An Introduction to Asset Tracing

North Point's Thesis on Corporate Investigations

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 17:28:00 GMT

The Insider-Threat Moment

Occupational fraud—asset misappropriation, corruption, and financial-statement fraud—is on the rise, and rising at a dangerous moment. Distributed work has thinned the controls that once caught it. The AI tools meant to break down silos and speed up work also hand employees far more access than they need. The dark web and social media let outsiders recruit, phish, and co-opt staff, and let insiders quietly sell stolen IP and credentials. Cryptocurrency makes the proceeds easy to move and hard to trace. And insider crime tends to climb in hard times: workers squeezed by debt and rising costs, and emboldened by a mood of anti-corporate grievance, are quicker to rationalize taking from an employer they have come to resent.

All of this points to one conclusion: we are very likely entering a period of more severe occupational fraud and insider threat, not less. There are certainly controls and predictive measures that should be put in place, but they're only as good as the imagination and bandwidth of the people maintaining them. General Counsel, HR, or whoever is nominally responsible will find themselves overwhelmed with potential incidents—especially in situations of asymmetric risk, where an investor bears exposure without full visibility or control.

Investigations That Recover Shareholder Value

A company's value takes four forms: its reputation, its capital, its assets, and its ideas. Each has an obvious guardian. Communications watches reputation, finance watches capital, security and operations watch assets, legal and IT watch IP. While each guardian is trained to see the harm that lands in their column the trouble is that harm rarely lands in one column. Almost every real issue moves across two or three values at once, and for a GP, an LP, or an operating executive, all of them settle into the same number: the multiple you exit at.

Inventory shrinkage looks like an assets problem until the falsified records that hid it make it a books-and-records problem too.
A padded expense report looks like a rounding error until you notice the same executive approves their own reimbursements — now you have a people and compliance problem.
A top salesperson leaving with their client list looks like an ideas problem until the accounts follow them out the door and it becomes lost recurring revenue, the exact line a buyer underwrites.
An executive's quiet stake in a vendor looks like an ethics question until you price the inflated invoices and it becomes a related-party transaction that stalls the deal.

In each case the presenting issue is the tip of something larger, and the rest of it — the control that failed, the revenue that walks, the liability that must be disclosed — doesn't go away because no one looked. It surfaces in diligence instead, on someone else's terms. The point of investigating from every facet is to find the second- and third-order effects before the people underwriting the company do.

What an Investigation Is, and How it Works

What is a corporate investigation, and how does one actually work? At its simplest, an investigation is the disciplined effort to establish what happened, why it happened, and — above all — what it means for the business, turning a scattered set of signals into a picture clear enough to act on. It rarely begins with a tidy assignment. More often it starts the moment someone notices something is wrong and doesn't yet know how big it is.

What Triggers an Investigation

An investigation is set in motion by a change in the company's own circumstances, by an acute incident, or often by both at once. Some come from outside the business — a shift in who owns or runs it or an auditor’s question:

A leadership or ownership transition — a new CEO, board, investor, or insurer who wants a prior chapter properly closed before they take on the risk.
An acquisition or diligence process that surfaces an unresolved issue which, absent explanation and context, could move the deal, the price, or the terms.
A regulator or law-enforcement inquiry that touches on something the company handled internally and now has to demonstrate to an outside party.
An auditor's question — an internal or external audit surfaces a transaction, estimate, or control that doesn't reconcile, and the finding has to be run to ground before the books can be signed off.

Others come from within — a specific signal that something may be wrong right now:

A padded expense report that could be simple carelessness or the visible edge of a scheme, depending on who approved it and what they were saying while they did.
A procurement kickback that surfaces as nothing more than an odd vendor in the ledger, with the conflict that explains it scattered across email, entity records, and the org chart.
Suspected IP theft by an employee whose access was authorized, where the download logs look clean and the only real question is purpose.
A handoff of responsibility — a departing employee's accounts pass to a successor, who discovers a problem was ongoing all along.
The grey-area case, the most siloed of all — an employee whose conduct shifts in ways no one can quite name: talking differently, performing differently, maybe a substance question, maybe something else. Not enough to launch a full investigation, too much to ignore. The signals are real but scattered — after-hours badge swipes with security, slipping reviews with HR, a tone shift in comms — and only when laid against each other does the pattern resolve into something you can act on or rule out.

How to Run an Investigation

Investigations tend to fall into three broad buckets, though a single matter often reveals overlap among them:

Theft — removing value from the company: embezzlement, expense-reimbursement fraud, theft of physical assets, IP and trade-secret theft, diversion, and the like.
Malfeasance — violating corporate policy or legal obligations: conflicts of interest and undisclosed outside interests, bribery and corruption, misuse of material non-public information, regulatory and compliance violations, and falsification of records, credentials, or data.
Reputational or erratic conduct — the grey area: off-duty conduct and public statements, fitness-for-duty questions around erratic workplace behavior and substance issues, and problematic associations or affiliations.

Any of the three may call for a workflow drawing on the sources and methods below. The art is in knowing which will matter — you will never have the time or budget to examine every data point — and how to collect and analyze them efficiently.

Computer data (the subject's devices and accounts) — usually the richest source, and most of it can be pulled from corporate accounts and managed devices without tipping the subject off. Coordinate with IT and security on preservation before any collection. Email, chat (Slack/Teams), call records, calendar, browser history, AI tool usage and prompts, device and cloud file storage, and removable media.
Financial records (from the company) — where most theft, kickback, and expense schemes are both committed and proven. Vendor lists, payment records, expenses, and subscriptions.HR records (from the company) — context and motive. Performance pressure, recent discipline, or a quiet record change often lines up with the timeline. Disciplinary history, performance issues, and record changes (new address, marital status, direct deposit, beneficiaries).
Security and facilities data (from the company) — physical-world corroboration for the digital timeline. Badge and access logs, CCTV footage, and inventory logs.
Interviews — usually last, once the documentary record is built. Sequence fact witnesses before the subject, and coordinate with counsel and HR on scope and any required warnings.
Public records and OSINT — external signal the company can't see from the inside. Living beyond one's means, or visible financial distress, is the single most common outside indicator of internal fraud. Entity formation, litigation and criminal records, social media, and assets and liabilities all help explain the individual and add facts about vendors or counterparties: to whom a payment is going, and why.

Running through all of this are a few cross-cutting disciplines. Every source feed one timeline, because sequence is usually what turns isolated facts into a pattern. Anomalies only mean something against a baseline, so the work begins by establishing what normal looks like before chasing what departs from it. And because any matter can end in a termination, a regulatory referral, or litigation, the investigation is built and documented from the first day to withstand that scrutiny — all of it within the privacy rules and local jurisdictional limits that govern what can be collected, from whom, and how.

What We've Built Here at North Point

Corporate investigations is not one profession but a dozen, each examining the same problem from different perspectives. White-collar defense lawyers see fraud and government exposure. Labor and employment specialists see harassment, discrimination, and wage claims. Compliance and ethics teams see control that should have caught it. Forensic accountants see the ledger; cybersecurity analysts see the network; the emerging insider-threat discipline sees the human being at the intersection of all of them. Each is excellent within its lane. But harm does not stay in a lane, and a firm that investigates through a single lens will likely mistake the part it can see for the whole.

North Point is built for the space between those disciplines. An ethics complaint about an executive's expenses becomes a securities-disclosure question the moment the numbers are material. A terminated engineer is at once an intellectual-property matter, a cyber matter, and an employment one. The discipline that first notices a problem is rarely the one that can explain it — not because any of them lack skill, but because no single vantage point was ever going to see the whole shape of the harm. North Point's thesis is that anything which deprives a company of value — its reputation, its capital, its assets, or its ideas — must be investigated from every facet at once, because the purpose of an investigation is not to confirm the problem you were handed but to find the one you weren't.

