Complete this M&A course to:

  • Effectively identify risks to the value drivers and bias in the deal model

  • Properly validate the investment thesis and identify synergy opportunities

  • Improve your understanding of advanced diligence techniques

Curriculum | M&A Diligence Master Class

Friday, April 28, 2023
10:00am - 4:30pm (CST)
Live Online 

Diligence objectives and approach 

  • Confirming the deal thesis and strategic rational
  • Evaluating the target's standalone forecast and synergy model
  • Conducing commercial diligence including market and customer assessments
  • Methods for linking diligence to an end-to-end assessment

Quality of earnings diligence and risk identification methods 

  • Evaluating sources of cash, seasonality, and operating / non-operating cash flows
  • Assessing recurring / non recurring revenues, AR, AP and inventory roll forward
  • Performing operational diligence including in inventory and supply chain
  • Evaluating culture, leadership, and human capital assets and liabilities
  • Reviewing regulatory and legal risks including litigation and change in control limitations
  • Technology assessments including IP ownership and quality of code
  • Accounting positions and audit quality


Advanced diligence techniques

  • FCPA diligence methods
  • Tax positions and risk allocation
  • Using market / customer surveys
  • Linking the diligence to the deal drivers
  • Applying diligence finding to the synergy model
  • Linking diligence to contingent consideration
  • Reverse due diligence

You will receive 5.5 CLE credit hours (if applicable) and course certification for LinkedIn.

You will also be invited to join a confidential discussion space for exchanging ideas, best practices, recommendations, and information with other M&A Master Class alumni.

Faculty | M&A Diligence Master Class

Kevin Hutchins is an adjunct professor at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business where he teaches courses on mergers, acquisitions and restructuring for MBA and Masters of Finance programs. 

In addition, he serves as Senior Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development at Juniper Networks (NYSE: JNPR), where he is responsible for defining and enabling Juniper’s strategic corporate vision. This includes driving the company’s inorganic growth through strategic partnerships, venture investments and acquisitions/divestures.

Prior to his career at Juniper, Hutchins held leadership roles in strategy, corporate development and general management at IBM and Lockheed Martin.

He holds a BSc (Tau Beta Pi) from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a PhD from the University of Colorado and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

He has been teaching for the Transaction Advisors Institute since 2019.


  • The M&A Diligence presentation provided a wealth of knowledge, practical applications, and thought provoking questions around a key but often overlooked area in the transaction flow.

    Deal Lead, Corporate Development at Block

  • This M&A Master Class gave me the opportunity to build good habits and develop a network that I plan on utilizing for the rest of my career.

    M&A Analyst at Ingredion

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