Traditional Buy-Side Firms vs DealsByTed
Buy-side advisory firms offer relationships and industry expertise. But the retainer model is expensive, the pipeline is inconsistent, and you are often sharing deal flow with their other clients.
Feature-by-Feature
| Feature | Traditional Buy-Side Firms | DealsByTed |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Human-led advisory and sourcing service | AI-powered deal sourcing agent |
| Pipeline volume | 5-15 targets per month (typical) | 20-50+ qualified targets per month |
| Sourcing method | Relationship network, manual research, broker relationships | AI-powered scanning across thousands of data sources |
| Exclusivity | Often shared across multiple clients in same sector | Dedicated to your thesis |
| Time to first targets | 2-4 weeks after engagement | 24 hours |
| Thesis refinement | Quarterly strategy calls | Continuous, data-driven refinement |
| Success fee | 1-3% of enterprise value (standard) | Optional on Operator plan only |
Where Traditional Buy-Side Firms Wins
Relationship depth
Experienced advisors have decades-long relationships with business owners. These relationships produce warm introductions that AI cannot replicate.
Negotiation support
Buy-side firms can assist with deal structuring, valuation, and negotiation. DealsByTed focuses on sourcing, not transaction execution.
Industry reputation
Working with a known advisory firm can add credibility with sellers, particularly for first-time acquirers.
Where DealsByTed Wins
Volume and coverage
Ted screens thousands of companies weekly. A human advisor covers dozens. The coverage gap means more opportunities discovered.
Cost predictability
Flat monthly fee with no success fee on Scout and Hunter plans. No surprise costs when you close.
Speed to pipeline
First targets in 24 hours versus 2-4 weeks for traditional advisory engagements.
Thesis exclusivity
Ted sources exclusively for your thesis. Advisory firms often have multiple clients in the same sector competing for the same targets.
Cost Comparison
Traditional Buy-Side Firms
DealsByTed
Choose Traditional Buy-Side Firms If...
- You need full transaction advisory support beyond sourcing (negotiation, structuring, due diligence oversight)
- You value warm introductions from an established relationship network
- You are pursuing large transactions ($50M+ enterprise value) where advisory credibility matters
Choose DealsByTed If...
- You have in-house deal execution capability and need sourcing volume
- You want proprietary, off-market targets that have not been shared with other buyers
- You want predictable costs without success fees eating into returns
- You need pipeline quickly and cannot wait weeks for an advisory engagement to ramp
See the difference for yourself.
Schedule a call and we will walk through your specific thesis.