AI Check

Does AI support your company value or put it at risk?

Using AI does not yet mean creating value. The AI Check shows where your company stands: measured against your industry, translated into what buyers and investors pay for.

Schedule an intro call Try the drifting zero
6Dimensions
−2 bis +2Signed scale
3Variants up to the impact on value
Opportunity and risk

AI can create value and destroy it

AI is not an upgrade that works in only one direction. That is why we look at both sides.

What raises value

SalesMore efficient lead generation, new revenue from AI add-on offers, less churnEarnings and multiple
ProductStronger value proposition; proprietary data makes the offering hard to copyMultiple: moat
ProcessesFewer manual steps; costs grow more slowly than revenueEarnings: margin
PeopleKnowledge moves from heads into systems; the business runs without the founder tooMultiple: smaller discount
GovernanceA visible AI strategy and clean governance as a signal of trustprotects the multiple

What reduces value

ReplacementAI replaces the offering or parts of it; customers leave"Will we be replaced?"
InterchangeabilityWhat was unique yesterday becomes standard; price pressure and margin losslower multiple
Missing planNo recognizable AI roadmap, neither for use nor for protectionDiscount, smaller buyer pool
DependencyPrice or rule changes by large model providers hit the cost base directlyuncertain margin
Legal and dataEU AI Act, GDPR, unresolved rights to training data and outputsWarranties, escrow, discount
Loss of controlAgents act without oversight or traceabilityLiability risk
Some risks do not reduce the price, they kill the deal. One example is data processing without a legal basis in the core business. Better to know about it before the buyer asks.
The thesis

AI affects earnings, and even more the multiple

Put simply, company value is earnings times a multiple. Most owners think of AI as savings in earnings. The bigger effect usually lies in the multiple: in how sustainable, scalable and transferable a buyer judges your earnings to be.

EarningsValue rises
What AI does

Lowers the cost per service, creates new revenue through AI-based offers, lets revenue grow faster than headcount.

How a buyer reads it

One-off savings are discounted. What gets paid for is structural margin that holds up as the business grows.

MultipleValue rises
What AI does

Reduces dependence on key people, builds a proprietary data asset, makes the model scalable.

How a buyer reads it

Lower risk discount, possible strategic premium, valuation as a growth business rather than a mature one.

MultipleValue falls
What AI does

Uncontrolled agents, data protection risks, nobody is accountable, or your own offering becomes replaceable by AI.

How a buyer reads it

Red flags in due diligence, price discounts, demands for warranties, in the extreme case a failed deal.

The question is not how much AI saves, but whether it makes your earnings more sustainable, more scalable and less dependent on the owner. That shows in the price.

From the AI Check to company value

What implementation is worth and what standing still costs

The AI Check is not a premium added on top. Its scores feed into the criteria of the BASE Check and into the discounts in the company valuation, so nothing is counted twice.

8.1StandstillIndustrycatches up9.7Todaywith discount+1.5EarningsAI inearnings+1.2Discount removedGovernancesolved+0.8Multiplebetterscores13.2After AI Check+€3.5mCompany value in € million
Fictional example: IT services firm, €2.0m EBITDA, 12 to 24 months of implementation

The multiple is the bigger lever

Transferability, moat and clean governance move more than savings.

Reduce discounts first

A governance risk can depress the entire price, no matter how good the rest looks.

Standing still is falling behind

If the industry catches up, value drops without you doing anything.

Sector AI Value Index

Standing still is falling behind

For strategy, key people and governance a fixed yardstick applies. For deployment, efficiency and new revenue, the average moves with the market. Whoever stands still while the industry catches up slips into the negative without having got any worse.

Where your industry average currently sits is set by our Sector AI Value Index, fed by public data from ifo, Bitkom, KfW and ZEW and by our own cases, and recalibrated regularly.

