Why teams use NDA Protection
Click-to-accept NDA gate
Upload your NDA and Peony presents it as the first screen every viewer sees. No acceptance, no access. Simple as that.
Legally enforceable audit trail
Every NDA acceptance is logged with the signer's email, IP address, timestamp, and document version. Fully defensible if disputes arise.
Per-link or room-wide
Require NDAs on individual links or across an entire data room. Different investors can sign different agreements — all managed from one dashboard.
"Peony is easily the best form factor for sharing client-facing material. It lets us stand out by embedding custom booking and website links into secure deck shares."
Robi Lin
Founder & CEO, Sepal AI (YC S24)
Frequently asked questions
How do M&A advisors use NDA gating before sharing a CIM in Peony?
Peony lets you upload your firm's NDA and present it as the first screen every prospective buyer sees before accessing the data room. The bidder must accept the NDA before any CIM or deal document loads. Every acceptance is logged with the bidder's email, IP address, and timestamp, giving your deal team a legally enforceable audit trail tied to each counterparty.
Can our legal team upload a custom NDA template for client engagements?
Yes. Peony supports any custom NDA or confidentiality agreement your legal team drafts. You can upload your firm's standard template, update it between engagements, and apply different NDAs to different client matters or data rooms. Peony does not force a generic template, so your counsel's specific language, governing law provisions, and carve-outs remain exactly as drafted.
Will the NDA acceptance hold up if a bidder leaks documents during due diligence?
Yes. Peony records a full audit trail for every NDA acceptance, including the bidder's email address, IP address, exact timestamp, and the specific version of the NDA they accepted. If a bidder breaches confidentiality, your counsel can point to the timestamped acceptance record tied to that counterparty. All data is protected with AES-256 encryption at rest and TLS 1.3 in transit on SOC 2-ready infrastructure. Peony is GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA compliant. This click-to-accept record meets the standard for enforceable electronic agreements under the ESIGN Act and eIDAS regulation.
Can a PE fund require LP NDAs for some investors but not others in the same data room?
Yes. Peony lets you configure NDA requirements per link or per data room. Using personalised links, you can require an NDA for prospective LPs or co-investors while giving your fund's internal deal team unrestricted access. This is essential during fundraising or continuation-vehicle processes where existing LPs may already be under a master confidentiality agreement, but new investors need to sign before viewing fund documents.
What happens if a potential bidder opens the data room link but declines the NDA?
If a bidder declines the NDA in Peony, they are denied access to all documents behind the gate. No CIM, financial model, or management presentation is loaded or previewed. Your deal team can see in the Peony analytics dashboard which bidders opened the NDA link but did not accept, helping you follow up with counterparties who have not yet signed.
Is NDA protection available on the free plan?
NDA gating is included on the Business plan ($40/admin/month billed yearly, 1 TB storage). The Free plan ($0, 2 GB) includes core sharing and analytics, while Pro ($20/admin/month, 200 GB) adds password protection and folder sharing. Business adds NDA gates, dynamic watermarks, screenshot protection, and full branding controls.
Can I layer NDA gating with watermarks and link expiry for a sell-side M&A data room?
Yes. Peony's NDA gating works alongside password protection, link expiry, watermarking, screenshot protection, two-factor authentication, and controlled redaction to permanently black out sensitive figures or PII before sharing. For a sell-side process, you might require every bidder to accept the CIM NDA, watermark each page with the bidder's name, set links to expire when the bid deadline passes, and use redaction to mask customer names or revenue breakdowns until a bidder advances to the next round.
How does Peony's NDA feature compare to legacy data room providers?
Legacy providers like Ideals and Firmex often charge extra for NDA gating or limit it to enterprise plans. Peony includes NDA protection on the Business plan ($40/admin/month) with no per-viewer, per-page, or per-link limits, so costs stay predictable regardless of deal size. You can set it up in under 5 minutes with no support tickets or complex admin panels, and you also get built-in e-signatures if you need full digital signing beyond click-to-accept.
Related features
E-Signatures
Collect legally binding signatures on NDAs, contracts, and agreements without leaving Peony.
Two-Factor Authentication
Require email-based identity verification before anyone can view your shared documents.
Password Protection
Require a password before anyone can view your shared documents or data rooms.