Strategy Resources
Free resource
Acquisition Target Screening Framework
A framework for sourcing and screening AI acquisition targets before diligence — an acquisition thesis, a weighted scoring rubric, the AI-specific tests that separate real capability from wrappers, and a longlist-to-shortlist funnel.
Most acquirers confuse screening with diligence, and pay for it. Screening is the upstream funnel — turning a strategy-anchored thesis into a longlist, then a ranked shortlist worth the expense of real diligence. Done well, it kills weak deals cheaply, surfaces non-obvious targets, and protects you from the demo dazzle and acqui-hire mispricing that afflict AI deals in particular. This guide gives you the thesis, the sourcing universe, a weighted scoring rubric, the AI-specific screens generic M&A misses, a stage-gated funnel, and a clean handoff to diligence.
What's inside
- 01Screening is not diligence
- 02Start from a thesis tied to strategy
- 03Define the universe and source the funnel
- 04A weighted scoring rubric
- 05The AI-specific screens generic M&A misses
- 06From longlist to shortlist: stage gates
- 07The output: a prioritisation heat-map
- 08Avoiding the common screening traps
- 09How screening hands off to diligence
Includes 6 cited references and worked examples, written in plain language you can act on.
Take the next step.
Get carefully considered AI thinking in your inbox, or book a candid strategy call — we'll tell you what we would do first, whether or not we end up working together.
Join the mailing list
Occasional insights, no noise.