For Investors

Evaluate an investment or acquisition target

Invest with confidence - evaluate technology risks before you commit
Avoid costly surprises. StackUp helps you assess a company’s technology foundations in hours not weeks, ensuring your investment is scalable, secure, and aligned with your goals.
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Comprehensive technology insights in less than 24 hours
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Unbiased recommendations that reduce risks and enhance confidence
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A fraction of the cost of traditional consultants
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It’s not easy to conduct technology due diligence

A man rests his head on his desk, appearing fatigued due to failure of CIO/CTO and IT department

What to look at when technology is so broad

How do you identify key risks so there are no nasty surprises post-transaction.

Limited visibility

Many companies lack comprehensive documentation on their technology function, and will be selective in what they supply to investors.

Unforeseen costs and delays in post acquisition scaling

Technology issues discovered after the deal can delay integration, inflate costs or destroy value

Time pressure

Balancing thorough evaluation with speed of decision making.

Without StackUp

Slow, biased and lacking transparency
Diagram demonstrating how other assessments are inconsistent, incomplete and biased to sell services

Depend on incomplete or selective internal documentation

While helpful, information typically provided by a target may lack independence and not fully uncover risks due to internal biases or limited expertise.

Hire a consultant

High calibre consultants are useful, and can provide deep insight into aspects of the target company’s technology. Their reports can be inconsistent however and are likely to vary by consultant.  Augmenting a high calibre consultant with a StackUp report will typically save days to weeks of time (and the team’s time), provide a consistent, valuable report to investors, freeing the consultants time to deep dive on unique aspects of that business’s technology.

Assuming ISO or SOC2 means ‘healthy’

ISO or SOC2 certifications don’t guarantee technology health

How StackUp helps you succeed

The fastest, most cost effective way to conduct technology due diligence
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A comprehensive report in hours not weeks

Get a clear, unbiased view of the target’s technology foundations in hours, not weeks. StackUp’s comprehensive assessment takes less than 30 minutes, freeing up you and the technology leader’s valuable time.

Unbiased insights for decision makers like you

StackUp provides a comprehensive, objective assessment of the target’s technology function. Our platform benchmarks the organisation against industry best practices and highlights strengths, weaknesses, risks, and opportunities. With human-led insights, we deliver actionable recommendations in plain language, tailored for decision-makers like you.

StackUp comprehensive assessmentincludes 50 specific questions covering the entirety of the technology function:
  • Data Security & Privacy
  • Innovation & Strategy
  • Staff & Training
  • Technology Performance
  • Cloud & Network
  • Risk Management
  • Policies & Procedures
  • Vendor Management

Identify hidden risks and ensure the post-acquisition plan is clear

Rather than finding out post-acquisition, StackUp’s report identifies hidden dangers and opportunities for improvement including cyber risks, cost savings and innovation improvements. It provides a prioritised set of actionable improvements that the technology team can address - taking away the stress of nasty surprises, and giving you confidence as you make an informed investment decision.

Protect your investment with robust warranties

Leverage the insights from the StackUp assessment to create robust warranties in your acquisition or investment agreements.
Based on the documented answers from the target company’s technology leader you can:
  • Mitigate risk by holding the company accountable for disclosed risks.
  • Strengthen your negotiation position with concrete, documented insights.
  • Ensure post-acquisition alignment by embedding actionable commitments into the deal.

Align technology with your strategic goals

Ensure the organisation’s technology aligns with your strategic goals.

Verify with an expert

You have the option to engage an experienced, independent CIO/CTO from our community of specialists to review your results and deep dive on areas to uplift, and even more detailed, personalised recommendations. Or use your own consultant.

StackUp is more than an assessment; it enables you to ensure a potential target’s technology is as ready for investment/acquisition as their financials.
  • Mitigate risk by uncovering potential technology weaknesses before committing capital.
  • Gain confidence in the scalability and resilience of the target’s systems.
  • Ensure alignment between the target’s technology and your strategic objectives.

Get started free, in under 10 minutes

You don’t need to prepare anything, just answer the questions based on your current understanding. You’ll be emailed your personalised free report and a sample of the comprehensive StackUp report.

It's fast, free and confidential.

Don’t be overwhelmed by the complexities of planning, budgeting and hiring – we’ve got your back.
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Case studies

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Telecommunications Organisation

Identified 5 critical issues, and 15 improvements they added directly into their roadmap within 24 hours.
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Cybersecurity Organisation

Identified 2 critical issues, and saved over $20,000 annually.
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Hospitality Organisation

Identified 3 cyber security risks that could have broken the business.
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SaaS Organisation

Prepared for seamless technology due diligence in advance of acquisition.
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What our clients are saying

The insights and recommendations on where our technology needed improvement were so clear & useful we fed them directly into our backlog for actioning.
Andrew Smith, CTO at Launtel

Andrew Smith

CTO @ Launtel

StackUp helped us identify critical risks in our tech infrastructure, including future obstacles to scaling. They provided clear priorities to mitigate those risks - essential in securing our technology and ensuring we’re prepared for growth and corporate engagements.
Image of Dhruv Jolly, Founder and CEO at TapOnn

Dhruv Jolly

Founder & CEO @ TapOnn

A really helpful product to give context to CEOs, CTOs and Founders to validate where they are up to and where they can improve.
Mark Lynch

