Insights

Writing on origination, research, and relationships.

How sourcing actually works in the lower middle market, and where the tooling still falls short.

Featured
Sourcing · 8 min

The proprietary sourcing myth

Most firms calling their pipeline proprietary are working the same brokered list as everyone else. What actually makes a deal off-market, and why the distinction decides the price.

Read the article →
All writing
Research · 6 min

List building is a commodity

Every sourcing tool sells the same filtered export. The work that still differentiates a firm starts after the list.

Relationships · 7 min

What a warm intro is actually worth

A mutual connection is not a warm path. The difference shows up in reply rates.

Tooling · 5 min

The AI tooling babysitter tax

Tools that need constant supervision do not save an analyst any time. What has to be true before a team stops checking every output.

Research · 6 min

Three definitions of a target universe

Firms mean different things by the word, and the ambiguity costs weeks.

Sourcing · 9 min

Why database filters miss founder-owned companies

Industry codes were built for tax reporting, not for a thesis.

Research · 15 min

What is proprietary deal flow? Three definitions PE firms confuse

Partners, associates, and LP reporting each reach for a different definition, and get different answers about the same deal.

Research · 16 min

Sourcing that compounds

Static lists decay. A living investment thesis as market intelligence compounds.

Tooling · 11 min

Before you add AI to your sourcing stack

Six honest questions lean LMM partners ask before adding AI to sourcing.

Prefer to see it than read about it?

Send a sector and we build the universe before the call.

Run against your own sectors · No data migration · Priced for lean teams