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Pierre Farès · Tech Due Diligence for Private Equity

Know what you're buying. Before you sign.

32 years of operational experience in retail banking and alongside investment funds — former consulting Partner, former Client CTIO at Capgemini. An independent technology review, led personally.

  • Pre-Signing Tech Review: 10 business days from data room access, fixed fee €15k – €25k excl. VAT
Present your current acquisition
of operational and leadership experience, in-house and in consulting
32years
of operational and leadership experience, in-house and in consulting
of the first rank in core banking transformation: BNP Paribas, Société Générale, Barclays, Nomura, Natixis
5banks
of the first rank in core banking transformation: BNP Paribas, Société Générale, Barclays, Nomura, Natixis
of pre-signing review, from data room access to Committee presentation
10business days
of pre-signing review, from data room access to Committee presentation

Technology risk is investment risk

What the data room does not show ends up, after signing, in the price paid, in EBITDA or in the value-creation plan.

  1. Technical debt

    Code and infrastructure that cost more to evolve than announced: the catch-up effort weighs on EBITDA and delays the plan.

  2. Key-person dependency

    A system that only one or two people master: their departure puts continuity and the investment thesis at risk.

  3. Underestimated Capex

    Investments missing from the plan: platform replacement, compliance work, scaling. They are negotiated before signing, not after.

  4. Scalability constraints

    An architecture that cannot support the growth assumed in the thesis: commercial ambition outruns technical capacity.

  5. Integration liabilities

    Systems that are hard to connect to those of the group or the fund in a build-up or carve-out: hidden costs and delays.

See how these risks are detected before signing

Pre-Signing Tech Review: a technology review, before signing

The Pre-Signing Tech Review assesses in 10 business days the technical risks that can change the price or the investment plan: key-person dependency, unprovisioned Capex, Run/Build governance. A 100-day post-closing plan then addresses them.

I translate the real state of the code, infrastructure and teams into measurable impacts on Capex, EBITDA and the acquisition price.

Pre-Signing Tech Review engagement protocol

An independent review for your next investment committee

I run the review myself, from the Data Room to the Committee presentation. You receive a 10-15 page decision memo tailored for the Operating Partner and the Committee, answering the deal's critical questions head-on.

  • Deliverable: 10-15 page executive summary + Committee presentation
  • Turnaround convention: 10 business days from effective access to the data room and technical contacts
  • Interim milestone: Day 5 checkpoint: interim summary of critical Red Flags
  • Fees: €15,000 – €25,000 excl. VAT (fixed fee)
  • Start: NDA sent within 1 business day, start date agreed with you
  • Access required: code repository, Data Room, tech leads and CTO, read-only access to the infrastructure.
  • Scope: architecture, technical debt, IT organisation, key-person dependency, costs and Capex, cyber posture (excluding penetration testing), first look at AI.
  • Out of scope: Penetration testing and legal review of data are excluded; they fall under the Full Investment Due Diligence. The exact scope is set in writing at scoping.
  • Who works on it: I personally lead every engagement. Cyber, data or AI expertise may be brought in depending on the scope.
  • Capacity: 2 Tech Due Diligences in parallel at most, by design.
  • To go further: Full Investment Due Diligence (€35k – €60k excl. VAT, on quote beyond, 3 to 5 weeks): AI Due Diligence module (actual use and value of the target's AI, data rights, dependency on model providers, operating costs). The Pre-Signing Tech Review fee is deducted from the Full Investment Due Diligence if you continue.

Red Flags matrix preview — illustrative example

Indicative structure: every finding is linked to evidence, impact and an action.

ID Domain Severity Recommended action
RF-01 Team Critical Retention and knowledge transfer within Day 30
RF-02 Architecture High Map flows and reserve the decoupling budget
RF-03 Scalability High Produce a repeatable load test
Engagement rate €15k – €25k excl. VAT
Present your current acquisition View an anonymized TDD excerpt Download the protocol (PDF, no sign-up)

Extensions, after signing and at exit

  • Post-closing · 100 days

    100-Day Plan

    Aligning IT with the fund's investment thesis: Run/Build ratio, governance, technical team.

  • External growth

    Build-up & Carve-out

    Merging or separating application architectures in bolt-on acquisitions or complex carve-outs.

  • Exit · M-12 to M-6

    Vendor Due Diligence (VDD)

    Preventive IT clean-up and IP asset documentation 12 months before going to market, to defend the exit multiple.

Other situations

  • Take back control

    Restore clear leadership in a strained IT function.