Insider incidents need to be addressed the moment they happen, at scale, without the cost of a big law firm (until an investigation determines they are needed) or the burden of an overstretched in-house team. That is what we built: a multidisciplinary quick-reaction force that moves in early, works every facet of the problem at once, and delivers findings clear enough, and defensible enough, to act on.

About the Author

Naphtali Rivkin is a Managing Director and Head of Investigations at North Point Associates. Over a career spanning the public and private sectors, he has built a reputation for tracing assets, investigating people, and uncovering intelligence across the globe.

Naphtali brings a distinct educational and professional background to North Point beginning his career as a United States Army Intelligence officer and US Government intelligence analyst before transition to the private sector with the following degrees:

BA in Russian Area Studies and English from Washington and Lee University

M.Phil. in International Relations from the University of Cambridge (Clare College)

Fulbright Scholar in Latvia

Naphtali holds the Professional Certified Investigator (PCI) designation from ASIS International, is a licensed private investigator, and was a 2024 Consulting Magazine Rising Star for Excellence in Client Services.

An Introduction to Asset Tracing

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 19:19:09 GMT

North Point's Thesis on Asset Tracing and Recovery

It's not just for judgment enforcement.

By most estimates, a majority of civil money judgments go uncollected. For most litigators, that number explains why asset tracing exists: a judgment is only as good as what you can find and reach, and by the time it is entered, assets have often moved, been retitled, or been spent. So tracing gets deployed at the end to rescue a recovery from a win that has already gone cold.

That instinct is right but incomplete. Tracing is most valuable not when judgment is entered, but long before — while you are still deciding whether to sue, whom to name, and where. The same discipline that locates a debtor's assets after judgment can, applied earlier, tell you whether the case is worth bringing at all, shape the remedies you seek, and preserve the value you will ultimately collect against.

That is North Point's thesis: asset tracing should be done early, often, and through multiple channels to help ensure recoverability.

Early , because the most consequential decisions in a dispute are made before an adversary has any reason to hide. Often , because value moves throughout a case, not only at its close. And through multiple channels , because no single instrument — least of all the subpoena — reveals the whole picture.

Part 1: The Attorney-Investigator Loop in Asset Tracing

Strip away the tradecraft and asset tracing answers four questions:

What does this person or entity really own?
Who actually controls it?
Where and how is value moving?
And what, of all of it, can we practically reach?

Each question exists because the same gap runs through every dispute over money. What is recorded, sworn, or claimed rarely matches what is true, sometimes because ownership is genuinely complex, sometimes because someone has worked hard to make it look that way. Tracing is the work of closing that gap.

An attorney has two levers for closing it. The first is the court lever, compelling information through subpoenas, discovery, and sworn testimony. The second is the investigation lever, engaging a professional investigator to develop answers independently. Each lever is strong exactly where the other is weak. The court lever compels. It can force an answer no one would volunteer. But it is loud, slow, and only as reliable as the honesty of the person answering. The investigation lever needs no cooperation and makes no noise, but on its own it often cannot reach the last confirming document sitting behind a bank's wall. The best attorneys sequence the two so that each covers the other's blind spot. The external lever supplies the knowledge that makes compulsion precise and hard to evade. The court lever supplies the compulsion that turns an external lead into admissible fact.

Consider what happens without that sequencing. An attorney relying on court process alone tends to work by “spray and pray.” Discovery goes out seeking any account or asset it can name, followed by broad subpoenas to every third party that might hold something. The responding party produces the records of minor significance and stalls on the ones that matter, citing burden, relevance, or a tax return the accountant has not finished. Every request telegraphs the attorney's theory of where the money is, which is exactly the signal a sophisticated adversary uses to move it further out of reach. The process is slow, imprecise, and frequently the subject of its own satellite litigation. It tends to end when a client's budget or a judge's patience runs out, not when the assets have actually been found.

Sequenced well, the loop runs through the entire life of a dispute. An attorney has repeated occasions to identify, test, and restrain assets, from the provisional remedies available at the outset of a case, through discovery and depositions, to the enforcement tools that follow judgment. At each of those points the investigator narrows the target and the court's power fixes it in place. The sections that follow map those occasions in order, before a dispute, during it, and at its resolution.

Part 2: Asset Tracing During the Dispute Lifecycle

The four questions that anchored the attorney-investigator loop—ownership, control, movement of value, and practical reachability—are the throughline for every asset tracing inquiry. Those four questions apply across the three phases of a dispute: before it begins, during it, and as it moves toward resolution. Each phase carries its own toolkit, from temporary restraining orders and prejudgment attachments to preliminary injunctions and lis pendens. Laid against one another, the questions and the phases form a campaign map. From the first day of a matter, an attorney can chart what must be learned about a party's assets, when each answer will matter, and how it will be put to use, rather than reacting to each opportunity as it happens to arrive.

Before the Dispute

Most attorneys enter a dispute asking whether they have a claim. Investigators ask whether the claim is worth having. Some pre-dispute questions that asset tracing can help answer:

Whether to sue at all — pre-suit collectability; the go/no-go decision; avoiding an expensive win against an empty shell. A plaintiff who spends two years and seven figures winning a $10 million judgment against a defendant whose only real asset was quietly mortgaged to a related party the year before has bought nothing but an unenforceable piece of paper.
Whom to sue — defendant selection as an asset question: alter egos, guarantors, beneficial owners, co-conspirators, successor-liability targets. Naming only the operating company that signed the contract, while its solvent parent and the individual who siphoned its cash go unnamed, can leave a plaintiff litigating against the one entity in the structure deliberately left with nothing.
Where to sue — jurisdiction and venue driven by where assets sit; using asset presence to establish or improve forum. Filing where the defendant is nominally headquartered rather than where its collectible assets actually sit can force a second enforcement fight in a foreign jurisdiction that a well-placed original filing would have avoided entirely.
What it's worth / where they're vulnerable — claim valuation, litigation-finance underwriting, and the leverage map. The question is not merely can they pay (capacity) but where are they exposed (vulnerability). A defendant with ample capacity to pay may still settle early and generously once he learns the plaintiff has traced the undisclosed offshore account he assumed no one would ever find, because vulnerability, not capacity, is what moves a case.

During the Dispute

Once a dispute is underway, asset tracing does four things at once. It surfaces assets you did not know about, builds the factual groundwork for enforcement and settlement demands, sharpens discovery and depositions, and guards against the quiet dissipation of assets you have already found. The work in this phase tends to fall into four categories:

Preserving the asset — Court remedies are only as good as the target you can identify and describe with specificity, because in the narrow cases where a court can restrain assets pre-judgment, it will not freeze what you cannot name. A motion to freeze "the defendant's bank accounts" will fail where a motion identifying the specific institution, account, and threatened transfer succeeds, and the difference between the two is investigation.
Detecting dissipation in real time — voidable transaction and asset-dissipation analysis: transfers to a spouse, intercompany loans, interests that suddenly appear or shift, valuations that move the wrong way. Treated as an early-warning system rather than a post-mortem, it catches the movement while a court can still undo it. Catching a residence quietly retitled into a spouse's name in the weeks after a complaint is filed turns a routine transfer into the centerpiece of a fraudulent-conveyance claim, but only if someone is watching the records in real time.
Discovery and truth-testing — targeting discovery so it lands, testing sworn financial disclosures against reality through lifestyle analysis, and, where the disclosures prove false, supplying the factual predicate for contempt or coercive-sanctions motion. The independent picture is what lets you tell the difference between a candid disclosure and a rehearsed one. A defendant who swears to a modest income while maintaining a waterfront home, a boat, and private-school tuition has handed you both a credibility problem and, potentially, the basis for a contempt motion once the lifestyle is documented against the sworn statement.
Post-award, pre-confirmation — the dangerous gap in which a party knows the number but enforcement has not yet bitten, and has every incentive to move assets before it does. An arbitral award is not self-enforcing: the prevailing party must first have it confirmed into a judgment before any attachment or garnishment becomes available, and that interval is the vulnerability. Consider a losing respondent that, the day the award issues, begins wiring funds from its operating account through a chain of holding companies in opaque jurisdictions; by the time the claimant files to confirm, the money has cleared three borders and the account is empty, leaving an award that is intact on paper and worthless in practice. Monitoring the debtor's accounts through the confirmation window can surface that first transfer while there is still time to seek provisional relief in aid of enforcement.

