Phase 1 · Pre-deal due diligence

Know who you are backing

and what they need to succeed.

Great pre-deal assessment tells you where the value is locked and who will deliver it. We give your Investment Committee a clear, evidence-based view of the people in a target business before you commit.

Phase 1 · Active

Pre-deal due diligence

Phase 2

First 100 days

Phase 3

Value Creation

Phase 4

Exit readiness

THE OPPORTUNITY

The best investors use pre-deal visibility as a competitive advantage.

The people in a target business are visible before you sign. The CEO who will drive value. The team with the depth to scale. The culture that will accelerate change. All of it is knowable before close. The firms that know it arrive at post-deal with a plan, not a set of discoveries.

What rigorous pre-deal people assessment gives you

A clear view of leadership quality and capability strengths before capital is deployed.

IC-grade intelligence on the management team, structured and evidenced.

Visibility of the cultural factors that will accelerate your value creation plan.

A development baseline so the first 100 days starts with direction, not discovery.

Confidence in what you are buying at the leadership level and how to maximise it.

Individual · Leadership

CEO / Founder Assessment

Back the right person. Know what they need to succeed.

What makes this different

We assess against the specific demands of your investment thesis, not a generic leadership framework. The output is written for IC use. 82% of firms that matched CEO to required culture reported high success in subsequent returns. (AlixPartners, 2025/26)

Output

Risk profile, IC recommendation, development priorities, and post-deal onboarding plan.

TALK TO US ABOUT CEO ASSESSMENT

What makes this different

We review the team as a collective, not just a set of individuals. We look at dynamics, decision-making patterns, and fit with your value creation plan. Operating partners who commission this at pre-deal spend less time in discovery post-close and more time driving performance.

Output

Team capability map, individual profiles, collective strengths, working dynamics, and IC recommendations for post-deal planning.

TALK TO US ABOUT LEADERSHIP ASSESSMENT

Team · Collective capability

Leadership Team Assessment

Know the team that will execute your plan before you rely on them to execute it.

Cultural · Organisational

CULTURE RISK SCAN

Understand the cultural starting point. Build your plan from there.

What makes this different

We look at how decisions actually get made, not just what the org chart says. Companies with results-aligned cultures achieve 2.5x higher revenue growth. Understanding that starting point before close means your post-deal cultural alignment work is targeted, not exploratory. (Culture Partners, 2025)

Output

Culture health rating, the factors that will accelerate or need management, and post-deal alignment recommendations.

TALK TO US ABOUT CULTURE RISK

What makes this different

A structured, end-to-end methodology that works alongside your deal team on a timeline that fits your process. Modular by design: use all of it or the elements most relevant to the deal. Firms that formally measure human capital achieve 28% higher investment returns. (SOURCE: PE Operating Excellence Forum).

Output

Risk heat-map across leadership, team, culture, and organisational factors. IC recommendation with supporting evidence and post-deal action plan.

TALK TO US ABOUT PEOPLE DD

Process · Methodology

PEOPLE DUE DILIGENCE TOOLKIT

Give your IC the same quality of people intelligence as financial intelligence.

82%

AlixPartners, 2025/26

of PE firms that hired a CEO specifically to match the culture required for value creation reported high success in subsequent returns.

Knowing who you need before close, and building the right support structure around them from day one, is the highest-leverage pre-deal decision you make. People Edge gives you the evidence to make it with confidence.

PEOPLE EDGE ACADEMY

Build the people skills your investment team uses every day

Your investment team works with portfolio company management from day one of the hold. The Academy builds the specific skills they use in every portfolio interaction: how to assess management quality, how to build trust fast, and how to run the conversations that drive performance.

In-house workshops · 3 to 4 hours · 5 to 15 participants · on-site delivery · quality-assured facilitators with PE sector experience

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All four phases of the investment lifecycle

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Phase 2: First 100 days

Build the momentum that defines the hold