Technical Due Diligence

Validate the plans and feasibility of your technology investments with a team who’ve been there and done that.

Making investments in businesses developing new technology offers disproportionate opportunity for returns. The problem is validating the quality of the technology, the realistic basis of the plan and the technical feasibility of the financial forecast.

Having developed and manufactured hundreds of products, from medical devices to consumer electronics, our team are best placed to ask the right questions. We support investment teams by providing technical due diligence services for both external and internal investments.

Focal Areas

Our team of engineers have launched hundreds of devices, systems and processes in their careers both at RPDK and previously. They use this experience in evaluating the companies or projects. Those engineering investigations are broken into the below three areas. Our Due-Diligence support can range from observation and review, delivered in actionable reports to more involved recommendation or on-going support for delivery and implementation.

Evaluating Technology

Evaluating whether the technology is in the state of development and functionality claimed.

Evaluating (or establishing) the regulatory pathway for regulated medical, industrial or consumer industries.

Evaluating whether the patent claims filed truly cover the technology that has been developed.

Evaluating whether the technology developed has a clear path to manufacturability outside of the lab.

Testing Feasibility

Testing the forecast manufacturing and operating cost feasibility of the technology that has been developed.

Testing the forecast scaleability of operating and manufacturing cost of goods of the technology.

Testing the forecast on-going development and associated functionality/efficiency upgrade cost feasibility.

Testing the manufacturing or process start-up non-recurring expenses forecast costs are reasonable.

Validating Plans

Validating the extent of on-going work that can be classified as executional engineering, vs science and research.

Validating that the team required to execute the plan is in place, or appropriate hiring is planned/budgeted.

Validating that the timeline is clearly marked where known and estimated based on research required.

Validating that the time estimations for each task and dependancy are reasonable and possible.

Due-Diligence Packages

We offer a range of set packages for investors and budget holders, but can also customise these packages to pay particular focus to elements of concern or interest.

Seed

£15,000+VAT

For those evaluating internal project investments or potentially making pre-seed investments in technology businesses.

Esablish key feedback on the technical feasibility of an idea, validity of the technical development plan and expert estimates on the investment and operating costs of the proposed technology.

  • Evaluating Technology

    • Evaluating technical files and prototypes, where available, to establish if the technology aligns with the claims for functionality/efficacy.

    • Evaluating whether the technology has a clear path to manufacturability, or a science/R&D requirement that has been appropriately planned for and risk assessed.

    Testing Feasibility

    • Testing the forecast manufacturing and operating/CoG from the business against our own estimates of production setup, manufacturing and cost of goods.

    • Testing the forecast scaleability of manufacturing/operating costs with consideration for the feasibility of the required production ramp-up timelines.

    Validating Plans

    • Validating the elements of the plan that may be scientific rather than executional and evaluating the team's risk mitigation strategies for these

    • Validating that the time estimations for each task and dependancy are reasonable and possible.

    This work is delived as a written report with a key summary followed by the detailed findings and reference to any relevant evidence.

Series A

£25,000+VAT

For those considering c.£1-3m investments in businesses or internal projects.

Establish a detailed review of the project’s technical plans, data and cost forecasts. Particular focus on the upcoming work required to take the project to a commercial launch, ensuring that the unknowns are established and a plan solidified.

  • Evaluating Technology

    • Evaluating technical files and prototypes, where available, to establish if the technology aligns with the claims for functionality/efficacy.

    • Evaluating whether the technology has a clear path to manufacturability, or a science/R&D requirement that has been appropriately planned for and risk assessed.

    • Evaluating the certification or regulatory pathway to assess whether the proposed certifications are appropriate to the claimed functions of the invention and that the steps planned to achieve certification are reasonable.

    Testing Feasibility

    • Testing the forecast manufacturing and operating/CoG from the business against our own estimates of production setup, manufacturing and cost of goods.

    • Testing the forecast scaleability of manufacturing/operating costs with consideration for the feasibility of the required production ramp-up timelines.

    • Testing the feasibility of the proposed development plan, including evaluating the realistic nature of the budgets provided for internal and external engineering and on-going overheads of the technical operation.

    • Testing the feasibility of the manufacturing and production NRE investment forecasts and where these may re-occur in the plan as the business scales.

    Validating Plans

    • Validating the elements of the plan that may be scientific rather than executional and evaluating the team's risk mitigation strategies for these

    • Validating that the time estimations for each task and dependancy are reasonable and possible.

    • Validating that the technical team have the required skills to deliver the work planned, or an appropriate hiring plan is in place with appropriate budgets for the required personnel or external parties.

    This work is delived as a written report with a key summary followed by the detailed findings and reference to any relevant evidence.

Private Equity

£50,000+VAT

For those making larger investments or acquisitions in hardware and engineering businesses, including process operations.

A deep dive into the true state and performance of the technology and whether any patents reflect. A detailed look at the technical team and the scaleability of the plan and associated technical costs.

  • Evaluating Technology

    • Evaluating technical files and prototypes, where available, to establish if the technology aligns with the claims for functionality/efficacy.

    • Evaluating whether the technology has a clear path to manufacturability, or a science/R&D requirement that has been appropriately planned for and risk assessed.

    • Evaluating the certification or regulatory pathway to assess whether the proposed certifications are appropriate to the claimed functions of the invention and that the steps planned to achieve certification are reasonable.

    • Evaluating the patent claims filed and whether they cover the technology being used and are being utilised by the primary function of the invention/business.

    • Evaluating the potential secondary value in the IP created in the invention and where the technology could be applied in adjacent fields for additional licensing or product revenue.

    Testing Feasibility

    • Testing the feasibility of the proposed development plan, including evaluating the realistic nature of the budgets provided for internal and external engineering and on-going overheads of the technical operation.

    • Testing the feasibility of the manufacturing and production NRE investment forecasts and where these may re-occur in the plan as the business scales.

    • Building a techno-economic model for the business, simulating the production operation, bottlenecks, re-occuring overheads and providing 3 scenarios representing cost and income impacts.

    Validating Plans

    • Validating the elements of the plan that may be scientific rather than executional and evaluating the team's risk mitigation strategies for these

    • Validating that the time estimations for each task and dependancy are reasonable and possible.

    • Validating that the technical team have the required skills to deliver the work planned, or an appropriate hiring plan is in place with appropriate budgets for the required personnel or external parties.

    • Validating the Risk Register (or supporting the team in creating one) to cover the key areas of concern that may require additional budget allocation or mitigation strategies in the plan

    • Validating that the appropriate supply chain is in place to scale the production or operation, including appropriate auditing processes and risk mitigation strategies.

    This work is delived as a written report with a key summary followed by the detailed findings and reference to any relevant evidence. This may also be accompanied by a spreadsheet based technoeconomic evaluation where required.

Custom

Price On Request

We also build custom packages to focus on particular areas of concern.

These packages are built based on the requirements of the investor or business owner and can include more long-term executional support. Similarly these may be commissioned by businesses in preparation for going out to the investment market.

  • Our custom packages can be built to the scale of work you need - small or large. These package can cover any of the scope mentioned here, or additional requirements and investigation issues.

    These are usually delivered as reports, with associated techno-economic eodels where relevant. These can also extend into our other services, in providing direct engineering support and/or manufacturing.

    Get in touch to discuss with a member of the technical consulting team.

Get in Touch

To find out more about how we can help you drive innovation and manufacturing in your business, get in touch. We’ll aim to get back to you within 4 UK business hours.

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