Sales Snapshot
~$130K
Combined Proposal Value
M&A DD ~$60K + BCP/DR $70,100 · Submitted 3 days apart (Aug 29 + Sep 1, 2023)
4
DD Assessment Domains
Data Architecture, Perf. Benchmarking, Data Governance, Cloud Platform Engineering (AWS WAR)
13 TB
Data Migration Scope
MySQL → Aurora · Same AWS region · Embedded within BCP/DR resilience work
7 wks
Combined Delivery
M&A DD 2–3 wks · BCP/DR 5 wks · Concurrent or sequential execution
The Unique Angle — Why TV Ad Intelligence & Measurement Platform Matters as a Pattern
M&A activity creates two simultaneous advisory entry points — and TV Ad Intelligence & Measurement Platform needed both at once. When a company is acquiring and being scrutinized simultaneously, the same trigger (M&A) creates demand for two distinct services: (1) technical due diligence on the target they're evaluating, and (2) resilience documentation uplift on their own environment to satisfy buyer-side and audit scrutiny. We responded to both in the same engagement window — two proposals, 3 days apart, totaling ~$130K in advisory work.
The M&A DD framework — covering Data Architecture, Performance Benchmarking, Data Governance, and Cloud Platform Engineering — is a reusable pattern. Any company evaluating a data-heavy acquisition target (SaaS, adtech, fintech, edtech) needs exactly this four-domain technical assessment to make a Go/No-Go call. The ClickHouse deep-dive is also a strong differentiator: very few advisory firms have specific ClickHouse competency, and TV Ad Intelligence & Measurement Platform's acquisition target used it as a primary analytical store.
Use this engagement when selling to: Fast-growing SaaS, adtech, fintech, or media-tech companies in active M&A cycles. Also strong for any buyer-side deal advisory conversation where the question is "can we trust the data architecture of what we're acquiring?" The BCP/DR pattern fits any company preparing for audit, regulatory review, or acquirer due diligence scrutiny of their own environment.
Business Problems TV Ad Intelligence & Measurement Platform Was Solving
M&A Due Diligence Problem
- Evaluating a potential acquisition target with a complex data architecture — ClickHouse-based analytical store, ETL pipelines, hybrid AWS environment
- Need for independent technical assessment to validate "does what the target says it does" — architecture diagrams vs. actual implementation
- Performance benchmarking needed to compare target's data throughput against TV Ad Intelligence & Measurement Platform's own environment as a like-for-like baseline
- Data governance gaps in the target could represent post-acquisition cost, compliance, or integration risk — needed systematic assessment pre-deal
- AWS environment of the target needed Well-Architected review to surface right-sizing opportunities and post-acquisition cloud cost exposure
BCP/DR Documentation Problem
- BCP/DR documentation at "MVP level" — technically sufficient for minimum regulatory requirements but not for M&A buyer scrutiny
- Increased M&A activity bringing more frequent, deeper buyer-side technical diligence including BCP/DR posture review
- Internal audit cycles and regulatory reviews independently flagging documentation gaps
- Infrastructure scope and interconnectivity growing faster than documentation — technical debt in resilience planning
- MySQL → Aurora migration needed to complete the resilience uplift — 13TB in-region migration with ETL complexity
What We Proposed — Two Engagement Tracks
Track 1 · ~$60K · 2–3 Weeks
M&A Technology Due Diligence
4-domain framework: (1) Data Architecture & Engineering — architecture review, data ops gap analysis, ClickHouse deep-dive across architecture/scalability/sharding/cost/risk. (2) Data Performance Benchmarking — up to 3 throughput/efficiency use cases comparing buyer vs. target environments (time-to-complete, resource cost, output accuracy). (3) Data Management & Governance — storage/retention policy assessment, data integrity, classification, security & privacy review. (4) Cloud Platform Engineering — AWS WAR: scalability, networking, security, integration complexity, right-sizing opportunities. Deliverable: Go/No-Go due diligence report covering all four domains. Team: Engagement Manager + Data Architect + Sr. M&A Advisory Consultant + Cloud Architect.
Track 2 · $70,100 · 5 Weeks
BCP/DR Planning Accelerator + Data Migration
BCP/DR documentation: workshops with ops team and business stakeholders, gap identification, audit/regulatory requirements review, infrastructure and in-flight project review, risk register (all BCP/DR risks documented), RACI per risk register line item. Data migration embedded in delivery: MySQL → Aurora (13TB, same AWS region), ETL-aware migration approach, customer-led performance testing with Advisory support. 5-week delivery: 1 wk Discovery/Design → 2 wks Implementation/Migration → 2 wks Validation/Testing → 1 wk Cutover. Team: EM ($16,100) + SA ($40,800) + Data Engineer ($13,200).
