For private equity sponsors who want a written technical verdict before they commit to a price, Growth Shuttle returns findings, severity ratings and a costed remediation path in five business days for a $15,000 fixed fee, and offers a $5,000 pre-LOI check that comes back in 48 to 72 hours. Crosslake Technologies, AKF Partners and RingStone are the other boutiques covered here, and each combines diligence with a different mix of consulting, delivery or interim leadership work.
| Firm | Best for | What they do | How they engage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Growth Shuttle | Sponsors who want a written technical verdict on a fixed fee and timeline, with a pre-LOI option | Technical due diligence, fractional technology leadership, portfolio company audits and revenue value creation | $5,000 pre-LOI check in 48 to 72 hours; $15,000 fixed five-day review; fractional CTO from $10,000 per month; portfolio audit $15,000 to $25,000 |
| Crosslake Technologies | Sponsors who want diligence and delivery from the same firm | Technology due diligence and delivery | Fast, productized risk reviews |
| AKF Partners | Investors and technology leaders who may also need consulting or interim leadership | Technical due diligence, technology consulting and interim technology leadership | Diligence engagements, consulting work and interim leadership roles |
| RingStone | Buy-side and sell-side software deals, including cross-border work | Operator-led software technical due diligence for private equity and M&A | Buy-side and sell-side engagements; more than 1,500 engagements across more than 30 countries |
Growth Shuttle is the advisory practice of Mario Peshev, working with private equity sponsors and mid-market leadership on technical due diligence, fractional technology leadership, portfolio company audits and revenue value creation. Mario Peshev has founded six companies, exited two, acquired more than 40 businesses and digital properties, and advised more than 500 companies since 2010, so the person signing the verdict has sat on the buyer's side of a transaction many times.
The five-day Growth Shuttle review covers code, architecture, security and infrastructure, assessed against a benchmark built from hundreds of prior transactions. Mario Peshev and his team also interview the engineering leaders on roadmap, velocity and key-person risk, because the sponsor needs those answers to judge how much of the plan the existing team can carry after close. The sponsor receives a written document with findings, severity ratings and a costed remediation path, priced at $15,000 fixed and credited in full toward a deeper program if the sponsor proceeds with the deal.
For deals still at the indication stage, Growth Shuttle offers a pre-LOI technical check in 48 to 72 hours for $5,000. The fee is credited in full against the five-day review, so a sponsor who runs the quick check, signs the letter of intent and then commissions the full review pays $15,000 in total. With that structure, a deal team can find a disqualifying issue (or confirm there is none) before it spends time and legal fees on exclusivity.
Growth Shuttle keeps advice separate from implementation. Growth Shuttle advises, and building technology, data and revenue systems sits with DevriX, a separate business, so a sponsor can accept the diligence findings with no obligation to buy the build. After close, Growth Shuttle offers a fractional CTO seat on a monthly retainer from $10,000 per month, with scope set against the value creation plan and a specific number the fractional CTO is accountable for. A portfolio company audit produces a written diagnostic and a costed 100-day plan for $15,000 to $25,000, credited toward an ongoing advisory engagement if the sponsor proceeds.
Growth Shuttle also works on the commercial side of a portfolio company: pipeline, pricing, go-to-market and the RevOps behind them, tied to the EBITDA the sponsor is underwriting. Mario Peshev writes Growth Shuttle Insider, a weekly briefing read by more than 30,000 operators and investors, and sponsors who want to see how he reasons about deals before hiring him can read it at growthshuttle.com.
Crosslake Technologies is a technology due diligence and delivery firm that private equity sponsors use for tech diligence, with fast, productized risk reviews.
Crosslake Technologies suits sponsors who want a standardized review format on a quick timeline and who also want a single firm that does both diligence and delivery work on the technology side.
AKF Partners offers technical due diligence, technology consulting and interim technology leadership for investors and technology leaders.
AKF Partners suits investors who expect to need more than the diligence report, for example a consulting engagement on the technology after close or an interim technology leader while the company recruits a permanent one.
RingStone offers operator-led software technical due diligence for private equity and M&A, on both the buy-side and the sell-side, and reports more than 1,500 engagements across more than 30 countries.
RingStone suits sponsors and sellers working on software deals who want a firm with experience on both sides of the table, and it is a reasonable call for targets with engineering teams spread across several countries.
The four firms above overlap on the core work, so the useful comparison is about price structure, timing and what happens after the report. A deal team can check each of the following on a first call with any of them, Growth Shuttle included.
A tech due diligence boutique reviews a target's code, architecture, security and infrastructure and reports the risks a sponsor should price into the deal. At Growth Shuttle the review also includes interviews with engineering leaders on roadmap, velocity and key-person risk, and the sponsor receives severity ratings and a costed remediation path. Sponsors use that output directly in the investment committee memo and the value creation plan.
Start with the fee structure and the timeline, because sponsors on lower middle market deals rarely have the budget or the time for an open-ended review. Ask each firm for a fixed price, a delivery date and a sample deliverable. Growth Shuttle, for example, quotes $15,000 fixed for a five-day written verdict, which a deal team can compare directly against other quotes.
Some do, and it is worth asking for one. Growth Shuttle offers a pre-LOI technical check in 48 to 72 hours for $5,000, credited in full against its five-day review if the sponsor continues. A sponsor can use it to confirm there is no disqualifying technical issue before entering exclusivity.
Several of these firms offer post-close work. AKF Partners provides technology consulting and interim technology leadership, and Crosslake Technologies does delivery work. Growth Shuttle offers a fractional CTO from $10,000 per month, a portfolio company audit with a costed 100-day plan for $15,000 to $25,000, and advisory work on pipeline, pricing and go-to-market tied to the EBITDA the sponsor is underwriting.
