We help private equity firms get an honest read on the products inside their investments before or after the deal closes.
A company's financials can look clean while the product underneath is quietly falling apart. Technical debt that will cost millions to unwind. A UX so outdated users are already looking elsewhere. A roadmap that doesn't reflect how the competitive landscape has shifted. An AI disruption risk nobody's modeled yet.
Catching these things requires product thinking in the room. That's where we come in. We give PE firms a clear view into the products and technology at the center of their investments: what's working, what's at risk, and what to do about it. Before the deal closes, in the months after, and as the portfolio company grows into what the investment thesis said it could be.
"We were really impressed with the work…this is exactly what we needed. [2 weeks, 3 working prototypes, a 20-page report , with go / no-go recommendations.]"
Top 3 Global PE firm ($100B+ AUM) evaluating a high-profile, industry-shaping, 9-figure acquisition
Very fast! PE timelines don't accommodate six-week onboarding processes. We've spun up inside active deals within 48 hours and delivered full product assessments in a two crunch. If you're approaching close and need product expertise in the room now, we're built for it.
Most due diligence covers financials, legal, and IT infrastructure. Crema goes deeper on the product layer, offering UX quality, competitive durability, AI readiness, and whether the team can execute on the roadmap. We're not a replacement for your existing process. We're the piece that's usually missing, and the one that often determines whether the investment thesis holds.
Both, depending on where the engagement starts. Some relationships begin at the GP level before close and transfer to the portfolio company at day one. Others come in directly through the portco CEO or CTO. We're flexible on structure. What matters is that the right people are aligned — the GP's value creation goals and the portco leadership's day-to-day reality both have to be satisfied for an engagement to work.
Yes - and this is increasingly where the conversation starts. Every PE firm is under pressure to show AI is being applied across portfolio companies. Most portcos don't have a credible answer yet. Crema can assess AI readiness, build proof-of-concept integrations, and create a roadmap that's grounded in what the product actually needs rather than what sounds good in a board deck.
