Tech Due Diligence

14 min · vc, corp-dev, strategic

The SaaS Tech Due Diligence Checklist

The 47-point technical diligence checklist VCs and corp dev teams use on SaaS targets. Architecture, security, AI exposure, key-person risk, scoring rubric.

11 min · vc, corp-dev, strategic

Tech Due Diligence on an AI Startup

How to run technical diligence on an AI-first startup. Training data, model moat, inference economics, vendor lock-in, and the questions the seller will dodge.

9 min · vc, corp-dev, corp-finance, strategic

Tech Due Diligence Red Flags

Twelve technical diligence red flags that consistently predict repricings, walked deals, and post-close write-downs in SaaS and AI acquisitions.

9 min · corp-dev, strategic, vc

How to Conduct DevOps Due Diligence

A comprehensive guide for acquirers on conducting DevOps and SRE technical due diligence, covering key metrics like release frequency, MTTR, and IaC.

6 min · vc, corp-dev, corp-finance, strategic

The Acquirer's Guide to Open-Source License Audits

Understand the risks of open-source software in M&A. This guide covers copyleft contamination, SBOMs, and SCA scans for effective tech due diligence.

5 min · vc, corp-dev

The VC Technology Due Diligence Checklist

A complete guide to VC technology due diligence checklists. Learn what VCs *actually* check at Series A/B versus later growth stages, from codebase to AI.

9 min · vc, corp-dev, corp-finance, strategic

Quantifying Technical Debt for M&A Due Diligence

A precise, calm, and authoritative guide to quantifying technical debt during due diligence for M&A, translating code smell, test coverage, deployment friction, and architectural debt into investable dollars and a remediation roadmap.

9 min · vc, corp-dev, corp-finance, strategic

AI/ML Due Diligence: Separating Innovation from Speculation

A methodical approach to evaluating AI/ML capabilities, model defensibility, data provenance, and MLOps maturity in M&A target companies. Essential for investors and acquirers navigating AI claims.

10 min · vc, corp-dev, corp-finance, strategic

Cloud Cost Due Diligence for M&A

A precise examination of cloud cost due diligence, assessing FinOps maturity, reserved instance strategies, multi-account efficiencies, egress costs, and the enterprise value impact of cloud cost optimisation.

9 min · vc, corp-dev, corp-finance, strategic

CTO Interview Questions for Due Diligence

A comprehensive guide to CTO interview questions during due diligence, focusing on architectural thinking, hiring philosophy, technical debt, and integration plausibility. Includes a scoring rubric for objective assessment.

9 min · vc, corp-dev, corp-finance, strategic

Cybersecurity Due Diligence: Essential Considerations for a Compressed Timeline

Undertaking effective cybersecurity due diligence within a constrained timeframe requires a precise methodology. This article outlines critical areas of focus for a 2-4 week technical due diligence period, encompassing identity management, network perimeters, code integrity, third-party risk, incident history, and ransomware exposure. We also highlight key red flags that demand immediate attention.

9 min · corp-dev, corp-finance, strategic

Data Architecture Due Diligence

An examination of data architecture due diligence, focusing on analytical versus operational data, lineage, governance, and AI-readiness, and why these elements are frequently undervalued in M&A.

9 min · vc, corp-dev, corp-finance, strategic

Integration Readiness Assessment: A Pre-LOI Imperative

A pre-LOI evaluation of a target company's integration readiness, focusing on identity, data, finance systems, engineering tooling, and talent overlap.

9 min · vc, corp-dev, corp-finance, strategic

Technology Due Diligence for Acqui-hires: When the Team is the Core Asset

Focused insights on navigating technology due diligence during acqui-hires, where the primary asset is the team. We cover talent retention, equity vesting, IP assignment, and codebase residual value.

9 min · corp-dev, corp-finance, strategic

Technology Due Diligence for Private Equity: A Distinct Approach

An examination of how technology due diligence in private equity transactions diverges from venture capital, focusing on value creation, architectural considerations, integration debt, and strategic inputs for the 100-day plan.

9 min · vc, corp-dev, corp-finance, strategic

Technology Due Diligence Questionnaire Template

A comprehensive guide to leveraging a technology due diligence questionnaire to uncover architectural, organisational, and security risks, and strategies to mitigate performative responses.

7 min · vc, corp-dev, corp-finance, strategic

Structuring Your Technology Due Diligence Report for Impact

Understanding the critical components of a technology due diligence report and what truly resonates with buyers.

