Private equity due diligence
The operational workstream, on a deal timeline.
Every deal gets a quality-of-earnings review. Almost none get a real read on how the company actually operates, because that workstream never fits the timeline. The readout is ready inside 24 hours of the run, signed when confidence clears the bar, so operational diligence stops being the workstream you cut when the clock tightens.
Three people, three uses
One report, read three different ways.
Project Cephei
Illustrative example64/ 100AttentionFindings ordered by severity
- CriticalProduct & CustomerTop 3 customers represent 58% of ARR.
- CriticalGo-to-Market71% of ARR closed by a single rep.
- AttentionDelivery & ExecutionDeploy frequency fell a third as headcount doubled.
Each finding is one declarative sentence with the causal string in it: the behavior, its date, and the evidence behind it. The signed opinion above them is issued when confidence clears the bar.
Against the alternative
Six to eight weeks, or twenty-four hours.
6–8weeks · boutique ODD engagement
24hours · Zoe
| Dimension | Boutique ODD engagement | Zoe |
|---|---|---|
| Time to readout | Six to eight weeks | Inside 24 hours of the run |
| Method | Management interviews and document review | Deck claims checked against the books the target connects, plus a scored Founder Call |
| Output | A deck of opinions | An IC memo and evidence appendix, a signed opinion when confidence clears the bar, with a trail per finding and Ask Zoe for follow-ups |
| Traceability | Cited where the analyst chose to cite | Every point decomposes to a dated data pull |
| Coverage | Whatever the scope bought | All nine dimensions, with a confidence percentage and a coverage tier |
| Re-run cost | A new engagement | Run the diagnostic again as the deal progresses; on Portfolio, keep the case open and monitor |
