Reduce people-side uncertainty in M&A
The HCS™ pinpoints the human engines of value creation.
Multiples set the price, people create the value.
Where Deal Value Erodes
70% of deals underperform post-clos*
Strategy
Financials
Integration
*source: Harvard Business Review, Mercer / Transaction Advisors
Deals Don’t Fail in the Model. They Fail in Execution
Most deals enter integration with a strong thesis: scale, synergy, growth. The model is solid. The financials check out. Yet more than 70%* still underperform once execution begins, and the root cause isn’t financial. It’s human.
Critical talent loss, unclear structures, and cultural friction derail execution, but none of these are measured in traditional due diligence. The issues that drive post-close failure are the ones investors track the least.
A data-driven human capital lens is now essential to protect the deal thesis.
The blind spot in most deals isn’t financial — it’s human.
Integration failures cost more than synergy gaps
Critical talent loss turnover drives early performance decline
Culture misalignment multiplies risk across the org
Solution
The HCS™ is designed for one purpose:
give deal teams a clearer, faster, and more reliable view of the human factors that drive value — before, during, and after the transaction.
It converts scattered people data into deal-ready intelligence so private equity and integration leaders can validate the thesis, quantify human capital risk, and protect value post-close.
This isn’t a diagnostic. It’s a decision engine.
Each module exists for a single outcome: support the decision you need to make at each phase of the deal.
Are the critical roles and skills in place to deliver synergies and growth? Where are the execution bottlenecks?
How compatible are the operating models? Where will friction slow down integration or dilute value?
What operational risks threaten the first 100 days? What KPIs show early warning signals?
What do the Board and investors need to monitor to keep the deal on track?
What are the top 5 actionable priorities to protect value and accelerate integration?
The HCS™ turns human capital, typically subjective and opaque, into a measurable, comparable, and continuously updated input to the deal process.
The result:
Enables diligence and execution at speed
Quantifies human capital risk with discipline
Protects value and the deal thesis
Stops value erosion
PROCESS OVERVIEW
How It Works — The HCS™ Process
The HCS™ builds a contextual due diligence model aligned with each deal’s thesis — translating strategy, data, and people dynamics into measurable, decision-ready insight.
Contextual Intelligence Layer
The foundation that connects deal logic with human capital reality.
Captures the deal thesis, size, and strategic rationale
Uses AI to adapt metrics and benchmarks to each deal hypothesis
Produces a unified, comparable dataset ready for scoring
Scoring Engine (HCS™)
Transforms data into actionable intelligence
Calculates a composite Risk + Readiness Index across key dimensions — Leadership, Culture, Talent, and Execution Readiness
Flags value-at-risk zones tied to leadership gaps, culture friction, or execution bottlenecks
Tracks historical evolution and reveal early warning signals
Decision Dashboard
Turns human capital insight into measurable action
Visualizes ROI, cost efficiency, and execution readiness
Directly feeds into change management, communication, retention, and integration plans
Enables leadership teams to align people strategy with deal value creation
THE IMPACT LAYER
Model the People Side or Leave 36% of Value on the Table
Companies that effectively manage culture and leadership alignment capture +39% more revenue and +36% more cost synergies post-close
Talent isn’t soft — it’s a lever for EBITDA and valuation multiples.
Firms with aligned culture & leadership are 50% more likely to hit synergy targets.
Execution readiness = faster time to value, less integration drag.
Revenue Synergies
At or above target (%)
Effectively Manage Culture → 74 %
Ineffectively Manage Culture → 45 %
Cost Synergies
At or above target (%)
Effectively Manage Culture → 75 %
Ineffectively Manage Culture → 48 %
Source: McKinsey Global M&A Capabilities Survey, n = 1,587
Stop losing deal value to human capital blind spots.
Before signing the LOI, see what your financial model can’t, with The Human Capital Score™
THE HUMAN CAPITAL SCORE™ IN ACTION
See the Engine Behind Smarter Deals
Turn qualitative insights into measurable, comparable, and actionable intelligence — all in one integrated dashboard
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