VC and PE funds
Assessment of technology and execution risk before an investment decision or as triage for a portfolio company with problems.
Due Diligence & Risk
Tech Due Diligence
I assess execution risk and a company's readiness to deliver its investment plan. Not just technology — architecture, ownership, roadmap, metrics and team competence.
✓10-point readiness score with weighted risks
✓Risk map: critical / moderate / acceptable
✓30/60/90 action plan with owners and deadlines
In short
Tech Due Diligence is an assessment of execution risk, not just a code review. It covers architecture, engineering process quality, ownership structure, roadmap, metrics and the company's readiness to execute its investment plan. The output is a readiness score, risk map and a concrete action plan.
When Tech DD is needed
Tech Due Diligence is valuable at several key moments — not only before investment:
- ⚠The company shows traction in the pitch deck but delivery cannot keep up with the round plan
- ⚠The investor has concerns about system scalability or roadmap
- ⚠Founders cannot defend technical decisions during DD
- ⚠Pitch deck metrics have no source in reliable analytics systems
- ⚠A portfolio company is not delivering KPIs after round closure
- ⚠A planned acquisition requires risk assessment before closing
Who this is for
Angel investors
Fast assessment of a startup's technical maturity before a seed or pre-seed investment.
Founders preparing for a round
Proactive DD readiness — know what to improve before investors ask the hard questions.
Acquirers in M&A transactions
Assessment of technical debt, compliance risks and integration readiness before acquisition.
10-point framework
- →Architecture and scalability — can the system handle 10× traffic without burning the margin
- →Codebase quality and technical debt — how much velocity is blocked by existing code
- →Release process and delivery predictability — lead time from decision to production
- →Product–engineering–data ownership — who ultimately decides and whether they have the mandate
- →Roadmap quality and KPI alignment — investment thesis vs wishlist
- →Discovery process and product decisions — how the company validates what to build
- →Analytics and metrics reliability — whether pitch deck numbers have a source in real data
- →Security, compliance and operational risks — GDPR, SOC2, access concentration
- →Leader competencies and team structure — key-person risk, scaling ability
- →30/60/90 plan and implementation readiness — whether the company knows what needs to change
How Tech DD runs
- 01
Kick-off and scope
We align on the fund's or acquirer's priorities, documentation access and key people. We define the highest-risk areas.
- 02
Documentation review
Analysis of architecture, codebase, roadmap, metrics, team structure and processes. Focus on risks, not exhaustive review of everything.
- 03
Technical interviews
Conversations with CTO, tech leads and PMs. Verification of declarations against documentation and metrics.
- 04
Readiness score and risk map
Assessment of each of the 10 points with weighting: critical / moderate / acceptable. Justification for each assessment.
- 05
30/60/90 plan
Concrete remediation actions with owners and deadlines. Not a list of recommendations — a plan that can be implemented from day one after closing.
What you receive
- ✓Readiness score — 10-point assessment with weighted risks and justification
- ✓Executive summary — 1-page overview of key risks for the investment committee
- ✓Detailed risk map — critical / moderate / acceptable with descriptions
- ✓Red flags — list of blockers requiring action before or after round closure
- ✓30/60/90 plan — actions with owners, deadlines and success metrics
- ✓Optional: call with IC or company management — Q&A based on the report
Red flags we identify
No single owner of product-tech decisions — everyone decides, no one is accountableRoadmap disconnected from investment thesis or round KPIsScaling only through more people or infrastructureTechnical debt hidden as "we will refactor later"No reliable source of truth for pitch deck metricsRelease dependent on one person — concentration of riskSecurity and compliance deferred until "after growth"
Tech DD vs Code Review vs Technical Audit
| Criterion | Tech Due Diligence | Code Review |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Architecture, process, people, metrics, roadmap | Code only |
| Purpose | Assessment of execution and investment risk | Assessment of codebase quality |
| Output | Readiness score + risk map + 30/60/90 plan | Issue list and recommendations |
| Duration | 1–2 weeks | 2–5 days |
| For whom | VC, PE, acquirers, founders pre-round | Engineering teams, CTOs |
Frequently asked questions
What is Tech Due Diligence?
Tech DD is an assessment of a company's execution risk — not only code quality, but architecture, delivery process quality, product decision quality, team structure and the company's readiness to deliver its investment plan.
Is Tech DD only about code?
No. Code is one of 10 points. Equally important: the release process, decision ownership, roadmap, metrics reliability, security and the team's ability to deliver the plan after investment.
How long does Tech Due Diligence take?
Standard process: 1–2 weeks from kick-off to report delivery. With limited data access or expanded scope — up to 3 weeks. Faster triage possible in 3–5 days for investors with urgent timelines.
What is the output?
Readiness score 10/10, executive summary, detailed risk map and 30/60/90 plan. Format: document + optional call with investment committee or company management.
When should a fund start Tech DD?
As early as possible in the investment process — before entering intensive negotiations. Early DD lets you negotiate on facts, not on a feeling of risk. For portfolio companies — at the first signs of KPI problems.
Can Tech DD damage the relationship with founders?
Good DD builds trust — founders know the investor understands their technology and processes. Problematic DD is conducted as an interrogation, not as a joint risk assessment. My approach: partnership-based, concrete, without looking for someone to blame.
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