Toward Resolution

A dispute ends in one of a few ways — a settlement, a judgment, or the debtor's insolvency — and asset tracing shapes what the client actually captures in each. Here the work turns from proving the case to securing what the case is worth.

Settlement leverage — the party that knows the other side's true balance sheet negotiates from knowledge rather than hope, and often learns the adversary will pay more than his disclosures suggest he can. A corporate defendant that has written its receivables down to nothing on paper will resist a serious number until the plaintiff shows it has traced those receivables to a sister entity that is still quietly collecting on them.
Settlement-security diligence — a settlement is only as good as the party's ability to fund it, and a structured deal only as good as the collateral behind it and the monitoring that follows. Accepting a five-year payment plan secured by a supposedly debt-free warehouse is a mistake worth catching before signing rather than after the third missed payment reveals two senior liens recorded the week before closing.
Enforcement — converting a judgment into money, at home and abroad, and reaching wealth that never sits in an ordinary bank account. A judgment debtor who appears to own nothing may hold millions in art and collectibles, unpaid receivables, licensing royalties, or digital assets that a conventional bank-and-real-estate search never surfaces.
The insolvency track — when the debtor files or is forced into bankruptcy, tracing supports creditor claims, receiverships, and the avoidance actions that pull value back into the estate. A trustee armed with a documented trail of the transfers a debtor made to insiders in the year before filing can recover those payments through avoidance actions that would be impossible to plead without the underlying trace.

Conclusion: Every Structure has a Beneficiary

SPVs, offshore trusts, private foundations, nominee directors and shareholders, layered holding companies, and family limited partnerships are often used to put distance between a person and what that person owns. North Point's working philosophy is that the person is the common denominator of every corporate structure. Every structure has a beneficiary, and beneficiaries are human. A holding company has no appetite. A trust does not want a larger house, a faster boat, or tuition paid in the fall. Behind every vehicle is a person who has things and wants things, and who leaves a trail precisely because he lives a life the structure cannot live for him.

That is why chasing the person is often faster than chasing the paper. The beneficiary is findable and knowable, tied to a lifestyle and a web of relationships that no amount of structuring fully conceals. The assets are scattered across jurisdictions and entities designed to keep you chasing. Start with the person, because it is the surest way to reach what the person owns. Looking at a case holistically — who are the people, what do they owe, which lever to pull and when — is what turns a favorable judgment into an actual recovery.

About the Author

Naphtali Rivkin is a Managing Director and Head of Investigations at North Point Associates. Over a career spanning the public and private sectors, he has built a reputation for tracing assets, locating people, and uncovering intelligence across the globe.

BA in Russian Area Studies and English from Washington and Lee University
M.Phil. in International Relations from the University of Cambridge (Clare College)
Fulbright Scholar in Latvia

Building an Investigation Practice at North Point

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 19:10:32 GMT

North Point welcomed Naphtali Rivkin back to our team in May of this year as a Managing Director and Head of Investigations. As we build out our investigations practice, we will be writing short pieces to help both new and longtime clients understand what this means. For this post, we asked Napthali a few quick questions on what an investigation actually is, what makes our approach different, and why he is doing this work.

What is an investigation?

We find facts in a logical, methodical, and lawful way, and we use them to help clients make decisions grounded in evidence rather than instinct.

In practice, that might mean helping a CEO confirm or deny suspected fraud inside their company, helping an attorney trace asset to enforce a judgment, or working with a board to do everything it can in response to a whistleblower allegation. To get there, we draw on internal company data — emails, Slack, financial statements, CCTV footage — and external data like court records, corporate filings, and social media. The point is always the same: give the client the clearest possible picture of what is happening so they can make the best possible decision.

What makes North Point Different?

Everything about how North Point is built points in one direction: ruthless alignment with the client through accuracy and efficiency. It’s even deeper than culture—it’s structural, and it shows up in three concrete ways.

First, we work on a flat fee. Clients don't want a runaway bill that grows every time we open a file; they want a clear answer as soon as there's smoke. A flat fee means our incentive is to get them that answer, not to keep the meter running.

Second, we treat our forensic tools as a cost center, not a revenue center. When we hold and process your data during a case, we don't mark it up. The infrastructure is something we absorb so we can do the work.

Third, we use new technology to make the slow parts faster: document review, CCTV review, report writing, and fact-finding. That speeds

up the work without growing the overhead we'd otherwise have to pass along to you.

We have the same goal in every case: the fastest accurate answer possible.

What drew me to investigations?

I started my career in the Army and U.S. government intelligence, where I learned to find people, assets, and information under real time pressure. When I moved into the private sector, I specialized in pre-M&A and pre-transaction due diligence — work North Point excels at to this day.

But I missed the reactivity. I missed the dynamic, high-stakes nature of an investigation where the trigger is an allegation or missing funds and the consequences can be criminal. So I spent years on reactive investigations, the kind that begin the moment something has already gone wrong.

North Point is where those two threads come together. Here we do both — proactive diligence before a deal and reactive investigation after a trigger — for a range of clients, on timelines that can be a single sprint or a long campaign. After years of doing one or the other, it feels like coming full circle.

Investigations don't have to be enormous or expensive.

There's a persistent misconception that an investigation is always a massive, costly undertaking, and therefore only worthwhile when there's a government inquest or a catastrophic loss. The consequence of that thinking is that smaller or seemingly lower-risk issues go un-investigated, because the company doesn't have the budget or the appetite to deal with them.

Some of those issues resolve quietly through employee relations. But some metastasize into something far worse. I'm on a mission to get clients to call earlier. Let me help you figure out whether you even have a problem, instead of guessing on your own and only calling once you're sure you do. The earlier the call, the smaller and cheaper the answer tends to be.

To discuss a potential investigation or learn more about process, you can reach Naphtali directly at Naphtali.Rivkin@northpointassoc.com.

About the Author

Naphtali Rivkin is a Managing Director and Head of Investigations at North Point Associates. With more than a decade of experience across the public and private sectors, Naphtali investigates fraud, theft, whistleblower allegations, insider threats, executive misconduct, and workplace violence on behalf of investors, corporations, and their counsel.

BA in Russian Area Studies and English from Washington and Lee University
M.Phil. in International Relations from the University of Cambridge (Clare College)
Fulbright Scholar in Latvia

Naphtali holds the Professional Certified Investigator (PCI) designation from ASIS International, and was a 2024 Consulting Magazine Rising Star for Excellence in Client Services.

An Interview with Author Scott Ferson on Voter Research and Political Due Diligence

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 13:36:29 GMT

"When Would You Talk to Voters?"

Scott Ferson is a former press secretary and Massachusetts Issues Director to the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy. He currently serves as the President and CEO of Liberty Square Group , a strategic communications and public affairs firm he founded in 1999, and runs T he Blue Lab , a political incubator he founded in 2013 that trains young people in campaign strategy. He also teaches as an adjunct professor of political science at Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts.

In April, Ferson released his book “ How the Democrats Lost America: Making Sense of the 2024 Election and the Future of American Politics .” Based on thousands of interviews across the country over the last eight years, the book analyzes the outcome of the 2024 election, how it reflected a growing disconnect between political leaders and everyday voters, and how the party can find the way forward.

Ferson has been on the road for the last eight years. In his career as a Democratic strategist, public affairs expert, and as a professor, he has spent a lot of time talking to people. But, with a feeling of a growing disconnect between the people and their representatives raises a question that has long lingered within the world of political campaigns and elected officials: “ when would you talk to voters ?”

Ferson has always thought that people in the Northeast were more curious than others, often asking strangers about what they do, where they grew up, about their families. Instead, as he explored small towns in over 30 states over the last few years, he found that Northeasterners are just nosy, and that everyone else respectfully doesn’t like to pry into a stranger’s personal life. This doesn’t mean, however, that they don’t want to talk.

