How VCs Use GitHub for Technical Due Diligence

Public GitHub data cannot replace a technical deep dive, but it can help investors decide which companies deserve one. GitHub profiles reveal engineering velocity and consistency, team composition, technology choices, and open source strategy. The most effective approach uses GitHub data at every stage: commit velocity change for sourcing, org profiles for initial screening, contributor patterns for pre-meeting research, and ongoing monitoring as a portfolio early-warning system.

Key stats

2-5 min: Per-company screening time (Using public GitHub data)

5: Diligence dimensions (Velocity, team, tech, repos, strategy)

50%+: Contributor growth threshold (Indicates recent fundraise)

References

[1] GitHub REST API - Repository Statistics: GitHub Docs

[2] Technical Due Diligence for VCs: Andreessen Horowitz