PRAEVIOleading with foresight
M&A / PE / VC

Tech Due Diligence
DACH-Markt

No nasty surprises after the acquisition. I analyse the tech stack, code quality, team and scalability — with a clear risk report and investment recommendation in 1–3 weeks.

Report with NDA & full confidentiality — standard for M&A transactions

What I evaluate

Comprehensive analysis across four dimensions — with a clear risk rating per area.

🏗️

Code & Architecture

  • Code quality and technical debt
  • Architecture scalability
  • Test coverage & CI/CD maturity
  • Documentation status
👥

Team & Organization

  • Developer competency profile
  • Bus factor & key dependencies
  • Engineering culture & processes
  • Retention risk
🔒

Security & Compliance

  • OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities
  • GDPR compliance
  • Data storage & encryption
  • Penetration test history
⚙️

Infrastructure & Ops

  • Cloud architecture & costs
  • Vendor lock-in risk
  • Backup & disaster recovery
  • Monitoring & observability

Deliverables

  • Code Quality & Architecture Review
  • Tech Debt Analysis & Quantification
  • Team Competency & Dependency Assessment
  • Scalability Assessment
  • Security & Compliance Check
  • IP Ownership & License Audit
  • Infrastructure & DevOps Maturity
  • Risk Score & Investment Recommendation
  • Post-Acquisition Tech Roadmap

FAQ about Tech Due Diligence

What is a Tech Due Diligence?

A Tech Due Diligence (Tech DD) is a structured analysis of the technological substance of a company prior to an investment or acquisition. It evaluates code quality, architecture, scalability, team competency, security and technical debt — and delivers a clear risk profile for investors and buyers.

Who needs a Tech Due Diligence?

Private equity funds and venture capital investors ahead of a stake acquisition, strategic buyers before an acquisition, management buyout teams, and companies seeking to acquire or invest in a tech company. Also companies that want to understand their own technical substance before entering a sale process.

How long does a Tech Due Diligence take?

A full Tech DD typically takes 1–3 weeks, depending on system complexity (number of services, code volume, team size). For M&A transactions with tight timelines, a 5-day rapid assessment is possible that prioritizes the most critical risks. The report is delivered as a PDF with clear risk ratings and actionable recommendations.

What is evaluated in a Tech DD report?

Areas evaluated include: code quality and technical architecture, technical debt and its quantification (cost to remediate), team competency and bus factor risks, platform scalability, security and GDPR compliance, IP ownership and open-source licenses, infrastructure and cloud architecture, DevOps maturity and deployment processes. The result is an investment-oriented risk report with clear red flags, yellow flags and an investment recommendation.

Can a Tech DD report also be useful for sellers?

Yes — a vendor-side Tech DD (VDD) makes sense for companies preparing for a sale process. They identify tech debt and weaknesses in advance, can remediate them or price them in correctly, and enter the M&A process with a transparent fact base. This accelerates the process and prevents unpleasant surprises during the buyer's DD.

Does a Tech Due Diligence actually involve reading code?

Yes — a genuine Tech DD requires access to the repository, infrastructure documentation and architecture diagrams. Ideally also interviews with the CTO and senior developers. An NDA agreement is standard. The level of detail is calibrated to transaction size and available time.

Transaction in planning?

Contact me early — ideally 4 weeks before the planned signing deadline. A short conversation clarifies scope, timeline and format.

Free Discovery Call