Know what you are buying

Which is the right package?

You are screening a deal and need a fast read? Two day Sanity Check →

You need clarity in engineering because you own it or are about to? One week Engineering Assessment →

Money is at stake, you signed a LOI, or need something to price a deal on? Two to four week Tech & IP Due Diligence →

Three tiers

All prices net + VAT or reverse charge where applicable.

Payment: 50% on signature above € 10,000, remainder 14 days on delivery.

Booked dates are held exclusively.

Cancellation: 25% more than 15 working days before start, 50% within 15, 100% within 5. One free postponement with 15 working day notice and new start within 2 months.

Access: Procured by you. Assessment based on available information, delivery and fee stay as agreed.

If the deal dies: 50% of the fee paid is credited against any engagement within 12 months.

Sanity Check

For whom

• Need a technical read before spending real money or partner time on it?
• Have a specific doubt about the team, the architecture or the licensing?
• Want something checked before deciding whether to look harder?

The Sanity Check tells you whether the deal deserves the next step.

What happens

• A short call to fix your objective and pick the domains. One call with the CTO or lead engineer.
• A focussed read of repository, architecture documentation, and whatever else exists.

What you get

• A brief memo with an overview over the selected domains, high level findings, and suggestions based on your objective.
• Findings verified with evidence or clear reasoning behind it.
• No validation round with the target, no presentation session.

Duration & mode

Fully remote. Two working days from kickoff. Memo at the end of day two.

Fee

€ 3,500 fixed. Invoiced on delivery, net 14.

Add-ons

• Additional domain (up to 1 additional) | + € 2,000, + 1 working day
• Rush (start in < 5 working days) | + 30 %

Engineering Assessment

For whom

• Own an asset or are about to, and engineering is opaque?
• Funding a scale-up and want to know whether the system survives it?
• The CTO left or never existed?
• Delivery schedules are moving and nobody can explain why?

The Engineering Assessment gives answers to investors looking at portfolio companies and executives looking at their own engineering team.

What happens

• A kickoff to fix your objective and pick the domains. Two days on-site with a system tour, 4 to 6 interviews across engineering, product and operations.
• Analysis and clarifying questions, followed by a draft validation round with the target team.
• Report and presentation on day five.

For a day-by-day timeline: How I work →

What you get

• State of engineering report, 5-10 Pages. Half-page management summary, scope and findings rated by severity and what that means for your objective.
• Top 5 risks: Evidence-backed top 5 risks according to target and focus, including mitigation options, cost, and consequences
• 90 day action plan: Realistic high-level action plan which takes ongoing objectives into account. Support during execution is a separate mandate. Interim & fractional CTO →

Duration & mode

One calendar week from kickoff, two of those days on-site. Six domains at standard depth, selected with you at kickoff. Report delivered end of day five.

Fee

€ 12,500 for standard scope.

Add-ons

• Additional domain | + € 2,000, + 1 working day
• Security deep-dive | from € 4,500
• Auth & tenant isolation | from € 4,500
• IP & licensing deep-dive | from € 5,000
• Managed pentest (sourced) | provider cost + € 2,500 coordination
• Additional interviews | € 750 each
• Additional presentation session | € 1,500
• Rush (start in < 10 working days) | + 30 %
• Travel | included inside Germany, at cost elsewhere

Tech & IP Due Diligence

For whom

• Signed an LOI or term sheet, and the technical asset is material to the price?
• Need findings you can put in a model and defend in an investment committee?
• Preparing to raise or sell and want to find what a buyer's diligence will find in advance?

What happens

• A kickoff to fix your objective. Two to four days on-site with a system tour, up to eight interviews across engineering, product, security, operations and contract management.
• All nine domains at depth. Full review of the codebase and architecture, chain of usage rights, NDAs and third party licenses. Cost to recreate as an effort estimate.
• Draft validation round with the target team.
• Delivery and presentation to you, your investment committee or your board.

What you get

• Full report with management summary. Every finding with evidence, rated by severity and mitigation options and effort. IP chain of usage rights as documented and flagged gaps for your counsel to assess.
• Cost to recreate with assumptions and methods as input for your valuation.
• 90 day action plan: Realistic high-level action plan which takes ongoing objectives into account. Support during execution is a separate mandate. Interim & fractional CTO →
• One presentation session.
• Scope and exclusions as agreed before signature for reader transparency.

Duration & mode

Duration is based on the number of products and complexity drivers like size of the codebase, number of services, chosen architecture, team size, deeper IP work, or deep-dives. You get the scope fixed in writing before signature.

Fee

• from € 20,500 (2 weeks, standard scope)
• from € 38,000 (4 weeks, standard scope)

Add-ons

• Security deep-dive | from € 4,500
• Auth & tenant isolation | from € 4,500
• IP & licensing deep-dive | from € 5,000
• Managed pentest (sourced) | provider cost + € 2,500 coordination
• Additional interviews | € 750 each
• Additional presentation session | € 1,500
• Rush (start in < 15 working days) | + 30 %
• Travel | included inside Germany, at cost elsewhere

Method

I cover nine domains with evidence-based findings, a severity rated against your objective including mitigation options and an effort or cost estimation.

See my full methodology, domain descriptions with example findings, timelines, structures and what I need from you, as well as my scope and confidence limits at How I work →

Working with me

Benefits of working with me.

• You get me. I am senior, accountable, and your only contact. No team to brief, no juniors doing the field work while partners present the findings. I conduct the interviews, read the repository and write the report.
• Availability is confirmed within 24 hours. Dates are held exclusively once confirmed. If I cannot take the engagement, I will let you know within a day. I take one assessment engagement at a time.
• Scope and confidence limits in writing. Every proposal names, and every report shows, what is examined at what depth and where my confidence is limited.

FAQ

• How fast can you start? Sanity Check: 5 working days. Engineering Assessment: 10 working days. Tech & IP Due Diligence: 15 working days. Rush starts inside those windows carry a surcharge.
• Do you work sell-side, too? Yes. Founders preparing to raise or exit are a natural fit.
• What if the target refuses access or introduces delays? I assess what is available, state gaps and their confidence on the report and findings. Delivery and fee stay as agreed. Access friction is a finding in itself.
• Are the results in German or English? Either, agreed upon at kickoff. Same goes for the presentations.
• Do you sign our NDA or use yours? Either. Signed before any access.
• Who owns the deliverables? You do.
• Do you present to the investment committee or the board? Yes. One session is included from the Engineering Assessment tier. A second session is available as add-on.
• Are you insured? A professional liability insurance is in place. Certificate provided on request before signature.
• What happens if the deal dies after the engagement starts? Full cancellation terms apply. 50% of the fee already paid is credited against any engagement started within 12 months.
• Can you execute the findings? I do not remediate during the assessment. Fixing what the assessment found is a separate mandate. Interim & fractional CTO →

Get in touch

Not sure which engagement fits? 30 minutes, no charge. I will tell you what I would scope, which domains matter for your situation, and give you a rough range it lands in.

Book a call →

Yes or no within 24 hours.