Deal Origination
Deal Origination Insights
How proprietary deal flow actually gets built. These articles cover target identification from primary sources, AI-powered classification, warm-path mapping, and the infrastructure behind off-market acquisition pipelines across 55+ verticals.
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More research: Fundraising · Outreach Infrastructure · Sell-Side Advisory · PE Glossary
195 Targets in the Time One Analyst Surfaces One Name: AI Is Breaking the PE Deal Team Model
65% of PE executives are piloting AI in the investment process. Early movers report 36% more direct deals and 70% fewer diligence hours. The job shifts.
Jeff Baehr · May 2026
Buy-Side M&A Advisory Explained: Process, Fees, and When You Need One
Buy-side M&A advisors charge 0.5-2% of transaction value to source and close acquisitions. Here's the full process, fee math, and decision framework.
Jeff Baehr · Mar 2026
AI Deal Origination in Private Equity: How It Works in 2026
PE firms see just 16.5% of relevant deals. AI deal origination changes that with primary data, predictive scoring, and autonomous outreach at scale.
Jeff Baehr · Mar 2026
Deal Origination Services for Private Equity Firms
PE deal origination services cost $5K-$25K/month and surface proprietary, off-market deals in-house teams miss. How to evaluate providers.
Jeff Baehr · Mar 2026
M&A Deal Origination: How PE Firms Find Deals
68% of PE firms say deal sourcing is their top challenge. M&A deal origination separates firms that compete on price from those that create proprietary value.
Jeff Baehr · Mar 2026
PitchBook Alternatives for Deal Sourcing in 2026
PitchBook costs $12K-$70K/year and misses 40-60% of lower-middle-market companies. 6 alternatives compared on data, price, and actual utility.
Jeff Baehr · Mar 2026
Independent Sponsors: The Complete Guide
Independent sponsors source deals first, raise capital second. 400+ active fundless sponsors in the US compete for off-market deals. How the model works.
Jeff Baehr · Mar 2026
Top 100 Private Equity Firms: 2026 Rankings by AUM
Ranking of 100 PE firms by AUM, from Blackstone ($1.3T) to middle-market specialists. Verified AUM data, leadership, fund sizes, strategy analysis.
Jeff Baehr · Mar 2026
What Data Sources Actually Matter for Off-Market Deal Flow?
Commercial databases surface the same deals to every PE firm. Off-market sources: conference signals, hiring patterns, regulatory filings, ownership changes.
Jeff Baehr · Dec 2025
AI-Driven Deal Origination vs. Traditional Buyside Advisory
Buyside advisors charge success fees and keep personal networks. AI deal origination sources proprietary targets at scale from primary data. Models compared.
Jeff Baehr · Nov 2025
How Should Independent Sponsors Source Deals in 2026?
Independent sponsors get off-market deal flow across 55+ verticals without dedicated overhead. Same primary-source origination as institutional PE firms.
Jeff Baehr · Nov 2025
Why Every PE Firm Is Looking at the Same Deals
Same databases. Same brokered deals. Same auctions. How primary-source intelligence generates proprietary targets in a commoditized sourcing market.
Jeff Baehr · Oct 2025
Don't Rebrand That Acquisition Yet: The 'Powered By' Strategy That Turns Founder Pride Into Platform Performance
Post-acquisition rebranding too early destroys value. 100+ programs across 55+ verticals. When to rebrand, wait, or preserve the acquired brand entirely.
Genine Fallon · Oct 2025
The infrastructure exists. The systems are running. The question is whether they are running for you.
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