Independent technology due diligence
Technology Due Diligence for Investors and Acquirers
Independent, senior technology due diligence for PE firms, VCs, acquirers, and their advisers. Our fractional CTOs and CISOs assess the architecture, security, scalability, and team behind a deal, so you know exactly what you are buying before you sign.
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What Technology Due Diligence Is
Technology due diligence is an independent assessment of a target company's technology, run before an investment or acquisition. It examines the architecture, code, security, infrastructure, data, scalability, and engineering team, then reports the risks, costs, and opportunities to the investor or acquirer, so the deal is priced and structured on the technical facts.
It sits alongside financial and legal due diligence, and answers a different question. Financial DD tells you whether the numbers are real. Legal DD tells you what you are liable for. Technology DD tells you whether the technology can actually carry the business plan you are buying into, and what it will cost if it cannot.
It usually happens once a deal is live but before it closes, in the window between term sheet and completion. That is a tight timeline, so the assessment has to be fast and focused on what changes the decision.
Two parties commission it. Most often it is investor-side or buy-side: the PE firm, VC, or acquirer wants an independent read before committing. But it can also be vendor-side or sell-side, where a founder commissions it ahead of a raise or sale to find and fix problems before investors do.
You will see this called both "technology due diligence" and "technical due diligence". In a software and investment context they mean the same thing. (It is worth noting the phrase "technical due diligence" is also used in commercial property surveying, which is an entirely different discipline. If you are buying a building, that is not us. If you are investing in a software or technology business, you are in the right place.)
The deliverable is a report the deal team can act on: clear, prioritised, and written for investors, not engineers. Learn more about the people who run these assessments on our fractional CTO and fractional CISO pages.
What we assess
- Architecture and scalability - Will the platform take the growth the deal thesis assumes, or is a costly rebuild lurking just past the projections?
- Code quality and technical debt - What state is the codebase really in, and what will it cost to maintain and extend after the deal?
- Security and compliance - Where is the risk, what is exposed, and what liabilities transfer to you with the deal? Led by a senior CISO.
- Infrastructure and cost - Is the stack efficient and resilient, or a spiralling cloud bill waiting to surface on your watch?
- Team and key-person risk - Is the engineering capability real and retainable, or concentrated in a few people who may walk once the deal completes?
- Roadmap and delivery - Can they actually ship what they have promised, and does the delivery track record support the valuation?
Who it is for?
We work with everyone on the buy side of a technology deal, and the founders on the other side of it.
- Private equity and venture capital — independent investor-side DD before you commit capital.
- Acquirers and corporate development — a clear read on technology risk before an acquisition.
- Corporate finance advisers and M&A lawyers — independent technical assurance you can put in front of your client and their deal.
- Founders and sell-side — vendor due diligence to get your house in order before investors look under the bonnet.
Why Boardman?
Senior operators, not junior analysts. Real CTOs and CISOs who have built and scaled the kind of systems they are assessing, so they know what good and bad actually look like.
Independent. We are not selling you a rebuild or an MSP contract on the back of the report. That means the assessment is honest, with no incentive to inflate the findings.
Fast and commercial. A prioritised report the deal team can act on, delivered in deal timescales and written for investors, not engineers.
Continuity. If the deal proceeds, the same bench can step in afterwards as fractional leadership to fix what the DD found. Useful, but only if you want it.
Three ways to buy it
Fixed prices, published, no hourly rates. You know what the work costs and what you get before you commission it, which is more than most of the deal process will offer you.
Know exactly what you are buying.
Independent, senior technology due diligence for PE, VC, acquirers, and their advisers, delivered in deal timescales by CTOs and CISOs who have built the systems they assess.
Know what you're buying before you sign
No pitch. A straight technology read on the deal from someone who has sat on both sides of one.
BOOK A CALLFrequently asked questions
What is technology due diligence?
What's the difference between technical due diligence and technology due diligence?
How long does technology due diligence take?
What does a technology due diligence report cover?
Do you offer vendor (sell-side) due diligence?
Can you help after the deal?
How much does technology due diligence cost?
Which package do I need?
Can I upgrade from a Red Flag Review to a full DD?
Who pays for technology due diligence, the buyer or the seller?
What are the most common red flags in technology due diligence?
Are your fees fixed?
What is the difference between technology due diligence and a technology audit?
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