Mark Lynch

CTO & Founder @ Learnosity

StackUp provided us with invaluable insights helping us to identify opportunities for improvement. The recommendations in the report along with the insights and verification service have been a game changer for driving our tech strategy forward.
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Cody Harmon

Founder & CEO @ Cruz

You don’t know what you don’t know even when you are the best in your game, StackUp's assessment unveiled crucial blind spots and areas for enhancement. The report's clarity and depth provided us with valuable, actionable insights for continuous improvement
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Ajay Unni

Founder & CEO @ StickmanCyber

We're a scaleup focused on rapid innovation and feature development. StackUp helped us find opportunities to make our offering more robust without sacrificing speed.
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Rafael Niesten

Co-Founder @ Proptech Labs

Preparing for our next fundraise, StackUp's report identified critical areas for improvement and independent validation of our strengths. The insights and verification service provided tailored advice to revise our strategy and enabled us to approach future investment discussions with confidence. Strongly recommend these guys.
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David Hayes

CEO @ Babeltext

The StackUp assessment is comprehensive and fast. It provided insights enabling us to uplift our technology quickly.
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Justus Hammer

Co-Founder & CEO @ Mad Paws

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You're in good company

FAQs

What makes StackUp different?

StackUp provides a comprehensive evaluation of all aspects of technology and technology function processes, including strategy, employee engagement, service delivery, and innovation—not just security and compliance.

Our platform provides human-led, actionable insights, and supports informed decision making at every level, from Technology Leaders, to C-Level Executive to Board Members and Investors.

What if my technology leader makes a mistake on the assessment or doesn't know all the answers?

The assessment is designed to support accurate submissions regardless of knowledge level with "Don't Know" options ensuring no one feels pressured to guess.

This gap in knowledge being identified is valuable - a gap in knowledge which can be addressed through our insights and recommendations.

Who can benefit from using StackUp?

Technology leaders, C-level executives, board members and venture capital and private equity investors from companies of all sizes will find value in StackUp. It’s especially beneficial for those looking to identify areas for improvement, justify budget requests, and enhance overall technology performance.

How secure is our data with StackUp?

We employ robust security measures to ensure that all user data is encrypted, securely stored, and only accessible by authorised personnel. For any comparative purposes, all data is aggregated and anonymised to protect your privacy and confidentiality.

Will StackUp's assessment identify a bunch of problems that are going to cost a fortune and take ages to fix?

StackUp's assessment will identify any gaps in the fundamental technology health of your organisation.

However, most of these problems are relatively fast and cost effective to fix, and have an enormously positive impacts on the organisation: risk reduction, cost reduction, efficiency improvements, security improvements etc.

The StackUp algorithm provides a prioritised list of items to improve so you don't have to boil the ocean - tackle one high priority item at a time and resubmit to track your improvement. You can do this internally, or leverage our independent network of specialist suppliers.

The assessment is balanced - so it also highlights areas that are performing well and that should be celebrated.

How does StackUp relate to SOC 2, ISO, and other certifications and frameworks?

StackUp complements frameworks like SOC 2 and ISO by providing a broader perspective on technology maturity.

While certifications focus on meeting compliance and security standards, StackUp bridges the gap between compliance and excellence.

It helps organisations prepare for certifications by identifying areas that need improvement and offering actionable recommendations, making the certification process smoother and more efficient.

For certified organisations, StackUp delivers additional value through benchmarking, tailored insights, and practical guidance aligned with business goals.

By fostering continuous improvement, innovation, and scalability, StackUp enhances the value of certifications and aligns technology capabilities with broader business objectives.

While it does not replace formal certifications, it strengthens the foundation for achieving and maintaining them.

What does "entire technology function" mean?

The "entire technology function" refers to all the components and responsibilities that a technology leader (CTO, CIO, IT Manager) typically oversees. StackUp evaluates key areas that make up your organisation's digital capabilities, including:

  • Innovation and Strategy
  • Staff and Training
  • Cloud and Network
  • Data Security and Privacy
  • Policies and Procedures
  • Risk Management
  • Vendor Management
  • Technology Performance

This encompasses IT infrastructure, end-user computing, software development, application support, cybersecurity, data management, project management, and technology-driven innovation.

Technology leaders often excel in certain areas while encountering challenges in others.

StackUp identifies hidden risks, highlights opportunities for improvement, and helps align your organisation's digital operations with broader business goals. In essence, the technology function is the backbone that supports your organisation’s ability to innovate, scale, and perform effectively in a competitive environment.

Why should I use StackUp if my technology function is already performing well or if I am already addressing a few known issues?

Even if your technology function is performing well or you are actively working on a few known issues, StackUp helps you verify and showcase your excellence. By benchmarking against industry best practices and peers, you can uncover hidden strengths, validate your strategies, and gain certification that highlights your leadership.

StackUp also identifies 'unknown unknowns'—potential risks or opportunities you may not have considered—ensuring you stay ahead of the competition and continuously improve. Every technology leader is on a journey of improvement. While you may excel in areas like software development or cloud infrastructure, there may be gaps in others, such as data privacy or training. StackUp provides a holistic view of your entire technology function, enabling informed decisions and giving you the credit you deserve for your progress and performance.

Still have questions?