Europe, need to decide how to play in this world: surrender, resist or adapt. “Radical reciprocity” seems to be the way forward…
Technology due diligence
for investors and corporate acquirers
for investors and corporate acquirers
Former CTO of IBM Belgium
Hard questions. Straight answers.
I assess software-intensive businesses for investors and corporate acquirers: what the technology really is, what it means for your deal, and what to fix once you own it. You work with me directly, from the first call to the board meeting. I lead every assignment and sign every report.
01 Technology
With read-only access, Assay, my platform, reads all the code, its history and the data room, not a sample. I check every finding with the engineering team, respectfully: in the end, you are investing in them.
02 Strategy
Then I judge what the findings mean for your investment: the effect on value, the role of AI, what is worth fixing, and whether the team and budget can deliver the growth plan.
03 After the deal
A report alone fixes nothing. I help you build the improvement plan and then guide it: the first 100 days, merging teams, a seat at the board table. I stay until the roadmap delivers.
Facts from the code, judgment from experience.
What you receive
- An IC memo: one page for the committee or board, red flags first, then what the technology means for value and the growth plan.
- The full report, signed: every finding rated red, amber or green, with its evidence and a recommendation.
- Where the story and the code disagree: each contradiction, with both sides.
- A roadmap: what is worth fixing, in what order, and the people and budget needed.
Recent work
Life-sciences AI.
Sold as a platform; the code showed much narrower scope. Valuation cut.
$400M life-sciences merger.
Three due diligences, then helped merge 200 engineers into one team.
Mortgage platform.
Core sound, one pillar obsolete. Rewrite it and fix security before the exit.
Vacation rentals.
Close the India centre? No. Twenty AI tools in two days; the bottleneck is QA.
Transport company.
Rewrite? No. Move to one platform; drop unprofitable clients on old versions.
“Wouter consistently delivers the technical breadth and depth we need to invest with confidence.”
“Wouter’s pragmatic approach enabled him to evaluate our engineering capabilities so much more deeply than other consultants I have worked with.”
Fixed fee. First findings after week one, full report in 2–3 weeks.
A 30-minute call is enough to see if your deal fits.
Insights
Writing on AI and technology in practice
The same questions I ask in a due diligence, worked through in public.
AI insights from the real world
Here are some of the real-world, no-nonsense, leave-the-hype-at-home insights from a round table on AI and Automation
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Keynotes
The same expertise, on stage
Keynotes on AI for boards and leadership teams. Speaker at TEDx Antwerp and TEDx KULeuvenBrussels.