Playing the Market

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What is Searchfunder.com?

Searchfunder.com is an online community of searchers, investors, lenders, brokers and other professionals. Over 80% of those involved in searchfunds maintain a Searchfunder account to help them network, hire, and mentor others.

What are the benefits of membership?

In addition to accessing the most active online network of business buyers, Searchfunder licenses research that is simply not cost effective for individuals. Access over 15,000 industry reports and 50,000 transaction financials. You also get monthly credits for contact information for your company sourcing campaign with the option to purchase more at drastically discounted rates. Searchfunder has pre-purchased access from these data providers in order to empower individual buyers and to help searchers level the playing field versus private equity.

Do you have deals?

While we are primarily a buy-side network, we do have hundreds of brokers that regularly post deals to the community.

Can I find an internship on Searchfunder?

Absolutely! We have the industry's largest intern job board. If you are considering a search, the first step is to help another business buyer so you can hit the ground running.

What does it cost?

Searchfunder is a subscription service. We offer flexible monthly, annual and lifetime memberships.

Monthly

$79 / month

Annual

$19 / month

Lifetime

$432 / once

Those who maintain an account with us for over 4 continuous years are permanently added to the community without the need for a membership.

Do I need an MBA to join?

While a large number of our members come from dedicated programs at Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, Chicago Booth, and other top programs, searching is no longer reserved for the elite. With the current abundance of dry powder in private equity, and an increasing number of business owners reaching retirement age, good deals rarely go unfunded.

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by a searcher from Columbia University - Columbia Business School
in Washington, DC, USA

1yr ago

Playing the Market

Currently, it's a seller's market, and interest in the ETA asset class is ballooning. However, as interest rates go unchanged amid a possible recession and trade war, by this time next year, the leverage sellers have today will dissipate rapidly. Play the market and its uncertainty to your search advantage.

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reply by a searcher 1yr ago
from The University of Chicago in Chicago, IL, USA

I thought this was the case 18 months ago, yet there are so many more buyers and higher multiples. And those who acquired 18 months ago did just fine. I don't think it'll go back to the good ol' days. The fact is the search market was an untapped opportunity not long ago and now it's well discovered.

reply by a searcher 1yr ago
from University of Virginia in Washington, DC, USA

Seller financing was introduced to bridge the valuation gap during and after a downturn. It fundamentally changed pricing expectations. Sellers are anchored to higher multiples, and buyers, aided by available financing, continue meeting these prices. Economic conditions aside, the SBA is becoming stricter with less accommodative policies—higher fees, stricter underwriting, lower guarantees. There may be more of a flight to quality favoring well-capitalized buyers who can inject more equity and less debt.