What is now his published work, the research started off as a project to go outside of the Massachusetts bubble and find out what issues voters are focused on throughout the rest of the country. Was it the economy? Was it affordability? What about gas prices? One thousand discussions later, Ferson learned that these political talking points are not at all the way the average voter speaks or thinks about their everyday life.

The American Public

Ferson has found in his conversations that people vote for change. They don’t find themselves in an “affordability” crisis, a word that those in Washington DC like to throw around, but rather they find that things cost too much, and they can’t afford those things. Sure, pollsters ask voters what issues are important to them. But, if you ask specific or leading questions, you will receive specific or confined answers.

When Ferson went on his “speaking tours” which started for his own curiosities, then eventually for a book, he did not start conversations with people by immediately jumping into politics, but rather asked people about themselves. In talking about their daily lives, you better understand a person’s role in society, what is important to them, and more specifically, what change is important to them. He recalled attending the Iowa Caucus in early 2016, sitting with Republican voters, someone got up and spoke in favor of everyone Republican candidate except: Donald Trump. However, when the votes were tallied, all were for Trump. At that time, people chose not to be outwardly supportive of the brash candidate, but voted for him because they knew he would bring change.

Voting Ages 18-24

Ferson has also been a professor at a small private Catholic college in Massachusetts for over a decade. In his class, he runs a mock election. The class splits to run two candidates, culminating to an election at the end of the semester. The campaigns must develop strategy and convince people on campus and outside of it to vote for their candidate on election day. Through all the years of running this election, Ferson has noticed changes within the students. When he first started teaching, the men in the class were the ones who self-selected to be the candidates. Women typically only ended up as the candidates when Ferson would tell the campaigns he would provide them with extra votes if they were to select a woman. Nowadays, the women are self-selecting.

He also noticed dramatic changes in how students consume information. As someone who likes to slip Massachusetts and other American history into casual conversation, let alone into lectures when he’s teaching, he’s noticed a rise in students immediately looking up whoever he mentions. While that could simply be indicative of the age gap between professor and student, it does speak to the broader shift in voting habits and political leanings of that age group due to the ways in which they consume media and news. Before, Ferson says, 18-24 years olds often voted the same. In the last election, women voted 60-40 for Kamala Harris while for men in that age range, it was 60-40 for Donald Trump. Republicans are speaking to men in ways that Democrats haven’t quite figured out. He points to the growing influence of podcasts, online creators, and other nontraditional media platforms, which have become increasingly important sources of information and engagement for younger audiences.

Reporters always call

Ferson has used North Point’s services for political campaigns. A lot of political research North Point provides could be dubbed “self-opposition” research through which we are looking into the political candidate that has hired us. When discussing the importance of due diligence research, Ferson states, " I don't want to get a phone call from a reporter I don't know the answer to."

Often, when someone has to tell their personal story over and over again as political candidates do, you can come to believe certain aspects of your own story as true, even if the reality of the facts say otherwise.

Ferson recalls one such instance representing a Vietnam Veteran, who in his story stated he was at the Battle of Khe Sanh. One day, a reporter called Ferson asking how the veteran could have been at the Battle of Khe Sanh, when at the time, he was only 12 years old. It wasn’t until sitting down with the veteran going line by line through his military history did Ferson realize that the veteran conflated other marines’ experiences with his own. Ultimately, people can become their own unreliable narrators without ill intentions. And, sometimes people lie willingly.

For Ferson, determining fact from fiction prior to the reporter call is critical, North Point's work is integral to both Ferson's team and for all of our clients; often arriving after a similar incident of trusting and not verifying information heard. Our research uncovers critical facts, verifies representations and ensures that narratives are grounded in reality before high-stakes decisions are made.

How the Democrats Lost America by Scott Ferson

Prior to interviewing Ferson, we read his book both out of curiosity about his findings and, of course, preparation. What we appreciated the most from reading his book is the effort to go out and talk to people and not rely on pundits, polls and theories. This is not a recrimination piece aimed at voters but rather an interesting snapshot of nearly 1,000 stories from fellow Americans discussing their hopes and challenges. Most are working- and middle-class voters with no fixed party loyalty, who, a generation ago, would likely have been Democrats by tradition, community or union ties. They simply want the American dream they were promised in their youth.

How the Democrats Lost America reads more as an immersive political ethnography than another strategic post-mortem. With that, it's light on suggestions for a concrete path forward for the Democratic party. Instead, the book's strength lies in its portrayal of day-to-day conversations, which provide insight on the emotional and cultural gap between party and working-class voters. If you're looking for a granular electoral analysis, it may feel thin.

If you're interested in seeing Scott on book tour, you can learn more at ScottFerson.com/booktour

About the Author

Sophie Renzi joined North Point Associates in January of 2023 is currently a Senior Research Analyst. Since joining our team, Sophie has been a fantastic contribution to our team in innumerable ways both in the office, representing North Point at conferences and out on the golf course with clients. Sophie is a member of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) Boston. She was selected to participate in the 2025 ACG Accelerator Program, an exclusive leadership development program focused on advancing the knowledge and networks of the next generation of M&A leaders. Always a delight to work with, Sophie is curious, rigorous, and enthusiastic in her approach to research, work, and life.

Sophie earned her Bachelor of Arts in Intelligence Studies with a Minor in Political Science and Psychology from Mercyhurst University.

Also, a special thanks to Cate Ferson for her contributions to this post as well as arranging the interview with Scott. Cate joined our team in August 2020 and recently moved on to pursue a new adventure. We wish Cate all the best and miss her contributions to our team.

North Point Associates announces addition to its leadership team: Naphtali Rivkin

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 19:48:05 GMT

Media Release: May 30, 2026

Ipswich, MA—North Point Associates today announced the hiring of Naphtali Rivkin to the company’s leadership team.

Mr. Rivkin will serve as Managing Director and Head of Investigations at North Point Associates. With more than a decade of experience across the public and private sectors, Mr. Rivkin will investigate fraud, theft, whistleblower allegations, insider threats, executive misconduct, and workplace violence on behalf of investors, corporations, and their counsel.

Mr. Rivkin is an accomplished investigator. His casework spans multimillion-dollar asset misappropriation, sanctions evasion schemes, illicit kickbacks, and reputational matters that shape corporate decision-making. Mr. Rivkin began his career as a US Army intelligence officer and US government intelligence analyst before leading investigations at a global consulting firm. He previously worked at North Point as a director of research and is now rejoining the firm.

Isaac Garcia-Dale, founder and CEO of North Point Associates, stated, “We are thrilled have Naphtali rejoining us to expand North Point’s capabilities. He brings experience, leadership and ambition that will be vital to building an investigations practice that is consistent with the great work our clients have come to expect from North Point. That he is familiar with the team and our culture makes him an ideal fit.

Mr. Rivkin’s casework includes multinational corporate investigations across a wide range of matters, including financial fraud and embezzlement schemes involving senior executives, insider threats such as employees selling login credentials on the dark web, revenue inflation and bribery schemes within private equity portfolio companies, and workplace misconduct involving threatening or harassing communications on company devices.

“From my time in the Army to building investigations practices in the private sector, I've always loved the same kind of work — helping clients resolve complex, consequential crises under real pressure,” said Mr. Rivkin. “Unearthing the truth is part of it, but the part I care about most is what happens next: guiding people through a hard moment so the company and its employees come out safer, stronger, and more resilient on the other side.”

“I first joined North Point when we were a team of three, and I'm thrilled to return nearly four years later to a firm that has grown substantially while continuing to serve clients at the highest level. North Point is well-known among a discerning client base for its pre-employment and pre-transaction investigations. I look forward to offering existing clients a natural extension of those services through workplace misconduct and fraud investigations, while also building new relationships across the New York market, where I'll be based.”