Combined Fee Structure
| Engagement | Team Roles | Duration | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| M&A Technology Due Diligence | Engagement Manager, Data Architect, Sr. M&A Advisory Consultant, Cloud Architect | 2–3 Weeks | ~$60,000 |
| BCP/DR Planning Accelerator (incl. MySQL→Aurora 13TB migration) | Engagement Manager ($230/hr × 70h), Solution Architect ($255/hr × 160h), Data Engineer ($55/hr × 240h) | 5 Weeks | $70,100 |
| Combined Proposed Value | ~$130,100 | ||
Forward Opportunity
Post-Acquisition Integration
Integration Advisory
If TV Ad Intelligence & Measurement Platform proceeds with the acquisition, the same M&A DD team is positioned to lead post-acquisition integration planning — data platform integration, AWS environment consolidation, and ClickHouse migration/consolidation advisory.
Managed Cloud Services
AWS Managed Ops
80% AWS footprint with a growing infrastructure scope and M&A-driven complexity expansion — natural fit for Advisory Managed AWS services post-advisory engagement, covering operations, security monitoring, and FinOps optimization.
Ongoing Resilience Ops
DR Runbook Maintenance
BCP/DR risk register and RACI are living documents — ongoing maintenance, DR testing facilitation, and annual audit support represent a recurring managed services or professional services retainer opportunity as the company continues to grow.
Talk Track — Using TV Ad Intelligence & Measurement Platform as a Reference
Discovery & M&A Advisory Conversations
"We're looking at an acquisition target and need to understand if their data platform is actually as described."
We've done exactly this. TV Ad Intelligence & Measurement Platform — a TV ad measurement SaaS company — was evaluating an acquisition target with a ClickHouse-based data architecture and needed a third-party technical assessment before committing. We ran a four-domain due diligence framework: architecture review (validating diagrams vs. implementation), data performance benchmarking (comparing throughput between buyer and target environments), data governance assessment, and an AWS Well-Architected review for right-sizing and security exposure. The output is a Go/No-Go report your board and M&A team can actually use — not a deck with opinions, but scored findings with architecture-vs-implementation validation and benchmark data. Two to three weeks, around $60K — cheap insurance on a multi-million-dollar deal decision.
"Our auditors flagged our BCP/DR documentation and we have a deal in the pipeline — buyers are asking questions we don't have answers to."
That's a pattern we've seen repeatedly. M&A activity puts a spotlight on BCP/DR documentation that companies have been running at MVP level for years — it's functional for operations but it fails buyer-side scrutiny because it lacks risk registers, RACIs, and documented remediation plans for active audit findings. We ran a BCP/DR Planning Accelerator for TV Ad Intelligence & Measurement Platform: workshops with operations and business stakeholders, a complete risk register, RACI per line item, and we incorporated an in-flight data migration (MySQL to Aurora, 13TB) as part of the resilience work. Five weeks, $70K — and you come out with documentation that satisfies an acquirer's technical due diligence team.
"What specific expertise do you have in ClickHouse? That's our stack."
We assessed ClickHouse as part of M&A due diligence for an acquisition target — specifically evaluating it from an architecture, scalability, sharding strategy, cost structure, risk profile, and capability/feature set perspective against the acquirer's own data environment. The question in M&A context isn't just "does it work" — it's "can it scale to our data volumes, what does migration cost, and where are the risk concentrations?" We answered all of those questions as part of the DD. If ClickHouse is your primary analytical store, that same framework applies to a Well-Architected review or a migration planning engagement.
My Role on This Engagement
Proposal Author
Authored both proposals — M&A DD framework (DOCX) and BCP/DR Planning Accelerator (PPTX) — within the same engagement window
M&A DD Framework
Designed the 4-domain due diligence scope: Data Architecture, Performance Benchmarking, Governance, and Cloud Platform Engineering (AWS WAR)
BCP/DR Scope Design
Scoped the BCP/DR accelerator — workshops, risk register, RACI, and data migration integration (MySQL→Aurora 13TB) within 5-week delivery
Commercial Structuring
Structured the fee model for both engagements — rate cards, hours, total fees — and positioned as a combined ~$130K advisory program
Client Positioning
Articulated Advisory's M&A advisory and cloud resilience value proposition to TV Ad Intelligence & Measurement Platform's technical and business stakeholders
Vertical Expertise
Brought adtech/SaaS context to the engagement — framing ClickHouse, ETL pipelines, and AWS hybrid architecture through a deal-risk lens
Context & Reference Notes
Engagement status: Both documents are proposals submitted to TV Ad Intelligence & Measurement Platform in August–September 2023; executed SOW status not confirmed from available source files. Client profile: TV Ad Intelligence & Measurement Platform is a TV ad intelligence and attention measurement SaaS company — provides second-by-second TV ad measurement, audience analytics, and ad effectiveness data to brands, agencies, and networks. Cloud environment: 80% AWS, 20% on-prem (described as "highly critical"); ClickHouse (analytical DB), MySQL, Aurora, ETL pipelines, hybrid connectivity. M&A context: Both proposals explicitly tied to M&A activity — one for evaluating an acquisition target, one for hardening TV Ad Intelligence & Measurement Platform's own resilience posture ahead of buyer scrutiny. Use with discretion in sales references; confirm with account team before citing client name publicly.