July 2020 Final | Page 39

Additionally, www.AmericanSecurityToday.com due diligence may be not impossible, during July 2019 COVID-19. - Edition 46 required by investment partners and failure to perform it can lead The shut-down of many industries to greater liability than just loss of and borders severely limits the ac- investment. cess that is needed to properly as- sess an organization. For example, venture capital (VC) firms often require due diligence Likewise, altered processes give evaluations before providing fundpoor insight into how an organi- ing. zation typically functions, , making it difficult to judge the effectiveness If it’s later found that you lied in of processes and teams. your due diligence reports or that information was hidden you could This creates a host of issues, includ- be sued for fraud. ing those reviewed below. The Challenges of Due Dili Inability to conduct on-site visits gence During • Depending on the type of products COVID-19 being produced and the spread of an organization, numerous site vis- Although some its are often performed. aspects of due dil- • However, with travel restrictions in igence can be per- place, many of these visits are not formed remote- possible. ly, many require • This is particularly true for organi- physical presence. zations with offices or facilities in other countries. This makes performing due dili- Inability to meet in person gence difficult, if • Like site visits, in-person meet 39