Our Approach
Deal Engineering before due diligence begins.
Deal Engineering is a disciplined process for helping companies become transaction-ready before institutional scrutiny intensifies.
Deal Engineering
How Deal Engineering works
Six steps, in order. Each one hands the next what it needs: a record that has been read, the friction found inside it, a ranked list, a decided path, and a data room a stranger can follow.
1
Review the operative records
Examine the documents and information that define how the company is organized, financed, operated, and protected.
2
Identify diligence friction
Locate issues most likely to create questions, delays, discounts, or leverage for a counterparty.
3
Organize the findings
Convert the review into a structured analysis that leadership can understand and use.
4
Prioritize what matters
Distinguish urgent remediation from lower-priority matters and sequence the work accordingly.
5
Develop and implement the solution path
Help leadership decide how issues should be resolved and assist with execution.
6
Build and curate the data room
Organize the operative record so it can be presented clearly as the transaction approaches.
Who decides
Human-led. AI-assisted.
Afissio may use AI-assisted analysis to support review, but the Afissio team remains responsible for every decision and exercise of judgment. Technology improves the process; it does not replace experienced interpretation.
Speed is not the point. A record read faster is only worth something if the reading is right, and that judgment is a person's every time.
Having worked in life sciences investment banking, I know how much deal structure matters. Afissio helped us think through the terms investors were proposing and how those terms could affect the company in future rounds. They explained the tradeoffs rather than simply flagging issues, and they were a valuable sounding board on how to approach the raise. I appreciated having someone who could work through those decisions with me.
Matt Pelo
CEO, Fore Genomics
Frequently Asked Questions
What companies ask before they start
When should Deal Engineering start?
Earlier than most companies expect. The work is most valuable in the months before a process begins, while findings can still be resolved rather than disclosed.
How is this different from due diligence?
Due diligence is the counterparty’s examination. Deal Engineering is the preparation of the record that examination will read.
Who is it for?
Founder-led companies preparing for a financing, acquisition, strategic partnership, recapitalization, or institutional investment.
What does an engagement produce?
A record that has been read, the friction found inside it, a ranked list, a decided path, and a data room a stranger can follow.
Does this replace our counsel or advisers?
No. The work runs alongside existing counsel, accountants and bankers, and is designed to make their work faster rather than duplicate it.
How is AI used in the review?
AI-assisted analysis may support the review. The Afissio team remains responsible for every decision and exercise of judgment.
Still a question about your own record?
When to start
Designed for the period before urgency
Afissio is most valuable while there is still time to prepare deliberately—before a buyer, investor, or partner begins using unresolved issues as leverage.