Investigating the Seller Before a Mid-Market Deal Closes

E3 Legacy Intel provides investigative due diligence for acquisitions, investments, and partnerships in the one-to-fifty-million-dollar deal range that the large firms price out. We surface reputational red flags, hidden litigation, undisclosed ventures, and beneficial ownership. As licensed investigators (FL A-1400197) with a proprietary intelligence platform, we deliver enterprise-grade findings at a mid-market price.

Your accountants check the books and your lawyers check the contracts. Neither tells you whether the person across the table is who they claim to be. That is the investigation we run before you sign.

Engage an Investigation Post-Close Monitoring

M and A due diligence at a mid-market price

The global due-diligence firms reserve real investigative work for nine-figure deals. Everyone below that gets a database report and a handshake. We built for the deal range in between: acquisitions, investments, and partnerships from one to fifty million dollars that deserve genuine investigation without a six-figure diligence bill.

The undisclosed record M and A due diligence surfaces

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Hidden litigation

Undisclosed lawsuits, judgments, liens, and regulatory actions the other side did not mention.

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Reputation

Reputational red flags, adverse media, and the pattern behind them, not just isolated hits.

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Undisclosed ventures

Prior and parallel businesses, failed ventures, and the fallout that follows the principals.

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Beneficial ownership

Who actually controls the entity, unwound from the layers built to obscure it.

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Credential checks

Verification of the claimed track record, licenses, and professional history.

Buyers and lenders who need the truth before closing

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Acquirers & search funds

SMB and lower-middle-market buyers and search funds vetting a target and its owners.

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Lenders & investors

Private lenders and investors confirming who and what they are backing.

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Franchisees & partners

Franchisees and prospective partners checking the other side before they commit.

From first call to final report

STEP 1

Scope to the deal

We tailor the investigation to the deal size, structure, and the questions that matter most.

STEP 2

Investigate the principals

We dig into the people and entities behind the transaction, on and off the record.

STEP 3

Deliver a decision report

A clear findings report flagging deal-relevant risks, on your timeline.

Stay Protected

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Post-close monitoring

After the deal, we monitor the counterparty for new litigation, distress, and reputational events that affect your investment.

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Ongoing counterparty vetting

A standing program to vet new partners, vendors, and targets as your pipeline grows.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is investigative due diligence?

It is a background investigation of the people and entities behind a deal, going beyond the financial and legal review your accountants and lawyers perform. We surface reputation, hidden litigation, undisclosed ventures, regulatory history, and who really controls the counterparty.

What size deals do you handle?

The one-to-fifty-million-dollar range that the big global firms either price out of reach or ignore. We bring enterprise-grade investigative methods to mid-market acquisitions, investments, and partnerships at a proportionate cost.

What do you find that a standard search misses?

Undisclosed litigation and judgments, prior failed ventures and their fallout, regulatory and licensing problems, reputational red flags, and beneficial ownership hidden behind layers of entities. The things that change a deal, and that a database report does not connect.

Who buys pre-transaction due diligence?

SMB and lower-middle-market acquirers, search funds, franchisees, private lenders, and investors, anyone putting real capital into a company or partnership and needing to know who they are actually dealing with.

How long does it take?

It depends on scope and the complexity of the ownership structure, but we work to deal timelines and can prioritize a focused red-flag review when a closing date is close.

Engage an Investigation Post-Close Monitoring

Your Examiner

Matt Aubin, CDFE, FBCI

Managing Partner, E3 Legacy Intel · FL Licensed Investigator A-1400197

Every matter on this page is worked under a named, licensed examiner. Matt Aubin brings seventeen years in cybercrime and open source intelligence. He is a Certified Digital Forensics Examiner (CDFE), a Florida Board Certified Investigator (FBCI), and a Certified AI Agent Developer, and he has investigated cases jointly with the FBI, the SEC, the U.S. Secret Service, and the U.S. Marshals.

His work has been featured on ABC News, Spectrum News, and The Daily Beast, and in a television pilot for Netflix and MAC Pictures as a cybercrime expert. He keynotes nationally and serves on the Board of Directors of the Florida Association of Licensed Investigators (FALI). About Matt Aubin

RELATED INVESTIGATIONS

Investor & Counterparty Due Diligence · Executive Background Investigations · Asset Intelligence

LET’S TALK

Bring us the problem. We will tell you plainly whether investigation can help.

Fill out this form and set up a discovery call with us. From there we will analyze the issues you are having and determine your intelligence needs. Then we will develop a custom, no-obligation quote for our services, delivered in writing before you commit to anything.

Acquirers with a steady deal pipeline use us as their standing due diligence partner. Every deal file follows the method on our due diligence investigation page.

Tell us what happened

A licensed examiner reads every inquiry. You get a written, flat fee quote before any work starts. Or call (877) 732-6648.