Margin-expandingAI raises what a good operator can earn: the industry ceiling goes up.
Margin-compressingAI turns what used to be an edge into a commodity: only early movers hold their position.
AI capability →−2−10+1+2Industry averageYour company – unchangedScore today: +1 · ahead
Illustrative: your company stays where it is. Only the industry average moves.
The Board Advisors AI Check

Six dimensions, each traced back to what a buyer pays for

The AI Check belongs to the same family as the BASE Check: a repeatable diagnosis that translates a fuzzy topic into a scored position and a roadmap. We split the earnings effect into two parts, because buyers pay differently for savings and new revenue.

01

Strategy & accountability

Is there an AI strategy and someone who is named as accountable for it?

fixed zeroprotects the multiple
02

Deployment & embedding

How extensively is AI used: in core processes or just as an individual tool?

drifting zeroEarnings + multiple
03a

Efficiency

Does AI cut costs measurably and lastingly, or only once?

drifting zeroEarnings
03b

New revenue

Does AI create new customer value that shows up in recurring revenue?

drifting zeroEarnings + multiple
04

Data & moat

Do proprietary data and knowledge create an edge, or does AI make the offering interchangeable?

zero rises steadilyMultiple
05

Key people

Do processes live in systems or in the heads of a few executives?

fixed zeroMultiple
06

Governance & risk

Is AI use lawful, managed and auditable?

fixed zeroacts as a threshold

Weighted, not averaged

The dimensions affect value to different degrees. And a weakness in governance cannot be offset by strengths elsewhere.

−2Substantial burdenActively reduces value; warning sign in due diligence
−1Below averageBehind the industry or with unmanaged risk
0AverageAt industry level
+1AheadVisible contribution to margin or multiple
+2Value driverSolid grounds for a premium on sale

The scale deliberately reaches into the negative: a company's AI position can reduce its value on balance, and an honest instrument has to be able to express that.

Orchestrating company value

AI shifts every dimension: from position to path to goal

01

Position

The BASE Check determines where your company stands among its industry and investors, and the valuation sets the starting value. More on the BASE Check

02

Path

A roadmap in stages: each stage pays off on its own, and with each one company value rises. More on the company valuation

03

Goal

The best future for the company: the next stage of development, financing or the right buyer at the right time.

AI Checkworks across all three: on earnings and multiple, on the security of a transaction and on the question of whether the offering will still be in demand tomorrow.
The AI Check in three variants

As deep as your decision requires

From a first outside view to the impact on your company value.

Outside view

First impression from public sources
  • Analysis of public signals on strategy, deployment and offering
  • Comparison against your industry average
  • Conversation about the results
  • Internal diagnosis of all dimensions
  • Impact on company value
Inquire
With roadmap

Diagnosis

Full AI Check
  • Everything from the outside view
  • Conversations with management and team, process and data analysis
  • Profile across all six dimensions
  • Roadmap: which steps create the most value
  • Impact on company value
Inquire

AI Impact

AI in company value
  • Everything from the diagnosis
  • Placement in the BASE Check and in the company valuation
  • Value bridge: what implementation delivers and what standing still costs
  • Preparation for questions from buyers and investors
Inquire
Frequently asked questions

What business owners want to know about the AI Check

We already use AI, isn't that enough?

Use is not the same as value. What matters is whether AI is built into core processes, whether it improves results lastingly and whether it is managed. A tool for marketing copy is value-neutral to a buyer.

Why does the scale reach into the negative?

Because AI can also destroy value: through unmanaged risks or because your own offering becomes replaceable. A negative score shows where AI is weighing on your company today.

What does "drifting zero" mean?

In fast-moving dimensions the average is not a fixed value but the state of your industry. If the industry catches up, your score falls even if you changed nothing. We recalibrate this yardstick regularly.

Does the AI Check only make sense before a sale?

No. It shows where AI strengthens or attacks your company and is a baseline for strategy and company development. Before a sale or financing, it answers the questions before the buyer asks them.

Is AI counted twice in the valuation?

No. The AI Check provides evidence and scores for the criteria of the BASE Check and for possible discounts. It is not a separate premium on top.

Which documents do you need?

None for the outside view. For the diagnosis, conversations with management and team, insight into processes, financials, data assets and existing policies.

Where does your company stand on AI?

In a non-binding intro call we clarify which variant of the AI Check fits your situation.

Schedule an intro call