Investor-grade technical assessment of software companies for PE firms, VC firms, acquirers, and technical diligence teams.
A Willowbark technical due diligence engagement gives investors and acquirers an independent, experienced view of a software company's technology, engineering team, architecture, delivery capability, and operational posture.
The value is not simply a technical report. The value is an investor-useful assessment of whether the company's technology, team, architecture, and operating model can support the investment thesis, the projected growth trajectory, and the planned operational changes that follow a transaction.
Findings are written for executive audiences. They are direct, prioritized, and tied to business implications rather than technical minutiae.
Assessments are tailored to the investment thesis and the specific risks that matter for each deal. Typical evaluation areas include:
Deliverables are written for investment committee consumption and executive decision-making. They are structured to support due diligence processes, not to impress with technical vocabulary.
The format and depth of deliverables are calibrated to timeline and deal stage. Express assessments and phased approaches are available.
Technical due diligence is most valuable when engaged early in a transaction process, before LOI if possible, to allow findings to inform deal structure, pricing, and negotiation.
Later-stage engagement is also effective for validation, second opinions, or post-LOI confirmation. Willowbark is experienced in working within compressed deal timelines.
Willowbark can coordinate directly with the target company, the deal team, or both, depending on the stage and structure of the process.
Engagements are scoped around the decision at hand. Work may range from a focused review of a single software company to a broader assessment covering architecture, engineering organization, delivery process, cloud operations, security posture, scalability, and AI readiness. Transaction-oriented diligence is typically structured to support compressed deal timelines, while health checks and advisory work can be scoped around leadership priorities, board concerns, or preparation for fundraising or acquisition.
Express assessments, phased approaches, and targeted scope are all available. The right scope depends on the deal stage, the investment thesis, and the specific technical questions that need to be answered.
Is the platform architecturally capable of handling the customer volumes, data loads, and product roadmap implied by the investment thesis?
Are the team's capabilities real, or concentrated in one or two individuals who represent departure risk?
What remediation investment is required, and over what timeframe, to reach the state the investment thesis assumes?
What does the company's infrastructure, security posture, and operating model reveal about reliability, compliance exposure, and operational cost?
Does the technology represent a genuine competitive moat, or is the product story ahead of the technical reality?
What should a new owner address immediately, what can wait, and what should be deprioritized entirely?
A redacted sample technical due diligence report is available for download. It shows the structure, depth, and executive framing of a Willowbark assessment. A capability statement is also available for procurement and qualification purposes.