Technical due diligence for venture capital firms and investors
Identify technical risks before they become part of the investment
An independent, hands-on assessment of technology, code, and the engineering organization. We make technical claims verifiable and surface open questions before the decision.
Free and without obligation · 30 minutes · confidential
Evidence-linked findings with transparent confidence levels
Priorities framed for the investment decision
Clear boundaries between facts, risks, and open questions
diff craft Confidential
Technical Due Diligence
Project Northstar · Anonymized sample
VC-TDD / 01July 2026
Executive Summary
The platform provides a sound technical basis for the next growth phase. The core architecture is maintainable and the engineering team demonstrates strong ownership. The two material risks are the absence of tested disaster recovery and a manual production deployment process.
Overall assessment
The identified risks are technically manageable with a focused remediation plan.
Risk Register
Disaster recovery has not been tested
Medium risk
Backups are created regularly, but no complete recovery exercise has been performed or documented. Recovery time and data loss remain unverified.
5–8 working days
Typical assessment duration from kickoff
Direct senior review
One accountable contact throughout the assessment
The right expertise
Extendable with specialized partners
The people doing the deep technical review
Deep technical expertise across engineering, product, and data
Work directly with senior experts in software engineering, technical product management, and data engineering. We review architecture, code, data flows, and roadmaps with hands-on experience and an evidence-led research mindset.
Dr. Georg Schwarz
Founder & Software Engineer
Hands-on experience across full-stack engineering, backend systems, platforms, infrastructure, and AI evaluation. With a doctorate in microservice architectures and CKA certification, Georg leads the deep technical review and translates findings into an investment-relevant view.
Architecture and code analysis in TypeScript, Python, and Java
Platforms, infrastructure, and delivery
AI systems and engineering quality
Dr. Philip Heltweg
Project partner
More than 10 years of industry experience across engineering teams, technical product management, and product-focused roles. Philip connects product claims, data flows, organizational responsibilities, and the delivery roadmap.
Technical product and requirements
Data engineering and data flows
Commercial products and stakeholder alignment
We provide Technical Due Diligence. We assess technical differentiation and create clear interfaces to legal and commercial workstreams. Binding legal, patent, security, and commercial conclusions remain with the respective specialists.
Technical substance
What we examine for the investment decision
The investment thesis defines the scope. We focus on the issues that genuinely affect value, scalability, or feasibility.
Technical maturity
How stable, maintainable, and operationally ready is the technical foundation for the next stage of growth?
Architecture and roadmap
Do the technical foundation, interfaces, data flows, and planned development support the business model?
Code and technical debt
Which parts are sound, where are the material risks, and what would realistic remediation require?
AI-generated code and open source
Indicators of uncontrolled AI-generated code, problematic dependencies, and relevant licensing risks.
Delivery and ownership
Development model, Git history, key-person dependencies, ownership, and the ability to deliver reliably.
Technical moat
Differentiation from the state of the art and whether it can remain meaningful as AI models continue to advance.
Engagement modules
As deep as necessary, as focused as possible
Technical sparring
01
Get a senior technical perspective before going deeper
A focused conversation about a technology space, specific company, or technical claim. We prepare using public and supplied information and help you identify the questions that matter next.
Discuss the technology space and relevant market dynamics
Challenge technical claims and assumptions
Identify material risks and open questions
Recommend whether and where a deeper review is worthwhile
Typical price range
€500–€1,000
1–2 hour session plus preparation
Focused technical due diligence
02
Decide on the term sheet with technical clarity
A clearly bounded assessment of the decisive technical risks, adapted to the company stage, deal, and available evidence.
Prioritized request list and evidence review
Analysis of architecture, codebase, APIs, and data flows
Review of repositories, dependencies, and open-source licenses
Decision-ready summary, risk register, and open questions
Typical price range
€6,000–€10,000
Typically 5–8 working days from kickoff
Technical follow-up review
03
Review technical progress at the next decision point
Typically conducted three to six months after the initial assessment or ahead of a board or follow-on funding decision. We verify progress on agreed priorities, review new evidence, and assess whether material risks have been reduced.
Review progress against agreed technical priorities
Verify remediation and newly supplied evidence
Reassess previously identified risks
Provide an updated view for the next board or decision point
Price per follow-up review
€2,000–€5,000
Typically 2–5 working days from kickoff
Technical due diligence supplement
04
Add depth to an existing technical due diligence
An additional, thorough examination of the technical topics most relevant to your investment decision. We align the focus with you and build on the information and findings from an existing assessment, including work conducted by another provider.
Examine selected architecture, code, or roadmap questions
Validate technically significant findings
Resolve disputed or insufficiently evidenced points
Provide a concise supplement for the investment memo
Typical price range
€3,000–€5,000
Typically 2–4 working days from kickoff
The ranges shown are typical prices. The final price depends on scope, needs, timeframe, system complexity, and the quality of supplied materials. You receive a clear scope and transparent estimate before work begins. Each module is independently scoped. A follow-up review is optional and usually takes place several months after the initial assessment or before the next decision point. Technical sparring provides an initial expert perspective, not a due diligence report or investment recommendation.
A Focused Technical Due Diligence typically takes 5–8 working days from kickoff, once the required access and materials are available. Targeted extensions usually take 2–4 working days, and follow-ups 2–5. System complexity, access, and evidence quality can change the schedule, so we confirm the decision date before work begins.
Which materials do you need?
Typically, we request architecture and product documentation, repository access, dependency and infrastructure information, the technical roadmap, team responsibilities, and relevant security or operational evidence. You receive a prioritized request list adapted to the company and deal.
Do you need access to the source code?
For a credible code-level assessment, usually yes. If repository access is not possible, we can define a narrower document- and interview-based scope, but we clearly state the resulting limits on confidence.
How do you handle confidential information?
Before access is granted, we clarify confidentiality, data sensitivity, systems, and the people involved. We limit access to what is required for the assessment and can work within the contractual and technical controls of the deal process.
Can you assess AI-generated or vibe-coded software?
Yes. We assess the resulting system rather than judging it by how it was created. We look for maintainability, test coverage, security issues, inconsistent patterns, unsuitable dependencies, unclear ownership, and whether the team can operate and evolve the product reliably.
Do you assess the technical moat?
Yes. We compare the technical approach with the state of the art, examine what is genuinely differentiated, and assess which advantages may remain meaningful as AI models and commodity tooling improve. This is a technical assessment, not a market-size, pricing, or competitive Commercial Due Diligence.
Does the assessment include patents and open-source licenses?
We identify technically relevant dependencies, license indicators, ownership questions, and patent-related claims. Binding legal or patent conclusions require qualified legal counsel. We can prepare the technical evidence and coordinate with specialist partners.
What do we receive at the end?
The agreed deliverables typically include an executive summary, prioritized findings, supporting evidence, strengths, open questions, and recommended actions. The result is written for investment decision-makers while retaining enough technical detail for verification.
Can you support us after the initial assessment?
Yes. We can investigate individual risks in a follow-up review, verify additional evidence or remediation plans, and support technical questions through the next decision point when capacity is available.
Your next deal
Which technical question must be answered before the decision?
In a confidential introductory call, we clarify the deal stage, available evidence, key risks, and a realistic assessment scope.
