Search Fund Accelerators

Member resources:

Frequent asked questions:

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 Rochester Institute of Technology
in Atlanta, GA, USA

3yrs ago

Search Fund Accelerators

Has anyone been involved in a search fund accelerator before?

What was your experience?

I have heard pros and cons of them, but mostly the pros from lenders. Would love to hear about searcher experiences.

4 Likes

453 Views

reply by a professional 3yrs ago
from Boston University in İstanbul, Türkiye

I worked at Search Fund Accelerator as an Analyst for almost three years. During my time at SFA, I worked alongside three different searchers, sourced thousands of companies and closed several deals. In my experience, searchers learn the best practices about target identification and deal generation through an accelerator. As a result, searchers don't have to reinvent the wheel and can have a proprietary deal flow and a solid foundation from day one. That being said, accelerators are restrictive when it comes to buying a company. They have strict criteria and tend to limit searchers' opportunities.

reply by a professional 2yrs ago
from Embry in Orlando, FL, USA

The search fund accelerator, in generic terms, performs the following functions: 1. Understands the buyer. 2. Understands the different types of search funds. 3. Positions the search funder within their industry. 4. Finds on and off-market deals. 5. Coaches the search funder through the process. 6. Coaches and consults the search funder after acquisition.

A significant note to consider is to find an organization that specializes in search funders' searches. For instance, if the search funder is targeting a tech company, it is advisable to engage a group that is an expert in the tech industry. Such a group will prove more beneficial throughout the process and beyond. At times, we may consider non-tech accelerator opportunities if we have a junior partner with relevant experience in the industry