Generic tech DD templates miss what actually kills deals in 2026: AI claims that aren't production-grade, architecture that won't survive 2× traffic, and eng teams that look senior on LinkedIn but can't ship.
This checklist is what I use when doing independent engineering due diligence for VCs and acquirers ($1,250 fixed one-off, one to two weeks).
Architecture & scalability
Can the current architecture handle 2× and 10× users without a rewrite?
Monolith vs. services: was the split intentional or accidental?