Mr. Rivkin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Russian Area Studies and English from Washington and Lee University and a Master of Philosophy in International Relations from the University of Cambridge (Clare College) and was a Fulbright Scholar in Latvia. He holds a Professional Certified Investigator (PCI) designation from ASIS International, and was a 2024 Consulting Magazine Rising Star for Excellence in Client Services. 

North Point Expands Service Offerings

North Point is a full-service boutique research firm that services its clients in the following capacities:

Qualitative due diligence and research for capital transactions.
Executive and Board positions with strong governance practices, clear accountability structures, and thoughtful risk management.
Voice of customer research during due diligence and post-acquisition as part of a growth strategy plan.
Strategic intelligence and advice around reputational audits, strategic decisions, political research, and crisis management efforts.

With the addition of Mr. Rivkin, North Point will now also offer internal employment investigations for companies, investors, and legal counsel, advising on matters ranging from fraud and executive misconduct to whistleblower allegations, misappropriation, and workplace violence. Our clients have increasingly asked us to turn our investigative capabilities toward internal matters, and we are pleased to now offer that service with the same nimble, thorough, and discreet approach clients have come to expect from our work.

About North Point Associates

North Point Associates is a boutique research firm that provides customized research solutions to support our clients in private investment, human capital, legal, and political and issue campaigns. The North Point team of experienced lawyers and professional researchers consistently delivers solid and impressive research products to further the pursuits of its clients.

The Changing Landscape of Due Diligence in the Age of AI

Mon, 04 May 2026 17:00:07 GMT

What the Shy Girl Controversy Reveals in the A ge of AI

As someone who monitors the publishing market with the same fervor as people who closely watch the stock market, I had been excited to read Mia Ballard’s horror novel, Shy Girl. I had first heard about the book through TikTok just a few months after it had been self-published in February 2025, and I was thrilled when I heard that the book had garnered enough attention to be picked up for standard publication by Hachette, one of the Big Five publishing houses.

And then, just a month before Shy Girl was scheduled for release in the United States, the book’s publication was canceled. In the United Kingdom, where the novel had been released in November 2025, Shy Girl was discontinued.

According to The New York Times, which first reported the story , Shy Girl had been pulled from publication due to widespread online allegations that the author had “relied heavily” on artificial intelligence to write the book. A follow-up article published by the Times further reported that in early 2026, Max Spero—founder and CEO of Pangram, an AI detection program—“heard of the claims about ‘Shy Girl’ and decided to run a test of the full text,” which yielded results indicating that the novel was approximately 78 percent AI generated.

I was disappointed, to say the least. I had been looking forward to reading Shy Girl and championing an author whose self-published work had transformed her writing career into mainstream publishing success. And yet, Ballard’s response to the AI allegations gave me pause. In a statement to the Times, Ballard “denied using AI to write ‘Shy Girl,’ contending that an acquaintance she hired to edit the self-published version of the novel had used AI.” Ballard, who is pursuing legal action, could not elaborate on how AI had been used in the editing process, but she did state: “This controversy has changed my life in many ways and my mental health is at an all time low and my name is ruined for something I didn’t even personally do.”

Ballard’s statement stayed with me long after I read about the Shy Girl controversy, and I found myself ruminating about the larger implications of this case—particularly with respect to our work here at North Point. The publishing industry is not unique in the way it is being forced to grapple with AI and its advancing capabilities. The recent AI boom has already transformed so many aspects of how we work and live, and it’s becoming quite clear that the development of AI products and services is not slowing down any time soon. Yet the case of Shy Girl inspires two nuanced questions for me: How is the role of due diligence changing in the wake of AI’s evolution , and how long will it be until someone figures out how to exploit this evolution in some innovatively fraudulent way ?

Wit, Charisma and AI Tools

The art of scammers and fraudsters is a tradition dating back thousands of years. Early cases of tax fraud were recorded in Ancient Egypt five thousand years ago , and cases of insurance fraud can be traced back over two thousand years to Ancient Greece. Whether or not we would like to acknowledge it, the truth remains: just as there will always be healers, teachers, and leaders among us, so, too, will there be scammers, fraudsters, and liars. Recent examples of famous fraudsters—think Bernie Madoff, Anna Delvey , Elizabeth Holmes—show that the art of fraud is not only alive and well, but also constantly evolving.

This is not to say that Mia Ballard and the Shy Girl controversy is equivalent to Bernie Madoff’s scheme or Anna Delvey’s tapestry of lies. Quite the opposite, in fact. We don’t yet know to what extent, if any, Ballard used AI to generate most of Shy Girl, nor do we know whether she was aware that someone else may have used AI while editing the novel. For the time being, this controversy is hovering in a gray area that the publishing industry, and the world itself, has not yet had to explore.

In the cases of Madoff, Delvey, or Holmes, we have a certainty of wrongdoing. More importantly, though, we have the certainty that these scams could have—and should have—been caught long before they were exposed. These famous fraudsters serve as both examples and reminders that comprehensive due diligence is more than just another step in a deal or partnership process. It is an absolute necessity, perhaps now more than ever. If the likes of Madoff, Delvey, and Holmes were able to execute their scams with nothing more than their wits, charisma, and audacity, then the question remains: what could the next famous fraudster accomplish with wit, charisma, audacity, and AI tools?

This question of “the next famous fraudster” is not a matter of if to me, but when. I’m certain that for every person using AI to improve the world around us, there is at least one person learning how AI can be exploited to improve the world of fraud. We know there will always be fraudsters among us, and we know that—for the most part—these fraudsters can be exposed simply by someone asking the right questions and pursuing the corresponding answers.

These questions and their answers are what make our work here at North Point worthwhile, engaging, and important. As a diverse due diligence firm, we strive to provide our clients with comprehensive research solutions that foster confident business partnerships and decisions. Our team of researchers is comprised of individuals with diverse backgrounds and skillsets, and we are unified in our purpose to ask questions, to find answers, to approach each project with both tenacious curiosity and generous skepticism. And while the case of Shy Girl still hovers in limbo, the implications loom over more than just the publishing industry.

Now more than ever, we must consider the vast array of tools available to fraudsters and malefactors. We must ask questions, we must pursue answers, and we must face the fact that the next great fraudster is not a matter of if, but when. And yet, despite the uncertainty of how AI will develop and what the world will look like in just a few short years, I find myself quite certain of one thing: the team at North Point will be here ready to ask questions, find answers, and provide our clients with the peace of mind that their deals and partnerships will not result in some fraudster making a fool of them.

About the Author

Jon Muñoz joined North Point as a Research Analyst in May of 2021. Over the last five years, Jon has contributed to the North Point Team in innumerable ways including but not limited to their contribution to improving the writing and editing process, mentoring junior analysts and most recently sharing their writing talent with our Insights Blog.

A fan of live music, Jon currently resides in Boston with their two cats, a personal library that is the envy of all of us book-lovers and is a key member of our research team. Jon brings a unique professional and educational background with the following degrees:

Bachelor of Arts in English from Centenary University
MFA in Creative Writing: Nonfiction from Emerson College

What Recent Graduates Need to Know About Social Media and Due Diligence

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 17:45:37 GMT

At the end of 2025, I had the opportunity to travel with colleagues from North Point to speak at the career development day for student-athletes at Brown University. We were invited to share insight into how employers evaluate candidates and, more specifically, how companies like us verify what’s on a resume.

Many students walked into the session believing that a background check is a simple, automated, “check-the-box” process, a quick database search, a confirmation of employment, or maybe a degree verification. In reality, due diligence often goes much deeper for many careers in financial and professional services.

Beyond the Check-the-Box Background Check

As investigative researchers, our role is not just to confirm that a candidate worked somewhere or earned a particular credential. We analyze reported experience, evaluate consistency across sources, and look for context. If a resume lists leadership roles, internships, certifications, or entrepreneurial ventures, we examine whether those claims align with publicly available information and third-party verification.

