8-Stage Claude Skill Set for Private Equity, Inspired by Top Alternative-Asset-Manager Investment Rigour
30 Claude skills covering the full private equity deal cycle. From deal screening and CIM teardown through commercial diligence, LBO structuring, IC memo drafting, value creation, and exit preparation, each skill brings named PE methodology to Claude.
Independent and unaffiliated. The skills, prompts, and frameworks referenced on this page are not created by, endorsed by, or affiliated with any consulting or financial-services firm whose methods may be referenced here. They are built on publicly available frameworks and ways of working, and are inspired by how such approaches are used to tackle complex business problems.
Claude skill set for private equity deal teams
30 standalone Claude skills for private equity deal teams, grouped into the eight stages of a full deal cycle, three or four skills to a stage. Each skill is a small, uploadable workflow that teaches Claude how to run one high-value PE task with a named, repeatable method: QoE analysis, LBO structuring, Porter's Five Forces, DDQ generation, cohort retention testing, debt sizing, IC memo drafting, and more.
The framework is inspired by the investment rigour of the leading global alternative asset managers. The skills encode the analytical standards that top-tier PE firms apply at every stage of the deal process: MECE risk framing, bottom-up market sizing cross-checked against top-down, EBITDA bridges that hold up under QoE scrutiny, and IC memos written to survive partner-level cross-examination.
The set covers the complete deal lifecycle: screen the opportunity, tear apart the CIM, architect the diligence workplan, run commercial analysis, model the returns, draft the IC memo, build the post-close value creation plan, and prepare for exit. Each skill runs independently. Use one or load all 30.
Prefer a different professional context? See the companion the consultant's guide to Claude and 21 consulting-style strategy skills for Claude.
Download all 30 skills
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The 8 stages of the PE deal cycle
The skills run in the order a real deal does, from first screening note through exit process. Each stage carries three or four skills: the lead skill for that phase plus the specialist work it demands. Each stage builds on the outputs of the previous one. Run them end-to-end across a deal, or load only the stages relevant to where you are in the process.
The 8-stage private equity deal cycle
Deal Screening
Triage proprietary pipeline with a structured scoring rubric. Tests sector fit, scale fit, and return profile, then flags hard stops before any diligence resource is deployed.
Use when: An inbound teaser or proactive target needs a rapid go/no-go decision
Output: Screening note with thesis fit, TAM cross-check, quality scorecard, and recommended next action
4 skills in this stage
Deal Screening
deal-screening
Triages inbound and sourced opportunities against a scoring rubric, TAM logic, and sponsor-fit criteria, so pipeline is ranked before resource is committed.
Thesis Development
thesis-development
Turns a vague sector interest into a written thesis with a falsifiable core claim, must-be-true conditions, and kill criteria set before diligence starts.
Market Map and Sourcing
market-map-and-sourcing
Maps the sub-sector target universe by ownership status and EBITDA size band, then shortlists on thesis fit rather than on what happens to be available.
Proprietary Angle Assessment
proprietary-angle-assessment
Grades a claimed proprietary angle real, partial, or none against the evidence, and prices what it actually buys outside a broad auction.
CIM Teardown
Convert a 60-120 page marketing document into a structured analytical brief. Extracts deal thesis, reconstructs the EBITDA bridge, and builds a management assertions tracker as the backbone of the DDQ.
Use when: A CIM has arrived and the deal team needs a structured analytical brief before the first management meeting
Output: Teardown memo with thesis pillars, EBITDA bridge, management assertions tracker, and ordered diligence priority list
3 skills in this stage
CIM Teardown
cim-teardown
Extracts the deal thesis, reconstructs the EBITDA bridge, and logs every management assertion each diligence workstream will have to test.
Management Presentation Review
management-presentation-review
Reads the management presentation for what it omits: moved metric definitions, cohorts quietly dropped, and bridges that do not tie.
Information Gap Log
information-gap-log
Registers every assumption the price rests on but no evidence confirms, each with an owner, a need-by date, and the decision it blocks.
Diligence Architecture
Build the workplan that coordinates all diligence workstreams. Generates a tailored DDQ, a key-man risk checklist, and a live issues log that feeds directly into the IC memo.
