024: Don’t Wait for the Findings, Align on the Yardstick…Upfront
It’s always a bit too much of a race – to pull together the issues, align on what matters most, and then deploy the activities to nail an effective electronic …
Posts
023: The Battlefront for the Keystone Position in an Ecosystem
Direct competition between ecosystems – iOS vs. Android; Twitter (or “the X”*) vs. Instagram (Meta) – is often studied and constantly the subject of various tech press and opinion pieces. …
022: Value Gen Stimulant in Commercial Diligence Processes
Today’s GRAPH Papers® article is short and simple. A quick process, best-practice on the value gen. front of commercial diligence that could prove to be a useful commitment to make …
021: A Practical Commercial Diligence Approach to Assess the Risk of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Disruption
The impact of constantly expanding applications of AI technology has many investors nervous about traditional human-labor-based businesses – from professional and technical services to administrative clerks. The sustainability of these …
020: Timing the Meeting (the Commercial Due Diligence Partner Meeting with Management)
It is well established practice to bring your commercial due diligence partner to the Management Meeting. It creates context and gives your diligence practitioner a first-hand view of what management …
019: Avoiding Asymmetric Competitors in Technology Investing
In a recent conversation with a leading technology-focused sponsor, I was asked an interesting question: if [insert hyperscale technology company name] is getting into everything, then how do I know what’s …
018: Observations on How Financial (PE) and Strategic (Corp Dev) Investors Consider Segmentation Opportunities Differently from One Another
Serving a wide-range of clients, one pattern that I have noticed is the degree to which the strongest Corp Dev groups (the “Strategics”) consider customer segments as a means for …
017: Building Habits to Reduce Due Diligence Mistakes
Private Equity investing has been described as a combination of art and science, calling on a wide range of disciplines to make good judgements. In that spirit, I wanted to …
016: Diligence Trappings of Lawn Sign Decisions
Regardless of where any of us stand on a political spectrum, there is a superbly valuable due diligence lesson for investment teams that derives from the behavioral sciences of psychology …
015: Value Gen: Transitioning the Core Business
In search of higher multiples, investors and their advisors are increasingly pressuring companies to transition their core business to match “themes” that earn higher valuations. For instance, businesses that would …
014: Discovering Repeatable Growth in your Diligence
Over the years, I have heard multiple M&A professionals say “we don’t underwrite hopes and dreams,” by which they mean new tactics proposed, but not tested, by Management (and their bankers). What …
013: Using Diligence and the Ownership Change to Leverage What Matters to Customers
Conducting commercial diligence that matters should equip the new owner and the leadership team with insights that can quickly make an impact on market share and pricing opportunities (among other opportunities). One …
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