For recent graduates entering the workforce, two areas tend to receive particular attention:

Internship experience
Social media presence

Many of the students we spoke with were surprised at the level of detail involved. They had carefully polished their resumes and LinkedIn profiles, but hadn’t considered how their broader digital footprint might factor into an employer’s evaluation.

How Employers Review Social Media During Background Checks

For today’s graduates, social media has been a constant throughout high school and college. It feels personal, informal, and separate from professional life.

From a due diligence perspective, however, social media is part of the overall picture. Many platforms default to public settings when accounts are first created. Tagged photos, public comments, and interactions with friends or family whose accounts remain public can all create a digital trail.

And then there are platforms people don’t always think of as “social media.”

Take Venmo, for example. While technically a payments application, its feed is designed like a social platform. By default, transactions can be visible to others, often accompanied by emojis or inside jokes. We frequently see lighthearted references between friends, coded humor or sarcastic descriptions. Among peers, the meaning may be obvious and harmless. To an employer reviewing a candidate’s digital footprint, however, context is not always clear, and assumptions are rarely generous. One of the simplest pieces of advice I give students is this: lock down your privacy settings . There is rarely a reason for the general public—or a potential employer—to know where you are or how you are spending your money.

Awareness is Power

The goal of due diligence is not to penalize young professionals for being young. It is to assess risk, credibility, and alignment. Employers are investing significant resources in new hires, and they want to feel confident in the integrity and judgment of the individuals they bring on board.

What many students don’t realize is that inconsistencies, questionable humor, or exaggerated claims can raise concerns—not because of one isolated post, but because of the broader narrative they create.

Your digital presence tells a story. The question is: is it the story you want told?

Conduct Due Diligence on Employers, Too

While much of our presentation focused on how candidates are evaluated, I always emphasize that due diligence should not be one-sided.

Young job seekers should conduct their own research on potential employers:

Look into company leadership.
Review recent press coverage.
Understand the organization’s culture and reputation.
Evaluate financial stability and growth.
Speak with former employees when possible.

A job offer is not just an opportunity; it’s a commitment of your time, energy, and early career trajectory. Just as companies assess risk in hiring, candidates should assess risk in accepting.

The Takeaway for Recent Graduates

As you enter the workforce, understand that your resume is only one piece of your professional profile. Your internship experiences, online presence, and public digital activity all contribute to how you are perceived.

Before you begin applying:

Google yourself.
Review privacy settings across platforms.
Audit old posts.
Tighten public transaction feeds.
Ensure your online presence aligns with the professional image you want to project.

In today’s hiring landscape, due diligence is deeper, faster, and more thorough than many realize. Being proactive about your digital footprint—and thoughtful about the organizations you join—can make all the difference in launching a strong and sustainable career.

About the Author

Prior to joining North Point, Chloe Woodbine was an accomplished collegiate Water Polo player, earning numerous recognitions including 2021 Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Player of the Year. Originally from Australia, Chloe joined North Point in 2024 and currently also serves a Water Polo Colour Analyst on ESPN+ for the Brown Men's and Women's Water Polo teams. As a research analyst, Chloe adds unique experiences and an equally impressive educational background to our team with the following degrees:

Master of Science in Applied Intelligence from Mercyhurst University
Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Health Care Management from Salem University
Bachelor of Applied Public Health from Torrens University Australia
Bachelor of Science in Biology / Physiology & Exercise Science from Salem University

Using the Internet Archive for Due Diligence

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 17:29:05 GMT

This country has become a place where one can believe or deny anything and find a significant number of people who share the position. A curiously large number of people appear to earn a living in these pursuits, and intellectuals, technologists and Big Thinkers flood media with discussions of the immense power of technology to warp reality and the risks technologies pose to the concept of shared truth in society.

The prognosticators might be right and I’m not blind to the ways these concerns are valid in terms of their potential impacts on politics and social cohesion, but I take some comfort in the idea that while there is a motive for many to create and stoke worry about a warped reality, most of us need to make or do something of value and we rely on ways of accurately sharing information about what we do to support that goal.

Preserving the Past with the Internet Archive

In our work at North Point, The Internet Archive (web.archive.org) is one of the best tools for examining those representations, establishing important connections and triangulating to resolve open questions about people and organizations using information of their own creation over time. It isn’t perfect or fool proof, but it is shockingly comprehensive and once we developed an understanding of its logic and navigational quirks it became an important part of achieving our mission of accurately representing history.

For the uninitiated, the Internet Archive is, as the name suggests, an archived internet. Among its other functions (it partners with organizations to act as a repository for digital information etc.) its Wayback Machine is basically a horizontal version of the web – a way to access the internet across time. Using a robotic crawler, it has been cataloging web content since the 1990’s. It allows our team to understand how a company or person represented its experience at a specific moment in time, how it presented its offerings, where it was located or through which legal entity it was operating at a moment of interest to us or our clients.

We have used it to unearth details that led to discovering litigation for which we would not have known to look, or businesses we did not know existed or details that opened avenues of inquiry that would have otherwise been hidden from view.

Archives Provide an Important Public Service

At North Point we are on a mission to conduct thorough research and tell accurate stories as completely as we can in a short period of time. The most valuable tools for our work unearth threads and provide clues about where we can look to definitively resolve open questions. Depending on the day or engagement, the Archive does a bit of both.

The Internet Archive is free to use, supported by donations and funding from governmental and other grants. It is the creation of prominent digital librarian (definitely the only one I could name) Brewster Kahle, who set out to record the internet because “ for thousands of years, libraries and archives have provided this important public service. I started the Internet Archive because I strongly believed that this work needed to continue in digital form and into the digital age”.

The Future of the Internet Archive and our Library System

The archive has detractors; some who cite copyright concerns ( a lengthy litigation related to those concerns was resolved in 2025 ) and others, including an aspiring Mars resident who slashed federal funding for the archive because he seemed to view efforts to accurately remember history as a partisan trap. But for regular people, unconcerned with breaking or saving society, who need to go to work and want to make sure they understand the reality of a given situation or would like history to accurately reflect them or their organization, it is as reliable and helpful a tool as exists. For its supposed faults and clunky navigation (it has some nuances that make its efficient use a real skill) it is an incredible source reliable recent history.

Since I have no political aspirations and no future in the conspiracy influencer economy, until someone makes something better, I and almost everyone I know will be using the internet to do our jobs, build companies, brands, reputations etc. and as long as that is the case, the Archive will have an important role to play in making sure we know who we were.

About the Author

Isaac Garcia-Dale founded North Point Associates in 2018 in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Over the last 7+ years, Isaac has built North Point to be a leader in research for serious, high-stakes decisions for a wide range of clients across private equity, strategic communications and law. Today, Isaac leads the company and oversees strategy, business development and refining our research process.

Isaac holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics-Finance from Bentley College and a Doctor of Law (J.D.) from Suffolk University.

To learn more and support the Internet Archive, please visit https://archive.org/ .

Raising the Bar on Executive Due Diligence: Reflections on a Complex Year and What Comes Next

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 19:33:03 GMT

The Evolving Role of Executive Due Diligence in Private Equity

As we look back on the year behind us, one marked by social tension, political division, and persistent economic uncertainty, it is clear that the landscape of leadership has changed. The expectations placed on executives today extend far beyond technical expertise, polished résumés, and a record of strong EBITDA.

In a world where how you show up matters just as much as what you deliver, executive due diligence has never been more essential.

Leadership today is undeniably public. Impressions formed in the boardroom, across professional networks, and throughout one’s online presence all intertwine; what happens in one area often echoes, amplifies, or reshapes perceptions in another. Investors, deal teams, and partners are increasingly asking the same questions:

Is this a leader people believe in?
Someone who stands for something?
Someone teams will rally behind?

Reliability, authenticity, and character have become investment variables, and they influence outcomes just as meaningfully as financial performance.