Use when: The deal team needs a coordinated workplan across financial, commercial, legal, and technical workstreams
Output: Workplan with workstream owners and deliverables, DDQ by workstream, management risk checklist, and risk-ranked issues log
4 skills in this stage
Diligence Architecture
diligence-architecture
Builds the workplan with workstream owners, DDQ templates, a key-man risk checklist, and a risk-ranked issues log that feeds the IC memo.
Diligence Workstream Plan
diligence-workstream-plan
Sequences the commercial, financial, operational, legal, tax, and IT workstreams by dependency against the exclusivity clock.
Third-Party Advisor Brief
third-party-advisor-brief
Scopes an external provider: the questions to answer, the deliverable format, the materiality threshold, and the explicit exclusions.
Red Flag Register
red-flag-register
Grades every diligence finding by severity and classifies it priceable, fixable, or walk-away, with a named owner and a resolution status.
Commercial Analysis
Stress-test the growth thesis with rigorous market analysis. Applies top-down and bottom-up TAM sizing, Porter's Five Forces, customer concentration analysis, and growth driver decomposition.
Use when: The investment thesis depends on market growth, competitive positioning, or expansion into adjacent markets
Output: Commercial memo with TAM/SAM/SOM sizing, Porter's Five Forces conclusion, customer concentration analysis, and ranked commercial risks
4 skills in this stage
Commercial Analysis
commercial-analysis
Sizes TAM/SAM/SOM top-down and bottom-up, applies Porter's Five Forces, and tests customer concentration against the stated growth thesis.
Customer Cohort Analysis
customer-cohort-analysis
Rebuilds vintage-level NRR and gross retention from raw billings, to test whether blended churn is masking a deteriorating recent cohort.
Pricing Power Assessment
pricing-power-assessment
Builds the price/volume/mix bridge and pocket-price waterfall, and checks escalators and the last increase attempted before price-led EBITDA is underwritten.
Competitive Moat Review
competitive-moat-review
Tests the business against the named power structures, from scale economies to counter-positioning, to establish which moat it actually has.
Financial Scenario Modelling
Structure the LBO returns analysis with transparent scenario logic. Defines bear, base, and bull operating assumptions, computes MOIC and IRR, and stress-tests covenant headroom in the downside.
Use when: The deal team needs bear/base/bull returns analysis and a defensible bid ceiling before an indicative or final bid
Output: Sources and uses, operating assumptions by scenario, LBO returns (MOIC/IRR), sensitivity analysis, and covenant headroom assessment
4 skills in this stage
Financial Scenario Modelling
financial-scenario-modelling
Sets bear, base, and bull operating assumptions, computes MOIC and IRR, and stress-tests covenant headroom in the downside case.
LBO Structuring
lbo-structuring
Builds the sponsor base case: sources and uses that tie, leverage in turns, the cash sweep, a flat-multiple exit, and a value-creation bridge.
Debt Package Sizing
debt-package-sizing
Sizes the debt a lender will actually fund, in turns of the EBITDA credit will accept, with coverage tested at close and through a downturn.
Returns Sensitivity
returns-sensitivity
Isolates the two or three variables the return genuinely depends on, and states the entry price at which the base case stops clearing the hurdle.
IC Memo Drafting
Draft an IC memo that survives cross-examination. Structures the full committee document in institutional investment prose: deal thesis, diligence findings, risk matrix, returns, and a direct recommendation.
Use when: Diligence is substantially complete and the deal team needs to write the investment committee recommendation
Output: Full IC memo with executive summary, diligence findings by workstream, risk matrix, returns analysis, and recommendation
3 skills in this stage
IC Memo Drafting
ic-memo-drafting
Writes the committee document end to end: deal thesis, business quality, diligence findings, risk matrix, returns, and a direct recommendation.
Investment Committee Q&A
investment-committee-qa
Ranks the questions the committee will ask, answers each in writing, and drafts a conditions slate for the objections better met with a condition.
Risk and Mitigant Register
risk-and-mitigant-register
Pairs every material risk with a named mitigant, an owner, and a residual assessment, separating what is priced into the bid from what is simply accepted.
Portfolio Value Creation
Build the post-close operating framework. Structures the 100-day plan, decomposes the EBITDA bridge lever by lever, designs value creation workstreams with owners and KPIs, and builds the board monitoring dashboard.
