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Mergers, Acquisitions & Diligence

Our diligence work prepares clients for key acquisition decisions and provides an independent assessment of achievable growth objectives. We conduct market and company diligence in acquisition transactions, yielding significant positive results in enterprise valuation and investor commitments.

Tuscany supports deal execution through strategy validation, pricing evaluation, operational and sales diligence, asset separation analysis, communications management, and day one preparation.

Diligence engagements are conducted as an objective third-party voice in a transaction. Activities may include validation of market dynamics, key segment identification, quantifying short- and long-term trends, mapping the competitive landscape, and sizing growth opportunities.

Thesis Development

Phase 1 of 4

Conduct market landscape analysis to identify highly attractive sectors for investment, define investment theses, and develop criteria to identify and vet prospective acquisition targets.

Work Streams

  • Secondary research and market mapping
  • Company benchmarking and stakeholder interviews
  • Sector mapping and TAM/SAM sizing
  • Competitive landscape analysis
  • Target identification and scoring
Duration3–12 months
Fee StructureFixed or Retainer
DeliverablesSector reports, market maps, criteria development, and acquisition target lists

Due Diligence

Phase 2 of 4

Lead and augment diligence efforts to quantify market size, evaluate management teams, validate growth plan assumptions, pressure test scaling ability, and develop staging recommendations.

Work Streams

  • Seller management interviews
  • Portfolio/unit/vehicle analysis
  • Market sizing and segmentation
  • Competitive benchmarking
  • Customer and inspector interviews
  • Quantitative survey research
Duration4 weeks (2–6 weeks)
Fee StructureFixed or Retainer
DeliverablesKey findings report with staging recommendations

Value Creation Planning

Phase 3 of 4

Crystallize short, medium, and long-term initiatives. This is a highly collaborative strategic planning process with the client and the newly acquired operating organization(s). This is especially important for platform acquisitions. This process is designed to align multiple stakeholders around actionable five-year growth goals, KPI frameworks, and initiative plans.

Work Streams

  • Stakeholder interviews
  • Management team workshop(s)
  • Human Capital assessment discussions
  • Pre-Read materials
  • Post-workshop reporting
  • Project planning
Duration2–4 weeks (usually pre-close)
Fee StructureFixed Fee or Limited Retainer
DeliverablesStrategic planning workshops, detailed record of key findings, staging recommendations, preliminary project plans, and KPI and initiative mapping output

Execution Support

Phase 4 of 4

Enable and accelerate organic revenue growth through strategic planning, competitive intelligence, pricing, brand positioning, product portfolio analysis, and sales/marketing optimization. Tuscany draws upon all seven of our core capabilities to support post-acquisition value creation across the portfolio.

Work Streams

  • Pricing and quality assurance
  • Customer research and insights
  • Digital marketing optimization
  • Sales process improvement
  • Product portfolio rationalization
Duration2–4 months or retainer
Fee StructureRetainer or Fixed
DeliverablesPricing, quality assurance, customer research, and digital marketing

Examples of Our Work

Select m&a advisory engagements.

Higher EdGrowth Equity Firm

Investment Thesis Development & Sector Screening

Result

Built a proprietary education sector investment thesis, screened 200+ potential targets, and developed detailed profiles on a shortlist of 15 high-fit acquisition candidates.

ECEPrivate Equity Fund

Buy-Side Due Diligence for ECE Platform Acquisition

Result

Conducted comprehensive market and operational diligence on a 100+ center ECE platform, identifying $15M in unrealized revenue opportunity and informing a successful bid.

K-12PE-Backed K-12 Services Company

Post-Acquisition 100-Day Value Creation Plan

Result

Developed and facilitated execution of a 100-day integration plan including pricing optimization, sales force restructuring, and cross-sell strategy across three acquired brands.

K-12Supplemental Curriculum Provider

Post-Acquisition Pricing & Product Strategy

Result

Rationalized pricing across two newly combined product lines, benchmarked competitive quality, and guided sales negotiation for large contracts. YOY sales increased for both product lines and win/loss ratios improved.

Exploring an education sector acquisition?

Let's discuss how Tuscany can support your M&A strategy with data-driven diligence.

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