Customer & Market Due Diligence
We establish a clear picture of the target company’s market positioning and growth potential in even the most complex and data-poor niche markets. Our analytical rigor and broad industry expertise enable us to perform a quick but robust assessment of key market drivers and trends, and build a bottom-up market model to establish reliable market size/growth projections. Through our exhaustive research, including customer, supplier, competitor, and expert interviews, we establish competitive dynamics, technology/service advantages, customer buying criteria, and customers’ perception of the target. We then develop a top-level strategic plan – in essence a post-acquisition growth roadmap (add-ons and organic) for our clients.
Deciphering CTV And Programmatic Advertising Ecosystems And Growth Outlook
Conducted a 3-week customer & market due diligence to establish the growth outlook of CTV and programmatic display advertising and the target’s competitive positioning in the CTV advertising ecosystem. To this end, Gotham: conducted 35 interviews with and 280+ online surveys of publishers, advertisers, advertising agencies, and AdTech platforms; established CTV and programmatic display market dynamics and digital ad spend trends; and built a comprehensive database of AdTech platforms. Gotham provided our client a clear view on the inner workings of the CTV and programmatic display ad ecosystems and the target’s positioning within the CTV ecosystem. This clarity along with a fact-based outlook for digital marketing spend allowed our client to gain confidence in the target’s potential and move forward to close the deal.
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Understanding Risk Posed By National Haulers
Conducted a 3-week customer & market due diligence of a managed waste solutions provider to establish the target's positioning/risk vs. national waste haulers; its competitive differentiation; its margin stability and recession risk; and the overall managed waste solutions market size and growth expectations. To this end, Gotham: conducted 33 interviews with and 73 online surveys of customers; built a detailed end-market level sizing model; determined the managed waste solutions competitive landscape; analyzed distances between landfills and the target’s customers; built a recession impact model; and established customer and hauler pricing mechanisms. Gotham provided a detailed view on the competitive dynamics and risks posed by the national waste haulers and the advantages of managed waste solutions providers, helping build client confidence in pursuing the target aggressively.
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Establishing Supply/Demand Imbalance And Growth Outlook
Conducted a 3-week customer & market due diligence to: (1) establish the adolescent/young adult mental health treatment addressable market size; and (2) validate the target’s outpatient and short-term residential program growth opportunities. To this end, Gotham: conducted interviews with and surveys of psychiatrists, educational consultants, residential programs, payors, and insurance advocates; built a supply/demand model to quantify the gap between current and unconstrained demand for these services; established insurance dynamics pertaining to behavioral health coverage; and built a database of residential treatment programs. Armed with the clarity on supply/demand imbalances in outpatient and short-term residential care treatment provided by Gotham, our client gained confidence in the target’s aggressive growth plan and moved forward to successfully close the deal.
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Assessing Revenue/Growth Risk at Leading Road Maintenance Equipment Supplier
Focused Pre-LOI due diligence effort on establishing state DOT/municipal budget dynamics (the target’s greatest dependency), the target’s competitive positioning, and growth trends of the target’s road maintenance equipment market. Gotham: 1) compiled 10 years of state DOT budget details for 30 key states; 2) conducted ~50 interviews with state DOTs (and some municipalities); 3) built a state DOT equipment fleet profile, including fleet size, replacement cycle, age distribution, and manufacturer by equipment type; and 4) established the competitive landscape of the road maintenance equipment market. Because Gotham’s fact-based assessment painted a less optimistic picture than management’s projections, our client decided not to pursue the acquisition.
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Establishing Growth Prospects, Margin Risk, CapEx Risk, and Operations Improvement Opportunities at Private Label Canned Food Manufacturer
In sync with the needs of each stage of the deal process, conducted phased customer, market, and operational due diligence, initially focusing on: 1) growth outlook – established the target’s category presence, identified key market trends, and built a model to project category growth; 2) competitive positioning – interviewed 27 PL and category buyers from supermarkets, wholesalers, food service companies, and brokers; and 3) CapEx and operational risk – visited the target’s 3 plants, assessed capacity, and reviewed operational improvement plans. After the client signed the LOI, Gotham conducted: a deep dive assessment of margin risk, using 7-year SKU-level price/margin data and outlook for major input cost drivers; and an in-depth operational diagnostic of material yield, direct labor, and inventory costs.
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Assessing Customer Risk, Margin Sustainability, and Growth Opportunities of Electric Utility Services Company
Conducted 4-week phased customer & market due diligence to evaluate revenue and margin sustainability risk vis-à-vis the target’s core business and assess geographic expansion opportunities required to create a super-regional player. Developed bottom-up CapEx and Operations & Maintenance spend model of 25 key utilities, including 10-year projections; interviewed 30+ key stakeholders at the target’s top customers and potential customers; conducted detailed analysis of the target’s jobs database and forecast; and conducted extensive primary and secondary research. Based on Gotham’s findings, our PE client significantly revised down their bid and was able to secure the target at a more favorable valuation, with a top-level expansion strategy in-hand.
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