    Interim leadership, stabilisation, governance, programme oversight and handover.

    Interim CIO / CTO

  • Transform

    Modernise critical systems without destabilising Run.

    Architecture decisions, Core IT modernisation, target paths and governance.

    Architecture & Core IT

Three technology decision situations

A review during a fintech acquisition, taking over a core-business transformation programme and recovering a multi-country programme.

Clients are not named for confidentiality; the year and the capacity in which I worked are.

2022 Technology review during a fintech acquisition

Capgemini Financial Services · Account CTO

Full analysis of a fintech, in seven days, for a large bank

Situation
A large bank was acquiring a fintech. The acquirer is a bank, not a Private Equity fund; the real state of the target had to be measured.
Action
I carried out the full analysis of the target in seven days.
Outcome
Red flags and a dependency on the founders were identified. Follow-up: reconfiguration of the application-maintenance (TMA) team.

2020 – 2021 Architecture advisory, turned into transformation advisory

Ippon · team of three: myself and two IS architects

Taking over a core-business transformation programme

Situation
An architecture advisory engagement for an international perfumery and flavours group undertaking the transformation of its core business. A "big bang" option, based on a new architecture and a new technology, was on the table.
Action
I judged this option costly and unwise. With my team I applied a strategy of rationalising and progressively running down the existing estate, and I brought digital transformation in its business meaning, not its technology meaning, for the whole company and not only the IT teams.
Outcome
The client came to understand what digital transformation had to involve, and what had not been approached the right way. The architecture engagement became an advisory engagement.

2022 – Q1 2023 Programme recovery

Capgemini Financial Services · Account CTO

Recovery of a multi-country programme at a subsidiary of a large European banking group

Situation
A programme in difficulty, delivered by several vendor teams.
Action
Strategy reset, programme put back on track and business-IT alignment, built on a relationship of trust with the client's CIO.
Outcome
A programme put back on track.

Client references and contacts available on request, under NDA, during the scoping call.

See the verifiable track record
Pierre Farès

One senior advisor. Personally accountable.

32 years of leadership and architecture experience. Case-study clients are not named for confidentiality; the track record is verifiable.

May 2024 – October 2026

Partner & Associate Director, Specialized Financing & AI

Teamwill Consulting | E-flo Connect

In a tender, I challenged the client's modernisation approach based on lessons learned, and proposed doing it differently: AI accelerators and composable assets, assembled like building blocks.

Outcome : Strategic mandate with a major automotive industrial group: €1.5M, €8M multi-country potential.

May 2022 – April 2024

Chief Technology & Innovation Officer

Capgemini Financial Services

I created the CTO Office of Capgemini Financial Services in France and turned the key-account Account Architects into Account CTOs, so they become the preferred counterparts of client CIOs on large-scale projects.

March 2013 – July 2017

Financial Services Director

OCTO Technology

As head of the BNP Paribas account, I dealt directly with the group CIO (all entities and countries) and met one-on-one with the Deputy CEO.

Outcome : BNP Paribas group IT overhaul plan (€150M) validated with the Deputy CEO.

View the full track record LinkedIn profile

Direct access to the senior advisor

I personally lead every engagement, from the analysis to the presentation to the committee.

Independent judgment

No secondary commercial interest biases my recommendations: they serve your investment decision only.

Conclusions I stand behind

I present and defend my conclusions in front of the committee. Critical Red Flags are escalated from day 5, not day 10.

Read the non-conflict of interest commitment

A clear mandate. A fixed scope. A defined outcome.

Deliverables, scope, timeline, fees, required access and confidentiality are set out in writing from the initial scoping onward. Fixed-fee packages or transparent daily rates.

Engagement formatDuration / cadenceFinancial modelTarget client
Pre-Signing Tech Review 10 business days Fixed fee €15k – €25k excl. VAT PE funds, Operating Partners
Full Investment Due Diligence 3 to 5 weeks €35k – €60k excl. VAT, on quote beyond PE funds, Operating Partners
Fractional CIO & PE Advisory 2 to 4 days / month Retainer €2.5k – €6k excl. VAT/month PE funds, portfolio companies

Interim CIO / CTO mandates and strategic architecture: Interim CIO / CTO · Architecture & Core IT

Present your current acquisition

A clear path, with no obligation

After our exchange, you know exactly what to do

The first conversation qualifies the situation and the right engagement format. Scope, access and deliverables are then confirmed in writing.

  1. Day 0

    45-minute conversation

    I clarify with you the decision to make, the timeline, stakeholders and the required level of confidentiality.