The Evolution of Due Diligence

A check the box approach simply does not cut it anymore. Our clients know this, and it is why they turn to us. Over the past year, we have deepened longstanding partnerships and forged new ones, working alongside private equity firms who understand that executive assessment must rise to meet the moment. Together, we have helped elevate the standard of what thoughtful and comprehensive due diligence looks like, and we are proud to have earned a reputation as a trusted partner who brings clarity to an increasingly complex space.

Looking ahead, we remain hopeful. Unpredictability may be the only certainty in today’s market, but thorough and human centered due diligence provides a stabilizing force. Solid investments begin with solid leaders. Deal teams that take a rigorous approach to understanding not just the financials but the people behind them will continue to set themselves apart.

Beyond Automation: The Value of Expert Analysis

As the focus on automation continues to grow, the salience of our insights and our ability to run facts to ground has never been more important, ensuring that decision-makers receive clarity and context that automation cannot provide.

With an influx of tools that are driven by algorithms and incomplete databases, in our line of work, true reliability comes from human intelligence, careful fact-checking, the deliberate gathering of information, and the discernment to interpret nuance that machines alone cannot. We are here to provide that clarity, to ensure investors have confidence in the leaders they back.

Due Diligence the Drives Confident Partnerships

Our commitment remains unwavering. We uphold the highest level of integrity in every project we undertake and deliver confidence around factors that investors can, and must be, unequivocally clear on. In a world that shifts quickly, the need for dependable insight only grows stronger. We are here to meet that need, today and in the year to come.

We are constantly calculating whether we can rely on the people around us. Real leadership depends on human connection and courage to be vulnerable. If your processes ignore that, you’re missing the point. Raising the bar means building work rooted in context and trust, not just data. If you’re looking for a new trusted partner in 2026, we’d love to connect.

About the Author

Haley Rist is our Head of Operations and oversees efficient, integrated workflows across the organization and as a member of our leadership team, contributes to strategic planning and drives organizational growth. Haley leads core business functions, manages internal systems and collaborates across teams on vendor and client relationships.

Haley holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Fine/Studio Arts from Northeaster University and a Master of Arts in Elementary Education and Training, also from Northeastern University.

Patience, Persistence, and Process: Due Diligence and the Rubik's Cube

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 19:45:13 GMT

Rooting Out Fringe Scenarios

Recently, my kids and I endeavored to learn how to solve the Rubik's Cube. We found that through a step-by-step process of prescribed moves, it is possible to consistently turn a jumbled block into the matched colored sides we had previously seen only immediately after removing a new cube from its packaging. Learning the process took time and was frustrating, as initial moves that are easily memorized gave way to more complicated algorithms. We are not setting speed-solving records, but we have achieved our underlying goal through persistence and a regular reference to handwritten cheat sheets.

North Point's Due Diligence Research

At North Point Associates, we research people and businesses to make sense of their presence in the world. In completing the Rubik’s Cube, I was reminded of the process we follow for our everyday work. Just as every cube is different, so is every project we are involved in, but by analyzing variables through a consistent research process, we align details and identify outliers that require additional consideration to solve. Through our w ork, we provide clarity, and although our solutions may not always be ideal from a deal perspective, our finished product provides a foundation for decision-making based on a clear understanding of what can be known.

We are particularly adept at something known in the cube world a s a fringe scenario. D espite properly executing the process, a block remains out of place. A green block is in the top corner where a red block must go. To rectify this, you must have the knowledge base to understand that an issue exists and know the necessary steps to iron it out. The situation is the same when, through our research, we identify a notable detail that is out of place. A n individual seems to have simultaneously held two full-time positions, or a company with a history of financial success has recently lost one of its founding members. North Point Associates analysts have the experience and dogged determination to root out these fringe issues, to explain their potential meaning, and to help our clients avoid post-close surprises.

Resources

If you need information on a business or individual that exceeds the industry standard, North Point Associates can provide a solution. You can reach out to us directly via email to pam.harght@northpointassoc.com or contact us here .

If you want to make sense of the Rubik’s Cube, I recommend the following tutorial ( https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-solve-a-rubiks-cube-step-by-step/ ).

About the Author

Ross Elwyn is a Managing Director at North Point Associates and oversees a team of research analysts for our core due diligence research as well as voice of customer research. Ross is a licensed attorney with experience in civil litigation and degrees from the University of New Hampshire and a Doctor of Law (JD) and Master of Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School.

North Point Rides Again with Team Daisy at the Pan-Mass Challenge

Tue, 22 Jul 2025 18:12:21 GMT

Riding with Team Daisy

Last year, I was invited to ride in the PMC with Team Daisy/Summit Partners . I was inspired to ride because my brother has been living with brain cancer for several years and it felt great to cast aside my helplessness and do something small to help all families who will face this unthinkable challenge in the future. My brother’s situation has taken a difficult turn since last year’s ride and I’m happy I’ll have a chance to ride as a symbol of my love and support for him and his family.

The ride was a powerful experience and a perfect outlet for the grief that has had a huge impact on all aspects of my life since his diagnosis. It was a great way to have community with so many others who are impacted by cancer in an overwhelmingly hopeful environment of people doing something difficult in solidarity with or memory of people they love.

This year, as university-affiliated scientific research has become an unfortunate victim of culture wars, the practical impact of the PMC seems more important than ever. Broadly speaking, I have no idea what the outcome of this moment will be, but on this front at least, I know it’s toward more people, not fewer, having their hearts broken by a terrible disease for which treatment and solutions won’t be found by accident.

I’m honored to be joined on the ride this time by three North Point colleagues, Shaun Donnelly , Diana Van Leeuwen , and Pam Harght . Please consider supporting us as we challenge ourselves and make our way to Provincetown in August.

We are grateful for your support.

North Point Associates Announces Addition to its Leadership Team

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 16:25:00 GMT

North Point Associates announces addition to its leadership team

North Point Associates announces the hiring of additional team members Diana Van Leeuwen, John Hand and Chloe Woodbine. All bring unique backgrounds addition additional depth and expertise to our North Point research team.

IPSWICH, Mass., June 5, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- North Point Associates today announced the hiring of Diana Van Leeuwen to the company's leadership team.

Ms. Van Leeuwen will serve as a senior director with North Point, leading research teams, influencing product development, and participating in client development.

Ms. Van Leeuwen is an accomplished lawyer with experience in white-collar criminal defense, government enforcement actions, and internal investigations at Hogan Lovells. She recently completed a multi-year federal court clerkship in Massachusetts and brings a rigorous and thorough work ethic to the leadership team.

Isaac Garcia-Dale, founder and CEO of North Point Associates, stated, "We are thrilled to have someone of Diana's caliber joining out team. She brings experience and enthusiasm that is consistent with our commitment to hiring exceptional people to lead our work."

"As a member of the leadership team, she helps position and grow our firm as a custom research solution in the industries of private investment, human capital, and political campaigns," Garcia-Dale added. "Ms. Van Leeuwen's experience and execution in litigation and internal and independent investigations will help North Point enhance our research, growth strategy, and company aspirations."

After her graduation from law school in 2017, Ms. Van Leeuwen clerked for a federal judge before moving to Hogan Lovells, where she worked with clients through all phases of litigation and served as an investigator in both internal and independent investigations. She also worked on a variety of pro bono cases, most often representing clients in their efforts to obtain post-conviction remedies.

Thereafter, Ms. Van Leeuwen accepted a second federal clerkship in the US District Court in Boston. Prior to law school, Ms. Van Leeuwen spent time in the film industry where she worked in a variety of production roles on feature-length movies, including The Kids Are All Right, featuring Julianne Moore, Annette Bening, and Mark Ruffalo, as well as art department roles on short films, music videos and commercials.

Ms. Van Leeuwen graduated magna cum laude from Suffolk University Law School and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Integrated Media Communications from Simmons University.

"I am thrilled to join North Point Associates as a Senior Director — a role that provides an opportunity to contribute to a firm with a reputation for excellence in the world of investigative due diligence," Ms. Van Leeuwen said. "I look forward to collaborating with the top-notch team at North Point and leveraging my experience in litigation and investigations to further our commitment to delivering superior value to our clients through a relentless investigative approach."

