DiligenceSquared uses AI, voice agents to make M&A research affordable

DiligenceSquared, a startup from YC's fall 2025 cohort, aims to make expensive, time-consuming merger-and-acquisition (M&A) commercial research affordable using AI and voice agents. Co-founders Frederik Hansen (ex-Blackstone) and Søren Biltoft (ex-BCG) leverage their private equity due diligence expertise to offer consultancy-quality research, which traditionally costs PE firms $500,000 to $1 million from firms like McKinsey or Bain. DiligenceSquared's method involves AI voice agents interviewing customers of potential acquisition targets, with senior human consultants verifying the final output's accuracy. This process allows the startup to charge only $50,000, making critical insights accessible earlier in the deal process. The company has already secured multiple projects with large PE firms and recently raised a $5 million seed round led by Damir Becirovic's new firm, Relentless.

(Source：TechCrunch)