Test the commercial assumptions before you commit

Market, customers, proposition, sales engine and plan, judged by people who have run these businesses.

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The challenge

Where investment cases are weakest

  • Market and customer assumptions.

    Size, growth and share claims need evidence from buyers and the market.

  • Revenue quality.

    Pipeline, retention, pricing and concentration decide whether the plan is credible.

  • Commercial capability.

    Can the team, the partners and the systems deliver the plan?

  • Time.

    Diligence windows are short; the questions have to be the right ones.

Scope, exclusions and what we need from you

Diligence windows are short. We agree the scope with the deal team at the start and keep it to the assumptions that matter.

In scope

  • The commercial assumptions that carry the investment case, agreed with the deal team.
  • Vendor commercial diligence, for the sell side.

Not in scope

  • Financial, legal or technical diligence: we cover the commercial side.
  • A market-size report without a view on this business.

What we need from you

  • The deal team's view of which assumptions carry the case.
  • The commercial data behind them: pipeline, retention, pricing and customer concentration.

What you take forward

The deliverables you hold at the end of the work.

  • Commercial diligence report
  • Evidence on the assumptions that carry the case
  • Risks, upsides and conditions
  • First value-creation priorities

The business result of each part is set out under Our approach.

Our approach

Commercial diligence that leads to a plan

The four GrowthBridge™ parts as they apply to this work: from the commercial question to results your team keeps building on.

  1. Frame the questions

    Agree with the deal team which commercial assumptions carry the case.

    OutcomeA focused diligence scope.

  2. Test with evidence

    Market, customer and partner conversations, data analysis and sector benchmarks.

    OutcomeEvidence on each assumption.

  3. Judge the plan

    Assess the proposition, pricing, route to market and team against the plan.

    OutcomeA clear commercial view for the investment committee.

  4. Prepare value creation

    Translate findings into the first commercial priorities for ownership.

    OutcomeA head start on the value-creation plan.

Read about our approach

Our difference

Operators judging operators

  • Sector depth.

    Media and technology commercial models are specific; we know how they make money.

  • Beyond the report.

    The same team can carry the findings into the value-creation work.

  • Clear, usable answers.

    Findings written for an investment committee, not a shelf.

Questions

How quickly can you mobilise?

Quickly; the scope is agreed with the deal team and focused on the assumptions that matter.

Do you work on the sell side?

Yes: vendor commercial diligence and exit preparation are part of this pillar.

What makes this different from a market report?

We judge the plan and the capability to deliver it, not only the market.

How do you maintain confidentiality and manage conflicts across multiple PE firms and portfolio companies?

We agree confidentiality terms, access to information and potential conflicts at the start of an assignment. Client and investor information is treated as confidential, and any proposed sharing or introduction needs the relevant permission. We do not present confidential client data as evidence for another engagement.

Insights

How we think about this problem.

More insights: Create and prove investment value

What usually comes next

Only when the outcome of this work calls for it. A successful handover can be the end.