Identifying Software Subject Matter Experts with ContributorIQ

Why I Created ContributorIQ

As someone who has a great deal of experience representing buyers in software due diligence M&A, I noticed the buyer can really struggle with figuring out who are the true subject matter experts behind a codebase. All too often, the people listed on a company’s team page don’t necessarily reflect who actually wrote or understands the software’s core components. This disconnect can lead to big surprises during M&A, investments, or even team transitions.

That’s why I built ContributorIQ.

The Problem with Traditional Due Diligence

When navigating the due diligence process, buyers often focus on legal paperwork and infrastructure checklists. But one of the most important assets in software M&A is expertise, and it’s rarely obvious who built what just from looking at org charts or even git commit logs alone.

I’d frequently hear this question from buyers: “Who do we need to retain from the engineering team to maintain and improve this code?”

But the answer was almost always fuzzy, unless you spent hours combing through commit metadata and documentation (assuming it even existed).

The ContributorIQ Solution

ContributorIQ solves this by automatically analyzing a project’s repositories and surfacing the true subject matter experts (SMEs) for each part of the codebase. The tool does this by:

• Deeply analyzing commit histories and pull requests
• Mapping contributors to specific files and features
• Highlighting “single points of failure” and knowledge silos
• Providing simple reports you can share with technical and non-technical stakeholders

This helps buyers, investors, and even internal engineering leaders quickly understand which team members are critical to the IP they’re acquiring or managing.

More Ways ContributorIQ Helps

Building ContributorIQ was also about making tech due diligence more transparent. You can read more about use cases and best practices on the ContributorIQ Blog, including topics like:

• Technical Due Diligence for Software Acquisitions: The Complete Guide for Investors
• Engineering Knowledge Transfer: How to Reduce Key Person Risk and Accelerate Onboarding

The Road Ahead

My goal is to make ContributorIQ the go-to platform for understanding engineering expertise, whether you’re considering an acquisition, managing technical debt, or just want a clearer picture of your team’s knowledge landscape.

If you’re interested in learning more or have questions, feel free to reach out, or explore the ContributorIQ homepage and blog.