Zoe vs. due diligence consultants
Different instruments. Not a like-for-like swap.
Most funds will use both, and this page is written on that assumption. A consultant brings judgment, industry pattern-matching, and a person in the room. Zoe brings measurement, speed, and a traceable number. Here is where each one is the better tool.
| Dimension | Consulting engagement | Zoe |
|---|---|---|
| Time to Deal Package | 6–8 weeks, scoped and staffed | Inside 24 hours of the run |
| What it measures | What people say, in structured interviews | What teams did, in the systems the company connected, held against the deck; one scored Company Call |
| Industry judgment | Deep, and the reason you hire them | None on your industry. Zoe measures behavior and signs an opinion on it; she does not advise on strategy |
| Traceability | Cited selectively in the appendix | Every figure opens to its pull in one click |
| Cost shape | Per engagement, scales with scope | Per Deal Package, per month, or custom for the firm |
| Works on a paper-based company | Yes. People go on site | No. Coverage reported too low to score |
| Signs an opinion | Yes, on the scope engaged | Yes, when confidence clears the bar; the memo says why when it does not |
Choose honestly
When not to use Zoe.
- 01
The company runs on paper
No modern cloud stack means no metadata to read. Zoe will state coverage too low to score, and you’ll want people on site.
- 02
You need an accounting, legal or market opinion
A quality-of-earnings opinion, a legal position, or a market size needs a firm in that discipline to stand behind it. Zoe signs an operational opinion on the behavior it measured, and only that.
- 03
The question is about the future plan
Zoe reads what the company has done. Whether the next strategy is the right one is a judgment call, and a person should make it.
Talk it through
Talk with the team building Zoe.
Thirty minutes with a member of our leadership team to cover your questions, fit, and next steps.
Rather not wait? Start a diagnostic, add the company’s deck, invite the company to connect, and receive the Deal Package inside 24 hours.