> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.metal.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Work in business development

> Use Metal's deal pipeline, CIM Library, lists, people, and workflows to source, screen, and qualify opportunities.

Metal does not have a separate Business Development product. BD teams use the same deal-lifecycle surfaces as the rest of the firm: the **Active Pipeline**, deals and companies, **CIM Library**, lists, people, chat, and organization-specific [workflows](/help/workflows).

<Note>
  Some surfaces — including **Active Pipeline**, **NDA Library**, **Dashboards**, and certain workflows — are enabled per organization. If you do not see an item, contact [support@metal.ai](mailto:support@metal.ai).
</Note>

## Understand the operating model

| In Metal            | What it represents                                | How a BD team uses it                                         |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Company**         | A target, advisor, sponsor, or other organization | Store firmographics, contacts, files, and enrichment.         |
| **Deal**            | An opportunity linked to a target company         | Track stage, status, owners, source, and documents.           |
| **Person**          | A banker, advisor, executive, or other contact    | Keep relationship context on the company and deal.            |
| **Active Pipeline** | The shared board and list of deals in motion      | Review, prioritize, and move opportunities through stages.    |
| **CIM Library**     | Screenings of confidential information memoranda  | Extract financials, review analysis, and score incoming CIMs. |
| **Lists**           | Grids of companies, deals, people, or documents   | Build a screening universe or theme and enrich it in bulk.    |
| **Workflows**       | Repeatable research configured for your firm      | Intake teasers, review NDAs, draft one-pagers, or run comps.  |

This keeps origination, screening, and coverage attached to durable records instead of spreading them across inboxes and spreadsheets.

## Source and qualify opportunities

<Steps>
  <Step title="Connect the systems you already use">
    Ask an admin to enable your [CRM](/help/integrations/crm) (DealCloud, Salesforce, Affinity, or Dynamo) and [file storage](/help/integrations/file-storage). Connect [Microsoft Exchange](/help/integrations/exchange) so mail and calendar become part of your firm's context. PitchBook and other market-data sources appear when they are enabled for your organization.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create or sync the target and the deal">
    Create the [company](/help/companies), then create a [deal](/help/deals) linked to it — or let a CRM sync bring both in. Set **Acquisition Type** to **Platform** or **Add on**. Record how the opportunity arrived using **Source Type**, **Source Contact**, **Source Company**, and **Advisors**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Put the deal on the Active Pipeline">
    Open **Active Pipeline**. Use the **Overview** dashboards and the **Active Deals** list or kanban board. Turn on **My Deals** to focus on your deals. Drag a card to the next stage when that milestone has actually happened.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save the views your team reviews every week">
    Saved views on the Active Deals list are shared with everyone who can access the list. Create cuts by owner, stage, sector, or source. See [Working with lists](/help/lists).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Screen CIMs and score opportunities

Open **Files → CIM Library** to work with CIM screenings.

* Start a screening from a CIM and link it to the target company. Metal can also create a screening automatically when a file is classified as a CIM and attached to a company.
* Open a screening to review extracted financials, analysis, and scores against your firm's frameworks.
* Admins and Power users configure scoring under **Settings → Firm Guidance → Scoring**. Custom financial metrics appear on screening detail pages — see [Financial metrics](/concepts/financial-metrics).

<Note>
  CIM Library is the productized screening surface. Comparable-company or sector-benchmarking research is usually a [workflow](/help/workflows) configured for your organization, not a default section every customer sees.
</Note>

## Cover bankers, advisors, and other contacts

<Steps>
  <Step title="Keep people on the company">
    Open **Records → People** for the firm directory, or add a person from a company profile so they are linked automatically. See [Working with people](/help/people).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review key contacts on the company">
    Company profiles list **Key Contacts** — the people linked to that company.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Record deal coverage">
    On the deal, set **Source Contact**, **Source Company**, and **Advisors** so banker and advisor coverage stays on the opportunity. See [Record where a deal came from](/help/deals#record-where-a-deal-came-from).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Run intake and other BD workflows

Workflows automate multi-step BD work — teaser or CIM intake, NDA review, one-pagers, comparable-company analysis, and sector search. The catalog is organization-specific. Open **Workflows** to see what is shared with you.

Common patterns, when configured:

* **Email intake** — a workflow with an inbound address turns a forwarded teaser, CIM, or NDA into a run. Email is not a generic "upload files to Metal" path. See [Files & documents](/help/documents) and [NDA Library](/help/admin/nda-library).
* **NDA Library** — reviews incoming NDAs against your firm's published policy and produces a redline. Setup is admin-led.
* **Comparable-company or comparable-deal workflows** — run from **Workflows** or **Run Workflow** on a company, deal, or project page.

If you do not see a workflow, it is not configured, not shared with you, or tied to an event or email trigger rather than a manual **Run** button. Ask your Metal admin or Metal contact.

## Ask questions across the firm's context

* Press <kbd>⌘</kbd> <kbd>K</kbd> to jump to companies, deals, files, and pages by name.
* Use **Files** search to search document contents, not just titles.
* Press <kbd>⌘</kbd> <kbd>J</kbd> to open **Chat** and ask questions over the context you can access. Check the underlying source before relying on a generated answer.

See [Searching in Metal](/help/search).

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Working with deals" icon="handshake" href="/help/deals">
    Create deals, set source and acquisition type, and use the Active Pipeline.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Files & documents" icon="file" href="/help/documents">
    Upload CIMs and other files, then find them in Files and CIM Library.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Working with lists" icon="list" href="/help/lists">
    Build screening universes and enrich many records at once.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Run workflows" icon="robot" href="/help/workflows">
    Start configured workflows and review runs, outputs, and artifacts.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>


## Related topics

- [Working with deals](/help/deals.md)
- [Metal user guide: get oriented and find your way](/help/index.md)
- [Files & documents](/help/documents.md)
- [Investor relations: funds, LPs, fundraising](/help/investor-relations.md)
- [Connect ChatGPT](/mcp/chatgpt.md)