Due Diligence and Research

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.

Post a question, deal, job, etc...

Make a post...

Complete registration to post.

by an member
in Corona, CA, USA

4mos ago

Due Diligence and Research

Besides the IBIS Reports on searchfunder what are other great resources that I can use when looking to invest in new industries?

0 Likes

123 Views

reply by a professional 4mos ago
from Yale University in Atlanta, GA, USA

^redacted‌ - Use AI deep research with a prompt to cover core aspects of the industry - revenue dynamics, operations, industry, greatest risks. They can produce some incredible results these days, and can help you find some other hidden industry-specific gems that you can dive deeper into. Also, if you find a deal you like, try to find other active or historical deals in that same vertical where you might be able to get more context or even add them as potential acquisition targets.

reply by a searcher 3mos ago
from Macquarie University in Melbourne VIC, Australia

Like Daniel, I've also found a lot of value in using AI to quickly synthesise broad, top down industry insights, which I can then pressure test and refine through more traditional sources like IBISWorld. In practice, I’ve found it particularly useful for mapping value chains and identifying where margin actually sits, understanding regulatory overlays early, and surfacing comparable business models in adjacent geographies. It’s not a substitute for primary diligence, but it’s become a very effective way to triage which industries or opportunities are actually worth deeper investigation via IBIS, Capital IQ, PitchBook, etc.