Technology rarely turns into EBITDA simply because a business buys a better platform. PE operating partners create value when they connect technology to a business problem, an accountable initiative, a measurable outcome, and a deadline. Your portfolio company may be growing, but growth often exposes weak systems, tool sprawl, unclear ownership, rising cyber risk, and […]
How PE operating partners turn technology into EBITDA Read More »
A deal can look financially attractive until you examine the systems that keep the business running. Cyber threats can turn weak access controls and untested backups into expensive post-close problems. Aging platforms and undisclosed incidents can increase cyber risk, driving remediation costs and lost operating capacity. Cybersecurity due diligence helps you evaluate a transaction in
Cybersecurity Due Diligence Red Flags That Cut Price Read More »
In middle market leveraged buyouts, an add-on acquisition can look small in a purchase model. It can still create a large technology problem. When you combine a target with a platform company, identity, data, vendors, and cybersecurity must work together. Decision rights must also be clear before the promised EBITDA improvement shows up. Private equity
Add-On Acquisitions: A Tech Integration Playbook Read More »
A deal can close with a thorough report, a red-flag list, and strong conviction. Then the business goes back to work, and the report starts collecting dust. That is why tech diligence findings often fail to change anything. The findings may be accurate, but nobody has made them part of the operating plan, the budget,
Why Tech Diligence Findings Die After Close — and How Operating Partners Keep Them Alive Read More »
Investors can forgive a messy system. They rarely forgive a leadership team that cannot explain the mess. Technology due diligence is where your claims about growth, margin, customer experience, and risk meet operating reality. When evaluating a target company, investors will look closely at whether your technology story matches your actual capabilities. If your narrative
Technology Due Diligence Before Investors Write a Check Read More »
In high-stakes M&A transactions, a deal can look sound on paper and still hand you a technology problem that drains cash, delays integration, and weakens the value you thought you bought. For buy-side deal teams and executives, technology due diligence gives you a clearer view before money changes hands. It tests whether the target’s systems,
Technology Due Diligence Before an Acquisition: What Leaders Need to Know Read More »
A security budget is not an IT expense report. For Private Equity firms, it serves as evidence of how well a portfolio company understands risk, protects revenue, supports the investment thesis, and prepares for an eventual exit. Low spend is not always efficient, and high spend is not always mature. You must read the budget
How to Read a Portfolio Company’s Security Budget Read More »
Private equity gives you a short window to get the truth. In the first 100 days, weak technology leadership does not stay hidden for long. It shows up in stalled projects, messy reporting, vendor drift, and decisions nobody fully trusts. If you are running a portfolio company, you do not need more activity. You need
First 100 Days With a Fractional CTO in Private Equity Read More »
The ugliest technology surprises rarely come from the code. They come from ownership nobody can explain, spend nobody can defend, and risks nobody has tracked in board language. Often, these hidden liabilities are the primary reason a private equity firm might reevaluate an acquisition, as they can quickly undermine the original investment thesis. By the
Technology Due Diligence Checklist for CEOs and Boards Read More »
The first budget surprise in a deal is usually not the purchase price. It is the cleanup that follows. If you wait until after the letter of intent, you are often negotiating with the clock against you. Skipping thorough IT due diligence early in the process creates blind spots that threaten your total deal value.
How to Negotiate Acquisition Integration Costs in the LOI Read More »
