AI dealmaking and deal pipeline management tools

June 10, 2025

by a searcher from University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School in Austin, TX, USA

What AI-based tools do you use to support direct dealmaking efforts? Any strong recommendations? Thank you!

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Reply by a searcher
from University of Virginia in New York, NY, USA

Hey ^redacted‌ - here's what I've been using for my Search: > ETA IQ (www.etaiq.com) - Not AI, but it's been a really helpful tool for deal tracking and financial modeling. I use them a lot to initially screen deals, and then fully model things out if it's an opportunity worth pursuing. They built it specifically for Searchers, so it works right out-of-the-box. (I tried using Salesforce previously as my CRM, but it way more than what I needed.) > Zoominfo (www.zoominfo.com) - I use them as my primary platform for data enrichment to create lead lists for proprietary sourcing. Some have recommended Clay (www.clay.com), which I'm planning on checking out - they're more of an AI-first platform. > ChatGPT (paid version) - Create a "Project" folder for specific industries/opportunities and it's great. It's not so great with numbers, so I lean on ETA IQ for all modeling... but for sector-specific info, it's been wonderful. NotebookLM is also great.

Reply by a searcher
from New York University in San Diego, CA, USA

I have strong suggestions lol 1. Start with Clay.com => you can source and aggregate leads, filter, enrich with 100+ external connections, and export to a CRM or as a list. Better than Grata while 80% cheaper. 2. Apollo is great for sourcing and enrichment and integrates natively with Clay. You can also use Aplify to save 90% of the cost instead of paying Apollo. 3. Airtable=> requires set up but is a stellar CRM option. 4. LinkedIn Sales Navigator => expensive but great for social outreach. 5. Instantly.io => By far the best fit cold email campaigns 6. Make.com or n8n to automate 90% of the process. You can, and should, connect ChatGPT API for AI enhancements. This may sounds really technical but it’s all no-code and just takes a little time to get up to speed. Massive leverage once it’s all humming though.

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