# DiligenceSquared Raises $5M Seed to Automate Private Equity Due Diligence

**Author:** Zero G Talent
**Published:** 2026-11-13
**Category:** engineering
**Tags:** yc-hiring, voice ai, private equity, market research, software engineering, sales

[Read on Zero G Talent](https://zerogtalent.com/blog/diligencesquared-raises-5m-seed-to-automate-private-equity-due-diligence)

---

[DiligenceSquared](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-companies/diligencesquared) has raised $5 million in a seed round led by Relentless, with participation from Y Combinator, Amino Capital, Founder Factor, Multimodal Ventures, Twenty Two Ventures, and angel investors.

Founded in 2025, the company automates commercial due diligence for investment firms, replacing traditional consulting reports with AI voice agents and interactive data synthesis. Management consulting firms such as McKinsey, BCG, and Bain typically charge private equity funds between $500,000 and $1 million per due diligence project. DiligenceSquared provides comparable research for approximately $50,000, according to [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/05/diligencesquared-uses-ai-voice-agents-to-make-ma-research-affordable/). The company has completed projects for private equity and mid-market funds representing more than $2 trillion in combined assets under management, as reported by [PR Newswire](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/diligencesquared-raises-5m-to-bring-ai-driven-commercial-due-diligence-to-private-equity-302706143.html).

## Replacing Static Consulting Decks with Voice AI

Traditional commercial due diligence relies on manual expert interviews and static PowerPoint slides, creating delays and masking source data. DiligenceSquared handles engagements end-to-end through a structured, software-driven workflow.

Each project starts with a research blueprint defining specific market questions and deal angles for an acquisition. The platform then deploys AI voice agents to conduct multilingual, one-on-one interviews at scale with industry experts, customers, and competitors. An automated engine synthesizes thousands of collected data points into structured market findings.

To maintain the rigor required for major financial transactions, senior former consultants review outputs to verify accuracy and commercial context. Deliverables are presented through an interactive interface where every market claim links directly back to original interview transcripts.

As discussed on [Pente Spotlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHFhyyqLbrU), using AI agents allows investment teams to run market research much earlier in deal evaluations rather than waiting until late-stage negotiations.

## Founded by Private Equity and Tech Veterans

DiligenceSquared was founded by three leaders with direct experience across private equity, strategic consulting, and AI systems:

- [Frederik Hansen](https://zerogtalent.com/people/frederik-hansen), CEO, previously served as a Principal on Blackstone's private equity team across San Francisco, New York, and London, commissioning multi-billion-dollar deal reports. He holds a Master of Science in Finance and Strategic Management from Copenhagen Business School.
- [Soren Biltoft-Knudsen](https://zerogtalent.com/people/soren-biltoft-knudsen), President, spent seven years as a Principal in BCG's Private Equity practice in New York, leading over 40 commercial due diligence engagements.
- [Harshil Rastogi](https://zerogtalent.com/people/harshil-rastogi), CTO, earned a Master of Science from Carnegie Mellon University and spent ten years as a software engineer at Google, leading AI engineering initiatives to counter fraud and abuse in Google Ads.

Speaking to [FinTech Global](https://fintech.global/2026/03/10/diligencesquared-targets-pe-due-diligence-with-5m-raise/), Hansen noted that commercial due diligence has historically been highly standardized work executed manually and sold at a massive markup. Biltoft-Knudsen explained in [Pulse 2.0](https://pulse2.com/diligencesquared-5-million-raised-to-automate-private-equity-due-diligence/) that investors require high accuracy, making human-in-the-loop oversight essential for reliable adoption.

## Building Technical and Commercial Teams in New York

DiligenceSquared is expanding its team with open positions in New York City across engineering, go-to-market, operations, and talent functions.

On the technical side, the company is building out its autonomous agent and data presentation architecture:

- An entry-level [Engineer - Backend](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/diligencesquared/engineer-backend-111393) ($160,000 - $200,000) will architect the engine that orchestrates autonomous research agents and voice AI pipelines. Mid-level backend engineers ([Engineer - Backend](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/diligencesquared/founding-engineer-backend-86039), $160,000 - $200,000) also focus on source traceability across research outputs.
- Front-end engineers ([Engineer - Frontend](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/diligencesquared/engineer-frontend-111392) at entry level and [Engineer - Frontend](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/diligencesquared/founding-engineer-frontend-86038) at mid level, both $160,000 - $200,000) build interfaces for voice AI interactions and interactive data visualization for private equity, hedge fund, and M&A users.
- Fullstack developers ([Engineer - Fullstack](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/diligencesquared/engineer-fullstack-111391) at entry level and [Engineer - Fullstack](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/diligencesquared/founding-engineer-fullstack-86040) at mid level, both $160,000 - $200,000) own end-to-end features spanning backend AI orchestration down to database models and web app UI components.

To expand institutional private equity relationships and ensure quality delivery, DiligenceSquared is hiring commercial and operational leads:

- The [Head of GTM](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/diligencesquared/head-of-gtm-112777) ($190,000 - $220,000) will originate business directly with founders before establishing scalable sales operations.
- The [Senior Account Executive](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/diligencesquared/senior-account-executive-112778) ($140,000 - $190,000) serves as the first quota-carrying role responsible for full-cycle sales to private equity firms.
- A [GTM Associate](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/diligencesquared/gtm-associate-112779) ($140,000 - $175,000) will cultivate new relationships with priority funds and manage deal team engagements.
- The [Business Lead](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/diligencesquared/founding-business-lead-92333) ($160,000 - $200,000) acts as the human-in-the-loop, translating client requirements into AI agent prompts and evaluating output quality.
- The [Talent & People Lead](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/diligencesquared/talent-people-lead-116213) ($140,000 - $190,000) will lead end-to-end recruiting across engineering, consulting, and GTM while overseeing people operations.

## Open Roles at DiligenceSquared

| Role | Location | Work Mode | Salary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Talent & People Lead](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/diligencesquared/talent-people-lead-116213) | New York City | Onsite | $140,000 - $190,000 |
| [Engineer - Frontend](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/diligencesquared/engineer-frontend-111392) | New York City | Onsite | $160,000 - $200,000 |
| [GTM Associate](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/diligencesquared/gtm-associate-112779) | New York City | Onsite | $140,000 - $175,000 |
| [Engineer - Backend](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/diligencesquared/engineer-backend-111393) | New York City | Onsite | $160,000 - $200,000 |
| [Engineer - Fullstack](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/diligencesquared/engineer-fullstack-111391) | New York City | Onsite | $160,000 - $200,000 |
| [Senior Account Executive](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/diligencesquared/senior-account-executive-112778) | New York City | Onsite | $140,000 - $190,000 |
| [Head of GTM](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/diligencesquared/head-of-gtm-112777) | New York City | Onsite | $190,000 - $220,000 |
| [Engineer - Frontend](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/diligencesquared/founding-engineer-frontend-86038) | New York, NY, US | Onsite | $160,000 - $200,000 |
| [Engineer - Backend](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/diligencesquared/founding-engineer-backend-86039) | New York, NY, US | Onsite | $160,000 - $200,000 |
| [Engineer - Fullstack](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/diligencesquared/founding-engineer-fullstack-86040) | New York, NY, US | Onsite | $160,000 - $200,000 |
| [Business Lead](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/diligencesquared/founding-business-lead-92333) | New York City | Onsite | $160,000 - $200,000 |

[See all open roles at DiligenceSquared](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-companies/diligencesquared)

---
*Source: [Zero G Talent](https://zerogtalent.com), the job board for space, defense, AI, robotics and frontier-tech companies.*