8 min · vc, corp-dev, corp-finance, strategic

Technology Due Diligence: Navigating Timelines and Costs

Understanding the typical timelines and cost structures for technology due diligence, differentiating between rapid assessments and comprehensive deep dives, and when to engage specialist firms versus Big Four.

10 min · vc, corp-dev, corp-finance, strategic

Technology Due Diligence vs. IT Audit: An M&A Perspective

Understanding the fundamental differences between Technology Due Diligence and IT Audit is crucial for M&A success. This article clarifies their distinct purposes, methodologies, and areas of overlap, highlighting why mistaking one for the other can expose dealmakers to significant risk.

9 min · vc, corp-dev, corp-finance, strategic

Technology Due Diligence Inputs for the 100-Day Plan

Explore how technology due diligence findings translate into a structured 100-day integration plan, covering remediation, sequencing, and financial allocation.

9 min · vc, corp-dev, corp-finance, strategic

Code Quality Metrics in Technology Due Diligence

A precise, calm, and authoritative exploration of code quality metrics in technology due diligence, differentiating between the insights static analysis provides and its limitations. We discuss how to interpret these findings in the context of a deal thesis.

9 min · vc, corp-dev, corp-finance, strategic

Assessing Engineering Organisation Design During Due Diligence

A precise examination of engineering organisation design within the due diligence process. We explore team topologies, on-call posture, hiring funnel maturity, key-person dependencies, and attrition forensics.

7 min · vc, corp-dev, corp-finance, strategic

Technology Due Diligence for FinTech Targets

Navigating the complexities of technology due diligence in FinTech acquisitions, focusing on regulatory adherence, payment infrastructure, and data integrity.

9 min · vc, corp-dev, corp-finance, strategic

Technology Due Diligence in Healthtech M&A

Evaluating healthtech targets requires specific diligence in data privacy, regulatory adherence, and technical interoperability. This article provides a framework for M&A professionals.

9 min · vc, corp-dev, corp-finance, strategic

Technical Due Diligence for Marketplace Businesses

Understanding the unique technological considerations and risks when evaluating marketplace businesses, including trust and safety, fraud detection, and content moderation.

10 min · corp-dev, corp-finance, strategic

Incident History Review in Tech Due Diligence

Understanding a target company's incident history provides critical insights into operational maturity, cultural norms, and underlying technological risks. This article explores how to conduct a thorough review of incident post-mortems during technology due diligence.

9 min · vc, corp-dev, corp-finance, strategic

Intellectual Property and Source Code Escrow: Demanding Rigour in Tech Due Diligence

A precise guide to intellectual property, source code escrow, and contributor agreement audits in technology due diligence, highlighting common gaps in early-stage targets.

9 min · vc, corp-dev, corp-finance, strategic

Product Roadmap Credibility in Due Diligence

Evaluating the realism and achievability of a target company's product roadmap is critical in technology due diligence. This article explores methodologies for discerning genuine commitments from aspirational statements, assessing engineering capacity against ambition, and mapping dependencies.

9 min · vc, corp-dev, corp-finance, strategic

Navigating Third-Party Dependencies in Tech Due Diligence

A comprehensive examination of third-party dependencies in technology due diligence, covering SaaS sprawl, vendor concentration, contract renewal cliffs, and supply-chain security exposure.

8 min · vc, corp-dev, strategic

Assessing the Engineering Leadership Team

How to evaluate the engineering leadership team during technology due diligence: CTO depth, succession risk, hiring track record, and cultural signals that predict post-close execution.

14 min · vc, corp-dev, strategic

Tech Due Diligence on Vibe-Coded Apps

How to run technical diligence on apps built primarily with AI coding tools (Lovable, Cursor, v0, Bolt, Replit Agent, Claude Code). What's actually being acquired, where the real risk sits, and the questions a vibe-coded target will struggle to answer.

16 min · vc, corp-dev, strategic

The Future of Tech DD: Investing in a Vibe-Coded World

Why Tech DD is being rewritten for an AI-built software economy. How investor diligence will change over the next 3–5 years as vibe-coded and traditional apps converge — what founders get wrong about AI builders, and where their data actually ends up.

16 min · corp-dev, strategic

Strategic Buyers Looking at Vibe-Coded Targets

Strategic buyers and vibe-coded targets operate on opposite ends of governance, speed and engineering culture. How corp dev, security, architecture and integration teams should evaluate — and absorb — an AI-built acquisition without breaking either side.