"North Point strives to be a landing place for impressive people with strong research and legal credentials and a desire to work in the intelligence/research industry." - Isaac Garcia-Dale, Founder and Presiden t

Employee Spotlight: John Hand and Chloe Woodbine

Additional team members John Hand and Chloe Woodbine joined North Point during the latter part of 2024. Hand and Woodbine's unique backgrounds bring additional depth and expertise to the North Point Research team.

Ms. Woodbine joined North Point Associates as a Senior Research Analyst and brings a depth of educational and research experience. "I'm excited to join North Point Associates because of the firm's deep commitment to thorough, high-impact research that helps clients make smarter, more informed decisions," she said. "Being part of a team, that values collaboration and forward-thinking solutions is incredibly energizing. I'm excited to contribute to work that challenges me professionally and pushes me to think critically, adapt quickly, and continuously expand my skill set."

Prior to joining North Point Associates, Ms. Woodbine was an Intelligence Analyst at The Counterterrorism Group. Beyond North Point, Ms. Woodbine is a color analyst for Brown University's water polo teams, providing live commentary and tactical analysis on ESPN+.

Ms. Woodbine earned a Master of Science in Applied Intelligence from Mercyhurst University, a Master of Business Administration in Health Care Management from Salem University, a Bachelor of Applied Public Health from Torrens University (Australia), and a Bachelor of Science in Biology/Physiology and Exercise Science from Salem University.

Hand also joins North Point Associates as a Senior Research Analyst. He is an accomplished journalist with experience in multiple media platforms including the Boston Globe, WEEI.com, Milwaukee Magazine, and OnMilwaukee.com. "I am excited to join North Point to work on unique projects that go beyond the facts to tell a complete story," said Hand, who earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Marquette University.

"North Point strives to be a landing place for impressive young people with strong research credentials and a desire to work in the intelligence/research industry," Garcia-Dale said. "John and Chloe bring a lot to our team."

Media Contact

Pamela Harght, North Point Associates, pam.harght@northpointassoc.com

Official Press Release: https://www.prweb.com/releases/north-point-associates-announces-addition-to-its-leadership-team-302472844.html

Ed Sheeran Arrives in Ipswich, MA to Promote and Film a New Video

Tue, 27 May 2025 12:24:23 GMT

A few weeks ago, musician Ed Sheeran came to Ipswich, Massachusetts, to promote and film a video for his new song “Old Phone.” Why he chose, Ipswich, an unassuming coastal town in Massachusetts, in April, was and is a mystery, but it allegedly had something to do with its parallels to his hometown near Ipswich in Suffolk, England. Specifically, the parallel that it shared the name Ipswich, which did not make things much clearer. The pop-up bar that was created for the event was in a parking lot only a few hundred feet from our headquarters.

Sheeran explained on The Tonight Show that he wrote “Old Phone” after a 2022 lawsuit in which he defended his authorship of “Thinking Out Loud” against allegations from Marvin Gaye’s family that it infringed on their late father’s song “Let’s Get It On” (Sheeran prevailed with the jury – and after seeing the mass of adults and children basically scream and chase his car around our town as he intermittently did cool and understated things to make people feel seen, I’m not sure what kind of case he could lose). During discovery in that matter, Sheeran was compelled to look through old devices for responsive material, which led him to rediscover messages from friends who had died, and former lovers, and to reflect on the moments and relationships they memorialized, and in a way only he can, to turn the experience of being a civil defendant into a sentimental yet commercially viable song.

As I listened to Sheeran perform an impromptu acoustic rendition of “Old Phone “in the street in front of our office, I was thinking of a way to get a picture of him next to our office (I did, sort of) and convince my nieces and nephews that presence was somehow connected to North Point. To my knowledge, Sheeran has no interest in or at least has not publicly shared his thoughts on non-market diligence services, but the connection between our work and a song that serves as a reminder of the permanence of digital memories was eerily appropriate.

There is no question social media has democratized speech and that smart phones have made a lot of things easier, but we all now live and try to work amidst a never-ending supply of time-sucking distractions, and ample opportunities to say and do things in the blink of an eye that will last forever. We have officially left the world in which the reach or permanence of an idea or commentary has any relationship to the demand for its dissemination.

From our experience at North Point, we understand that people and companies view online behavior as a proxy for a person’s character or judgment. Very often, we identify online content from years or decades past that reflects poorly on an individual. In most cases, the downsides could have been easily avoided through a better understanding of the platforms that fuel engagement and profit from personal memories. Use of security and privacy settings, a general awareness of where one appears in the accounts of friends and family, removal of old posts, and deletion of unused accounts are simple elements of good on-line hygiene by a strikingly small number of people.

We recently highlighted these lessons as part of a program offered to college students who are soon to enter the workforce. While the audience was entirely social media natives and have a better understanding of emoji significance and current on-line parlance than I do, they, like many of the subjects of our research, had a limited understanding of the ways in which their thoughts were being preserved or how easily they could be accessed by people with a reason to go looking. We urged them to consider the permanence of their online presence because unless you’re Ed Sheeran, a digital footprint is mostly downside.

Now released, here is Ed Sheeran’s “Old Phone” music video: https://youtu.be/rj5dxoMY-dE?feature=shared

North Point Associates Appoints Board Member Chaitan Fahnestock

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 20:12:42 GMT

North Point Associates October 9th, 2023

North Point Associates announces the appointment of board member Chaitan Fahnestock

As a member of the board, Chaitan Fahnestock helps position and grow our firm as a custom research solution in the industries of private investment, human capital, and political campaigns. Fahnestock’s experience and execution in business development will help North Point achieve our growth strategy and company aspirations.

Ipswich, MA. October 9th, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/-- North Point Associates announced today the appointment of Chaitan Fahnestock to the company’s board of directors.

Fahnestock will also serve as a special advisor while North Point Associates expands its customer base and offerings.

An accomplished business leader in both consultancy and professional services arenas, Fahnestock currently serves as a board member and special advisor to Riveron Consulting and Method Bank as well as to North Point Associates.

Isaac Garcia-Dale, founder and CEO of North Point Associates, stated that, “We are thrilled to have someone with Chaitan’s experience and enthusiasm and proud to have him as a part of our team. He has a history of growing and stewarding professional services and business advisory firms and is a great fit both in terms of what we do but also in terms of our stage of growth.”

In 2006, Chaitan Fahnestock took on the role of senior director of business development at Riveron Consulting. Previously, Fahnestock as Riveron’s managing director, was responsible for the company’s organic growth strategy and execution, business development, client satisfaction, and new market leadership recruitment and training. In March 2015, he was named to Riveron’s first established board of directors. In 2016, Fahnestock became Riveron’s COO as well as president and, at present, remains a board member and special advisor for the company.

Fahnestock’s extensive professional background spans private equity, investment banking, and lending communities. He is equally experienced with building business relationships, formulating high-performing teams, and managing high-growth organizations. With more than 30 years of expertise in creating and executing market growth strategies, Fahnestock has provided tremendous opportunities for the clients, stakeholders, and people during his time leading Riveron.

Fahnestock earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Oklahoma State University and is an active member of the Young Presidents' Organization–Lone Star Dallas Chapter.

“Given the unmatched depth and quality of work delivered to clients by North Point [Associates], I am bullish on the prospects for outsized growth by the company,” said Fahnestock. “Growth will enable even greater capabilities in service of clients and abundant career opportunities for our people.”

About North Point Associates

North Point Associates is a research firm that provides tailored research services to support our client in private investment, human capital, political and issue campaigns. North Point Associates’ team of experienced lawyers and professional researchers consistently delivers solid and impressive research products to further the pursuits of its clients.

Media Contact:

Pamela Harght (pam.harght@northpointassoc.com)

Senior Director of Business Development

https://northpointassoc.com/

https://www.prweb.com/releases/north-point-associates-announces-the-appointment-of-board-member-chaitan-fahnestock-301953420.html

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