Digital Due Diligence Platforms: Promise and Progress

Published on June 11, 2025 by Anup Palki

Not that long ago, fund managers navigated a world dominated by spreadsheets, email chains and endless manual data collation. Due diligence was a marathon: slow, error-prone and draining valuable hours from asset management RFP/DDQ teams. Today, however, we stand at the threshold of a new era in digital due diligence, one powered by smart technologies and driven by necessity.

The turning point? Investors are no longer willing to wait. Transparency, speed and consistency are not “nice to haves”; they are what’s expected. And This growing demand has propelled due diligence platforms from industry buzzwords to critical business tools.

The emergence and rise of digital due diligence platforms

New due diligence platforms such as Door, AssetQ, DiligenceVault and Dasseti are redefining due diligence workflows. They offer smarter content repositories, standardised templates and enhanced API capabilities. Designed to replace scattered spreadsheets and email threads, these platforms aspire to become central hubs for investor communications.

Although the concept is compelling, the adoption story is mixed. Asset managers are still evaluating their utility, cost-benefit outcomes and integration feasibility – especially when existing internal systems and third-party databases are not fully aligned with these tools.

How digital due diligence (DD) platforms help investors and asset managers

At their best, digital DD platforms can streamline tasks, improve collaboration and offer real-time visibility on content and responses. In theory (and in isolated pockets of practice), benefits include the following:

• Central oversight of investor communications

• Content consistency via standardised libraries

• Faster turnaround on routine DD questionnaires

• Improved traceability with version-controlled documents

• Regulatory readiness through automated compliance prompts

However, most of these digital due diligence benefits hinge on seamless integration – between platforms, internal data lakes and external databases – but are still a work in progress for many investment management firms.

Challenges of Digital Due Diligence Platform Adoption

Despite all the buzz and promising talk around digital DDQ platforms, our experience in working with leading global asset management firms indicates that many of them face practical constraints including the following:

• Integration complexity: Existing internal systems and consultant databases often do not sync easily with these platforms

• Low adoption readiness: Teams have been cautious, often preferring traditional processes until digital solutions prove cost-effective and reliable

• Content fragmentation: Managing consistent messaging across multiple platforms remains a challenge

• Platform fatigue: With multiple platforms in use, fund managers are often required to maintain profiles across several systems – essentially duplicating work rather than simplifying it

• Resource strain: Not all specialised and boutique managers may have the resources or budget required for the upkeep of these platforms; this could put them in a position of disadvantage compared to larger managers that have more infrastructure and financial muscle

• False starts: Some early adopters have reverted to manual processes due to workflow gaps or stakeholder pushback

• Cost-benefit trade-off: Some fund managers question whether the operational burden and subscription costs (where applicable) deliver sufficient ROI – especially if they do not see increased engagement or fundraising success through the platforms

In short, these due diligence platforms are solving problems – but not always the right ones, or not at the right scale, just yet.

How Acuity Knowledge Partners can help

We understand the tension between ambition and implementation. Rather than advocating a one-size-fits-all approach, we work with clients to address adoption gaps with pragmatic solutions:

• Platform-agnostic support: We work across platforms – such as DiligenceVault, Door, AssetQ and Dasseti – tailoring our support to what works best for each investment manager client’s setup

• Content governance: We help unify narratives across platforms and internal databases, ensuring greater consistency

• Change enablement:From training to process redesign, we help investment managers navigate the shift from traditional to digital due diligence management.

• Technology augmentation: Where integrations fall short, we supplement workflows with manual support and automation where possible

• Access to industry best practices: Beyond completing digital DDQs for investment managers, we regularly share industry best practices to streamline and scale digital DD operations

• Cost savings and productivity gains: We have enabled onshore client resources to focus on core and revenue-generating activities, ensuring superior capital management

Our pragmatic view of the future of digital due diligence

The evolution of digital due diligence is not linear – it is a negotiation between vision and feasibility. While the platforms are evolving fast, most firms are still figuring out how to plug them into real-world operations.

We believe in progress with intention and purpose when it comes to digital due diligence. Instead of chasing every other digital DD platform, we partner with our clients to assess where these platforms fit, where they don’t and how to balance automation with control. We believe the future of digital due diligence is not about abandoning what works; it is about evolving what does not.

Sources:

• https://awm.alphafmc.com/blog/2024/07/19/14804/?form=MG0AV3

• https://guidetodoor.com/

• https://www.assetq.com/

• https://www.dasseti.com/

• https://diligencevault.com/

---

---