the process was broadly similar across firms ; two major steps occurred ; a partner had to commit to investigate the deal and secondly partner were canvassed to identity issues of concern. there tended to be a conscious effort to create a deal team that would increase the amount of domain expertise and venture experience addressing a project. and speed the due diligence process. parts of the process could be extremely informal. but it was followed closely within each firm. many firms had designed the process to present the opportunity to a small group of experts initially and as the more detailed issues were resolved . to expose it to a greater audience within the firms. some firms expected that partner with significant concerns about an opportunity would help with the due diligence process. a typical socialization process might follow these steps.