  2. Within 1 business day

    NDA and acknowledgement

    If the topic is relevant, you receive a bilateral NDA and confirmation of the next milestone. No sensitive document is reviewed before signature.

  3. Within 2 business days

    Scoping note

    The question, scope, access, stakeholders, deliverables, timeline and fees are set out in a short document.

  4. To be agreed

    Start

    The engagement starts once scope, access and governance are confirmed, on the timeline agreed with you.

  5. Day 5

    First warning signal

    For a TDD, critical Red Flags and major unknowns are escalated at the first milestone.

  6. Day 10

    Executive summary and presentation

    For a TDD, you receive a decision-oriented executive summary and a presentation to the Investment Committee or Board.

You do not commit blindly: the first exchange determines whether the issue calls for a Tech Due Diligence and in which format.

Present your current acquisition

Let's assess your next investment

A confidential 45-minute conversation, with no obligation, to assess the situation without filters, identify critical risk areas, and determine whether a Tech Due Diligence is needed.

Discretion Commitment

NDA Protocol within 1 Business Day

Topics touching on Board governance, vendor failures, or acquisition targets are sensitive by nature. I send a bilateral non-disclosure agreement before any document review.

Electronic signature (DocuSign)
Direct contact with Pierre Farès

Direct Channels

Direct email: pierre@taiaro.eu
Mobility & Coverage: Paris • Luxembourg • Geneva • Brussels • Monaco (on-site on request)
Crisis situation: First contact within 1 business day
Executive Discovery Call • 45 minutes

Select an available slot in Pierre Farès' Calendly agenda for a confidential video call (Teams / Google Meet).

View Available Slots

Direct sync with Pierre Farès' Calendly agenda (45-minute duration, automatic video link).

No advertising cookie • Calendly loaded on request
Strict IT policy? If the agenda is blocked by your corporate proxy:Open directly on calendly.com/pierrefares
45-minute conversation
Confidentiality
Directly with Pierre Farès

Direct questions

What you ask yourself before the first call

How much does the Pre-Signing Tech Review cost?

€15,000 – €25,000 excl. VAT (fixed fee), in 10 business days. An interim summary of critical Red Flags is delivered from day 5. The Pre-Signing Tech Review fee is deducted from the Full Investment Due Diligence if you continue.

How long does the Pre-Signing Tech Review take?

10 business days from effective access to the data room and technical contacts.

What does the Pre-Signing Tech Review cover, and what does it not cover?

It covers architecture, technical debt, IT organisation, key-person dependency, costs and Capex, cyber posture and a first look at AI. Penetration testing and legal review of data are excluded; they fall under the Full Investment Due Diligence.

How does TAIARO differ from a Tech Due Diligence firm?

The review is led end to end by Pierre Farès, from the analysis to the presentation to the committee: a single point of contact, €15,000 – €25,000 excl. VAT (fixed fee) and a checkpoint on day 5. By design: 2 interim mandates at a time at most, 2 Tech Due Diligences in parallel at most. Cyber, data or AI expertise may be brought in depending on the scope. No remuneration comes from a vendor, integrator or cloud provider: the recommendations serve your investment decision only.

How does confidentiality work before an exchange?

A bilateral non-disclosure agreement is sent for electronic signature (DocuSign) as soon as a scoping request is made; response convention: acknowledgement within 1 business day, then access to exchanges or the Data Room once signed by both parties.

Estimate the Scope of a Tech Due Diligence

A confidential simulator (no data is requested) to size a Tech Due Diligence before we talk.

Dedicated Tool for Operating Partners & Investment Directors

Pre-Signing Tech Review scoping simulator

Calibrate the Data Room review effort and estimate the fixed-fee envelope for your Investment Committee.

Independent PE Format
35 M€
€5M€50M€100M€200M+
20 FTE
5 FTE25 FTE60 FTE100+ FTE
Scoping summary
Indicative Fixed Fee€16,500 – €22,000 excl. VATIndicative estimate: the fixed fee is set at scoping, excluding expenses • Investment Committee presentation included
Data Room8 d
Key Interviews5 CTO/Dev
Turnaround10 bus. days

Turnaround counted from effective access to the Data Room

Priority investigation areas:
▪Assessment of platform velocity and extensibility
▪Dependency analysis on founder and tech lead profiles
▪Build-up integration readiness or alignment with the fund's thesis
▪Review of cybersecurity, GDPR and intellectual property (IP)
Present your current acquisitionAcknowledgement & bilateral NDA sent within 1 business day