A startup called DiligenceSquared is using AI voice agents to handle research calls that expensive human consultants used to do. Private equity firms hire these AI agents to interview customers of companies they’re thinking about buying.
This could shake up how billion-dollar business deals get done. Instead of paying management consultants thousands of dollars per day, firms can now use AI to gather the same information for a fraction of the cost.
The Robots Are Making Cold Calls
Here’s how it works: When a private equity firm wants to buy a company, they need to know if that company’s customers are actually happy. Traditionally, expensive human consultants would spend weeks calling customers and asking detailed questions about their experience.
DiligenceSquared’s AI agents can now handle these interviews automatically. The voice agents sound natural enough to have real conversations with customers, asking follow-up questions and gathering insights about the target company’s reputation and performance.
This matters because due diligence research is a huge expense in major acquisitions. Management consulting firms charge premium rates for this work, sometimes adding hundreds of thousands to deal costs.
What’s Next
If AI agents prove they can gather reliable information from these customer interviews, it could fundamentally change how private equity firms evaluate potential investments. The technology might expand beyond M&A research into other areas where expensive human consultants currently dominate, like market research and competitive analysis.