broker outreach for industry-targeted search

by a searcher from Columbia University - Columbia Business School

3 months ago

Hi everyone,
I'm struggling to build a list of brokers for my initial introduction / outreach because my search is industry-targeted. Do you have any advice on finding relevant brokers based on industry? 

I'm doing a somewhat industry-specific search: tech-enabled services, software, or other white-collar professional services. I can find related brokers via IBBA, but only a small fraction of those brokers will actually have a relevant listing. For example, I have reviewed ~20 of 500+ brokers marked as industry-relevant by IBBA. Probably about 15% actually have a relevant listing. 

Let me know if I'm overthinking it and should just reach out. For reference, I plan to mention all the relevant details about myself: full-time searcher, willing to relocate, funding available, relevant experience, etc. 

Thanks for any thoughts.

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professional from The University of Michigan - Stephen M. Ross School of Business

^Searchfunder member‌, Our firm doesn't specialize, but we do prioritize sourcing activities based on industry (i.e. attending relevant trade shows, networking, etc.). The areas of interest above are fairly broad. As others have mentioned, casting a wide net at this stage of the process is likely the most effective strategy. As you pursue a particular industry focus (i.e. technical consulting firms, government software solutions, etc.) during your process, then you adapt your outreach to intermediaries accordingly.

2 months ago | like reply | 0 likes

searcher from University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School

^Searchfunder member‌ runs a brokerage in DC and I'm pretty sure he's done transactions in the space you're looking at. Either way he would have more information about what to look out for in your search.

2 months ago | like reply | 0 likes

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