Technical Due Diligence with a CTO's eye.
We assess architecture, team, and tech stack ahead of the investment decision, with risk assessment and AI value-creation potential in one report.
The situation
Ahead of a transaction, there's usually a commercial, legal, and tax review. Technology often remains a blind spot. Yet it's technology that decides whether a growth plan is technically viable, whether scaling is realistic or a rebuild is looming, and how high the actual risk in the team and the stack really is.
We assess tech stack, architecture, code quality, engineering organization, and security posture from the perspective of an operator who has led teams and built systems themselves, not from the perspective of an auditor working through a checklist. The result is a report that actually moves an investment committee toward a decision: risk, effort for the next 100 days, and where AI can move results within the first year.
We have carried out more than 50 such assessments for investors and boards, across industries, with a focus on e-commerce, fintech, edtech, and real estate.
Deliverables
Architecture and stack assessment
An assessment of whether the technical foundation supports the planned growth or where it hits limits.
Risk assessment
Concrete risks in code, infrastructure, security, and dependencies, classified by severity and urgency.
Team and organization assessment
A view on key people, knowledge distribution, and whether the organization fits the planned scale.
AI value-creation potential
An initial assessment of where AI agents or automation could move results in the portfolio company, as a basis for the value creation plan.
Report for the investment committee
A document that translates technical findings into decision language, with a clear recommendation.
Presentation of findings
A session with the deal team where we walk through the findings and answer follow-up questions directly.
Our approach
- 01
Documents and access
We review documentation, codebase, and infrastructure, usually through limited, clearly scoped access.
- 02
Management interviews
We talk to the CTO, engineering leadership, and key people to validate what the documents say.
- 03
In-depth technical review
We assess architecture, code quality, security posture, and operational maturity against a fixed set of criteria.
- 04
Report and recommendation
We summarize risk, effort, and AI potential in a report the investment committee can use directly.
Typical clients
| Role | Concern |
|---|---|
| PE deal team | Understand technical risk and effort before the investment decision. |
| Operating partner | A solid foundation for the 100-day plan and the value creation plan. |
| Board / supervisory board | An independent, understandable assessment with no self-interest from management. |
| M&A advisor | A partner who translates technical findings into decision language for investors. |
Concern: Understand technical risk and effort before the investment decision.
Concern: A solid foundation for the 100-day plan and the value creation plan.
Concern: An independent, understandable assessment with no self-interest from management.
Concern: A partner who translates technical findings into decision language for investors.
Outside our scope
We don't deliver Legal or Financial Due Diligence, and no assessment of the business model. For that, we work with the corresponding partners on the deal team. We don't write a report that softens risks to favor a transaction, and we only take on implementation of the findings if that's explicitly requested. The diligence stays independent of any possible follow-on engagement.
Frequently asked questions
| Ausgangslage | Umsetzung | Ergebnis | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real estate platform, Berlin | Real estate platform in Berlin, technical risk unclear ahead of a decision. | Tech DD report with a risk picture and a target software architecture. | The decision rested on a documented technical foundation. |
| Real estate service provider | Real estate service provider without a documented technical picture and without a fixed stack. | Tech DD report, greenfield target architecture, and a concrete tech stack decision. | The company has a documented foundation and a fixed stack to build on. |
| Digital consultancy, Hamburg | Digital consultancy needed external architecture expertise for three parallel client projects. | Tech DD of an e-commerce architecture, greenfield CMS concept, architecture for a credit platform. | The consultancy could continue all three client projects on a reliable technical foundation. |
Ausgangslage
Real estate platform in Berlin, technical risk unclear ahead of a decision.
Umsetzung
Tech DD report with a risk picture and a target software architecture.
Ergebnis
The decision rested on a documented technical foundation.
Ausgangslage
Real estate service provider without a documented technical picture and without a fixed stack.
Umsetzung
Tech DD report, greenfield target architecture, and a concrete tech stack decision.
Ergebnis
The company has a documented foundation and a fixed stack to build on.
Ausgangslage
Digital consultancy needed external architecture expertise for three parallel client projects.
Umsetzung
Tech DD of an e-commerce architecture, greenfield CMS concept, architecture for a credit platform.
Ergebnis
The consultancy could continue all three client projects on a reliable technical foundation.
Initial call: 30 minutes, concrete.
We discuss the target company and timeframe and tell you what a diligence would concretely look like.