Barho Advisory
Technical due diligence on the assumption your investment depends on.
I make the technical risk of an investment thesis assessable before LOI - before a buyer pays for a differentiation that does not hold under scrutiny.
Accumulated experience, codified into a method that changes high-stakes decisions.
For PE and M&A teams with a technical, materials, or China-related thesis to verify before committing capital.
Not sure yet? Start with the Reframe Call.
A 20-minute conversation to establish whether your decision has a testable load-bearing assumption and whether the Diagnostic is the right tool for it. No consulting. No charge.
What the Reframe Diagnostic tests
Every investment or market entry decision rests on one technical or operational claim that has not been rigorously tested. The Diagnostic identifies that claim and determines whether it survives scrutiny.
5 steps. 1 assumption. 90 minutes.
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1
Decision at stake
State the decision in one sentence. If it cannot be stated clearly, that is already a finding.
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2
Load-bearing assumption
Identify the one technical or operational assumption that carries the most weight and has been tested least. Not a list - the one that matters.
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3
Evidence threshold
Define what observable evidence would confirm or refute the assumption. If no credible threshold can be defined, that is itself a risk signal.
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4
Consequence of failure
Determine what breaks if the assumption fails: the decision's rationale, its structure, or only its terms. This determines urgency.
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5
Next decisive test
One action that reduces assumption risk most before capital is committed. Not a study - a bounded test with a decision-relevant result.
What you receive
A one-page Assumption Test Map.
- The decision at stake
- The load-bearing assumption
- The evidence threshold
- The consequence if it fails
- The next decisive test
- Traffic-light assessment of the assumption
And one conclusion:
Holds
The assumption survives the evidence threshold.
Holds with conditions
The assumption holds under a defined set of conditions.
Requires reframing
The decision rests on a different assumption than stated.
Does not hold
The assumption fails the evidence threshold.
The Reframe Diagnostic does not replace due diligence or make the investment decision. It determines whether the technical or operational assumption carrying that decision is strong enough to survive the next test.
Domain expertise
28 years as a practitioner in materials science, automotive, tire technology, and specialty polymers - at Continental and FORVIA, including 4 years based in Shanghai. Doctorate in organic chemistry, Leibniz University Hanover and Imperial College London.
Technical due diligence assignments cover:
- Material performance claims and supplier qualification
- China manufacturing capabilities and market entry assumptions
- Automotive supply chain viability and Tier 1/Tier 2 positioning
- Sustainability and regulatory compliance narratives
- R&D pipeline credibility and technology readiness
Terms
EUR 2,900 - payable at booking. Remote, 90 minutes via Zoom. Send the decision and the supporting material before the session.
If the first 20 minutes do not surface an untested load-bearing assumption, the session ends and the fee is refunded in full.
No recommendation before the diagnosis.