Unleash potential across the entire M&A lifecycle with our digital and technical expertise

Global merger assessment of two leading marketplaces

A Private Equity firm aimed to merge two marketplace targets in different geographies to create a market leader. We conducted a standalone due diligence for both targets, followed by an iterative merger and integration analysis with both management teams and the Private Equity client. The focus was on developing a technical integration strategy for the two platforms, considering technical, organisational, and business factors.

The Netlight M&A team enhanced our existing core consultant team with technical experts and local language proficiency. We held deep-dive sessions with the CTOs and key IT personnel from both targets, and key stakeholders from the client. We established a structured data room and a weekly Q&A process. Additionally, we conducted a two-day on-site expert session, collaborating closely with other advisory teams and external industrial advisors.

Separate due diligence assessments of both targets included a deep dive into the technical platforms, evaluating non-functional capabilities and product maturity. We provided a detailed merger analysis with potential scenarios, Capex/Opex requirements, risks, and mitigations. We proposed an integration strategy with a complexity assessment and conducted a tech stack comparison. Our product review covered UX/CX features and included a competitor analysis.

Carve-out of a leading managed media service provider

Netlight conducted a technical due diligence of a large managed media service company serving Europe's top broadcasters. The analysis covered the potential investment's full technical scope, a successful carve-out strategy, and identifying value drivers to create a more efficient organisation.

This investment aimed at carving out a significant part of the managed media service segment, with opportunities to enhance operations and potentially reduce the technical organisation by 50% post a complex re-platforming project. We detailed the ongoing re-platforming project's assessment to project its success and cost savings potential.

Our evaluation included the technical platform and target architecture, ensuring a future-proof solution capable of delivering high-quality services with a streamlined and automated organisation. We collaborated closely with the client's deal team to establish an Operational Expenditure (OPEX) bridge and efficiency scenarios.

Exit scenarios based on upcoming technical investments were developed to ensure efficient operations and sustained service quality. We identified issues affecting the re-platforming project and supported the client in discussions regarding future IT landscape investments.

Technical and product analysis for a SaaS product company

Netlight conducted a technical due diligence for a private equity client on a fast-growing SaaS product company generating €100 million in annual revenue with over 500 employees. The focus was on assessing organisational maturity, readiness for future growth, and competitive edge in a highly competitive market.

We held sessions with the target's management to analyse the technical platform, organisational aspects, and innovation processes. We evaluated the company's technical infrastructure and its scalability to support future growth and new product development. Expert interviews with internal users and competitors’ customers provided valuable insights, and extensive experiments with both the company's product and competitive offerings were conducted for a thorough competitive analysis.

Our in-depth analysis included product capabilities, the competitive landscape, and recommendations for future product development to strengthen the company's market position. Additionally, we performed a comprehensive cybersecurity analysis at both the organisational and technological levels, crucial for the business-critical product serving customers. The technical platform's uniqueness, difficulty of replication, and future growth accommodation were reviewed, alongside the digital product development organisation’s readiness for systematic growth and innovation.

Leading pharmaceutical logistics provider for cold-chain solutions

Netlight conducted a technical due diligence for a pharmaceutical logistics provider generating €200 million in annual revenue with over 400 employees for a private equity firm. The analysis covered the technical platform, digital roadmap execution, and organisational capability to manage key IT partners.

Focus areas included the technical platform's extendibility and interoperability for future market expansion, assessment of digital leadership, and cybersecurity posture. Our expert team examined the technical landscape, organisational capabilities, and machine learning maturity. We evaluated suppliers' ability to support the business, reviewed VDR materials, and established key questions for target leadership.

We assessed the system landscape, including architecture, integrations, and business support systems, identifying opportunities for simplification and business support. Recommendations for cloud migration included reducing network traffic and latency. Evaluations included leadership competencies, key supplier partnerships for business continuity, and organisational capabilities to execute the roadmap, with a focus on prioritisation.

Our analysis covered data maturity, machine learning ops architecture, current Machine Learning (ML) models, and proposed key data initiatives to support future growth and innovation.

Technical- and data due diligence of SaaS company with data and AI functionality as the differentiator

A global private equity firm aimed to acquire a digital company built around an advanced AI solution trained with extensive data. Netlight's data and AI-focused due diligence encompassed several key aspects. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the technical architecture supporting data products, use cases, and data governance to ensure the robustness of the Data and Machine Learning Platform.

We thoroughly evaluated the quality and uniqueness of the company's gathered data to understand its competitive advantage regarding data availability and quality. The maturity of the applied machine learning and AI algorithms was assessed, along with an overview of quality assurance measures and performance metrics under Algorithmic Methodologies.

Additionally, we examined the leadership, organisational structure, competency distribution, external dependencies, and operational methodologies within the People & Technical Organisation.

Netlight's due diligence provided critical insights that steered the investment decision. This included a comprehensive analysis of the solution’s quality and the complexity of replicating it. We outlined two growth scenarios with key recommended actions: continuing growth in the current direction and a significant change of direction, focusing on leveraging the existing platform's value.