In a nutshell
The deliverable in four sentences.
- 01
You get the complete market map of a sector, not a sample.
- 02
Every company is pre-qualified against your thesis before it lands on your desk.
- 03
The longlist is prioritised into clear tiers by fit.
- 04
A finished deliverable that your investment team can work with directly.
When it fits
When a market mapping is worth it.
New target sector
You are entering a sector and first need the complete market overview.
Test the thesis against the market
You want to validate your investment thesis against the real market picture, not against a gut feeling.
Know who is out there
You want to know the complete field before you approach anyone at all.
Robust completeness
You need the overall view against which you secure your decision, not a random selection.
A deliverable you can build on
You want a result that your team can use directly, without rework.
What you get
The deliverable, five components.
Complete market map of the target sector
You get the relevant company universe of your sector in the DACH region, delimited by your criteria for size, business model and region. Not a sample, but the robust overall view against which you can test your thesis.
Structured longlist with master data
Every company comes with the key figures relevant to a decision: business model, size, location, ownership and succession situation. A list that your investment team can work with directly, without further research.
Pre-qualification against your investment thesis
We quietly remove what does not fit: too small, wrong business model, already in group or investor hands. What remains has been checked against your focus, so that you spend your time only on realistic candidates.
Prioritisation into clear tiers
The longlist is ordered by fit, from the strongest candidates to the extended field. You see at a glance where a first contact makes sense first and which companies form the second wave.
Sector mapping as context
Part of the deliverable is the contextualisation of the sector: market segments, the consolidation picture and where your candidates stand in the market. This makes the longlist not just a list, but a map that underpins your investment logic.
Complete
The whole map, not the sample.
A sample tells you that a field exists. A complete market map tells you who is in it, who falls within your focus and where to start first. That is exactly the overall view you get, prioritised and ready to build on.
Scope
What the service is, and what it is not.
What it is
- The complete, pre-qualified market map of a sector.
- A prioritised deliverable, ready for your team to build on.
- A one-off, delimited project engagement with a clear result.
What it is not
- Not a raw, unchecked address list.
- Not an ongoing search, that is the Search Mandate.
- Not direct outreach to owners, that is Direct Approach.
Fit check
Does a market mapping fit your plan?
It fits if
- You need the complete view of a target sector.
- You want to test your thesis against the real market.
- You want a deliverable you can build on, not raw material.
- You are planning outreach or a mandate on top of it.
Rather not, if
- You want ongoing deal flow instead of a one-off map. Then the Search Mandate fits.
- You want to approach directly, without mapping first. Then Direct Approach fits.
At the core
What matters.
100+
Transactions accompanied
Both sides, DACH middle market
Complete
Market coverage
The overall view, not a sample
DACH
Reach
Germany, Austria, Switzerland
Fees
Longlist and market mapping is billed as a delimited project with a fixed fee, which depends on the breadth of the sector and the depth of qualification. If the map turns into an outreach and a deal, the project fee can be credited against a success-based component. We discuss the exact structure transparently in the intro call.
Frequently asked questions about longlist and market mapping
What exactly do I receive when I commission a longlist?
You receive a finished deliverable, not a method and not an interim status. Specifically: the complete market map of your target sector, from it the structured longlist with the key figures relevant to a decision for each company, the pre-qualification against your investment thesis and the prioritisation into clear tiers. You can use the result directly in your investment process.
How does commissioned market mapping differ from a list we could pull ourselves?
A list you pull yourself is raw and unchecked; it costs your team days of cleaning. Our deliverable is already pre-qualified and prioritised: what does not fit your focus has been removed, the rest has been checked against your thesis and ordered by fit. The sector mapping also provides the market context in which your candidates stand. You pay for the finished map, not for raw data.
How quickly and in what form do I receive the deliverable?
We set the timeframe during scope definition; it depends on the breadth of the sector and the desired depth of qualification. The handover is structured and ready to build on, so that your team can work on directly. On request, we subsequently take over the direct approach to the prioritised companies.
What distinguishes Longlist & Market Mapping from the Search Mandate?
Longlist & Market Mapping is a one-off, delimited project engagement: you get the map and the prioritised list, finished. The Search Mandate is the ongoing search beyond that, including outreach and continuously replenishing targets. Often the longlist is the first building block on which a mandate then builds.
Can you subsequently approach the prioritised companies directly?
Yes. The handover is designed so that your team can work on directly, or we take over the discreet first approach to the prioritised companies as a separate service. This turns the map into a concrete first contact, without friction at the handover.
Who maps
Nick Herbig, personally accountable.
Over 100 M&A processes accompanied on both sides of the transaction, from craft businesses to the upper middle market. The market map does not emerge as an anonymous data extract; it is checked against your thesis and personally accountable.
More about Nick HerbigLet us map your target sector.
Tell us the sector, size corridor and investment thesis. In a confidential intro call we delimit the scope and tell you which market map and longlist you can expect.