatives for finance teams. Each comparison covers features, pricing, output quality, and ideal use cases.
Still need help?
If you can't find a solution here, contact our support team. Include:
- Your workspace ID (found in your profile menu)
- What you were trying to do
- Any error messages you saw
- Screenshots if helpful