Professionals
Business Intelligence and Due Diligence in France
Getting to Know a Partner Before Committing
Signing a major contract, forming a partnership, acquiring a company, or making an investment: these decisions commit the company to a long-term relationship and are based on trust placed in a third party that is sometimes poorly understood. Actual solvency, reputation, legal status, the identities of executives and beneficial owners, and any potential schemes: these are all factors that are better verified before committing than after.
Business intelligence meets this need: it provides a reliable profile of a company or executive based on verified and cross-checked information. Conducted by a licensed private investigator, it combines the rigorous analysis of open sources with, when necessary, on-site verification, in strict compliance with the legal framework.
The goal is to reduce uncertainty and help you make a confident decision: to confirm what is solid, reveal what is not, and enable you to negotiate or walk away with full knowledge of the facts.
What Our Services Include
Our work aims to shed light on the reliability of a partner or a target:
Analysis of the company’s legal and financial situation;
Verification of the identity and background of executives;
Identification of beneficial owners and ownership relationships;
Reputation assessment and detection of warning signs;
A dated and documented report that is clear and actionable.
Every piece of information is cross-checked and presented with nuance. Much of this work is based on our OSINT investigation to systematically analyze open-source information.
How is the procedure performed?
It all starts with a confidential, free, and no-obligation consultation to assess the issues involved in the decision and provide a clear estimate. Our investigators then conduct the necessary research and verification, throughout France and internationally if needed, in compliance with the law. You’ll receive a structured report that distinguishes established facts from assumptions and highlights key points to consider when making your decision.
Making Decisions Based on Reliable Information
A business decision made based on incomplete or inaccurate information can be very costly. Business intelligence helps you avoid this risk by providing an objective view of your counterpart, based on verified facts. This reliable foundation allows you to enter negotiations from a position of strength, adjust your contractual safeguards, or walk away in time.
We always tailor the depth of our research to the significance of the issue at hand, so that the cost of the process remains proportionate to the amount involved. Our findings are designed to be immediately usable by your teams or your advisors.
OSINT and field verifications
The reliability of business intelligence depends on a combination of two approaches. The use of open sources makes it possible to gather and cross-reference a large amount of publicly available information; field verifications confirm, when necessary, the accuracy of a situation. This dual-pronged approach distinguishes credible intelligence from a mere compilation of unverified data.
We also remain honest about the limitations of this exercise: some information is available, while other information is not, and we clearly indicate what can be determined.
Why Choose the Aquila Group
The Aquila Group is a private detective agency accredited by the CNAPS. Your investigations are conducted by our own investigators, and we operate throughout France—with particularly high demand in the Paris region—thanks to our network of twenty offices across five regions.
Rigor, discretion, and compliance with the legal framework are the hallmarks of our business intelligence services. To discuss your needs with us, please contact our teams : the initial consultation is free and non-binding.
Before signing a contract, making an acquisition, or entering into a partnership
Business intelligence is valuable whenever a significant decision is made: before signing a major contract, acquiring a company, forming a partnership, or taking an equity stake in a company. In all these situations, it is better to have a clear understanding of your counterpart than to discover, once you’ve committed, that the reality is different from what was presented.
We tailor the scope of our research to the stakes involved: a quick review for a limited commitment, and in-depth due diligence for a strategic transaction. This flexibility ensures that the cost of the process always remains proportionate to the risk it helps mitigate.
Warning Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore
As we conduct our research, certain factors warrant attention: criminal records, repeated legal disputes, opaque financial arrangements, inconsistencies between public statements and financial reality, and executives with questionable track records. We highlight these red flags and prioritize them so that you can assess their actual impact on your decision.
Far from sensationalizing the issue, we present these points in a balanced manner and clearly distinguish them from what amounts to mere speculation. Reliable information is not intended to alarm, but to enlighten, by providing an accurate and nuanced picture of the situation.
This gives you the tools to enter negotiations from a position of strength, adjust your contractual terms, or walk away in time—all based on verified information rather than mere impressions.
We always remain transparent about the scope of our research: some information is legally accessible, while other information is not, and we clearly indicate what can be established and with what degree of certainty. This honesty is part of the value of reliable intelligence. Many companies and funds regularly turn to us before undertaking any sensitive transactions because they know they can rely on verified and nuanced information.
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Frequently Asked Questions
It involves gathering and verifying reliable information about a company or an executive—including creditworthiness, reputation, and legal status—prior to entering into a contract, forming a partnership, or making an investment.
Yes, provided that the investigations comply with the legal framework and are based on lawful sources. An agency accredited by the CNAPS operates within this framework.
Yes, to the extent that the information is lawfully available. We identify the ownership structures and beneficial owners that are relevant to your decision.
The estimate is free and non-binding. The cost depends on the depth of the research and the scope of the project; it will be clearly communicated to you before any work begins.
Yes, throughout France thanks to our network of offices, and internationally through our network when the situation calls for it.
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