Use when: The deal has closed and the deal team needs a 100-day plan, EBITDA bridge, and KPI dashboard to present to the board
Output: 100-day plan by category, EBITDA bridge with lever-by-lever contribution, value creation workstreams with owners and milestones, KPI dashboard structure
4 skills in this stage
Portfolio Value Creation
portfolio-value-creation
Structures the 100-day plan, decomposes the EBITDA bridge lever by lever, and designs value creation workstreams with owners and a KPI dashboard.
Hundred-Day Plan
hundred-day-plan
Budgets the first hundred days against management bandwidth, installs the reporting cadence in week one, and carries an explicit cut list.
Operating KPI Cadence
operating-kpi-cadence
Installs the monthly operating review: a short measure set defined precisely enough to be uncontestable, each with an escalation rule that fires automatically.
Add-On Acquisition Pipeline
add-on-acquisition-pipeline
Governs the buy-and-build programme: consolidation thesis, target criteria, multiple arbitrage arithmetic, integration capacity, and a stop rule.
Exit Preparation
Prepare for a premium exit. Identifies VDD gaps before the buyer does, maps the strategic and financial buyer universe, refines the equity story, and structures the management presentation and sale process timeline.
Use when: The fund is 12-18 months from a planned exit and needs to assess readiness and maximise sale value
Output: VDD readiness assessment, buyer universe map, equity story framework, management presentation structure, and process timeline
4 skills in this stage
Exit Preparation
exit-preparation
Assesses VDD readiness, maps the strategic and financial buyer universe, refines the equity story, and sets the management presentation and process timeline.
Exit Options Review
exit-options-review
Compares trade sale, sponsor-to-sponsor, IPO, continuation vehicle, and continued hold on achievable value, certainty, timing, and readiness cost.
Vendor Due Diligence
vendor-due-diligence
Commissions and controls sell-side diligence: scope, provider selection, reliance architecture, and the handling of adverse findings.
Buyer Narrative and Positioning
buyer-narrative-and-positioning
Builds the equity story the next owner will underwrite: a de-risking ledger, the runway deliberately left unexploited, and every claim graded by proof type.
Stages 1-3 cover opportunity identification and diligence planning. Stages 4-6 cover the analytical and documentation work that leads to an IC decision. Stages 7-8 cover the post-close period from 100-day plan through exit.
Setup Guide
- Step 1Download from GitHub
Download the pack and open Settings
Download the pack and unzip it so each skill remains in its own folder with its SKILL.md file. In Claude, open your profile menu and select Settings.
Open the screenshot to view it full size. - Step 2
Open Skills and start an upload
In Settings, select Skills under Customize. Open Add and choose Upload a skill.
Open the screenshot to view it full size. - Step 3
Upload one skill file
Open one extracted skill folder and drag its SKILL.md file into the upload window, or click the upload area to choose it. Repeat this step for any other skills you want to add.
Open the screenshot to view it full size. - Step 4
Confirm the skill was added
Return to the Skills list and check that the skill appears. Select its name to open it.
Open the screenshot to view it full size. - Step 5
Review and turn on the skill
Review the skill's name, description, and instructions, then make sure the switch beside Share is on. A blue switch means the skill is turned on; sharing it is optional.
Open the screenshot to view it full size.
Try a skill
Tell Claude which skill to use and provide the relevant files or context. Review every output before sharing it.
- "Use the deal-screening skill to evaluate this inbound teaser: [paste teaser]."
- "Run the cim-teardown skill on this executive summary and identify the top 10 diligence priorities."
- "Use the financial-scenario-modelling skill with a 12x entry, $15M QoE EBITDA, and 5x leverage. Show bear/base/bull returns."
- "Run the ic-memo-drafting skill. Here are the QoE findings and commercial diligence conclusions: [paste]."
How to choose a skill
All 30 skills map to a specific deal phase need. Find the row that matches your situation and load that skill. For a broader view of using Claude for professional financial work, see our Claude skills for investment banking.
The quality bar
Every skill is designed to push Claude toward outputs that would pass scrutiny at an investment committee, not just produce a plausible-sounding analysis. The standard applied is the one a VP or principal would apply before sharing a memo with a partner.