Faster target analysis, better benchmarking, and a platform that works the way M&A teams think
How the Corporate M&A team of a large international services group moved from manual research and fragmented tools to a single platform that delivers structured company analyses, ownership transparency, and reliable longlists.
The essentials at a glance.
Most valuable
Hawkeye report for structured target analysis
Ownership and shareholder transparency
IDW-standard benchmarking with private company data
Most frequently used
Company database for target lookup and research
Longlist generation for M&A sourcing
Hawkeye reports for key target assessments
What works well
Intuitive interface with minimal learning curve
Output directly in PowerPoint and Excel
Coverage of privately held companies in niche segments
A concise view of the case study.
StrategyBridgeAI in three words
Structured · Reliable · Intuitive
The difference compared to before
Target analyses that previously took up to two thirds of a working day can now be generated on demand, with source-referenced financial data, benchmarking, and ownership structures in a single report.
Most used and valuable modules
Hawkeye company analyses / Company database and ownership structures / Longlist generation / Market analysis (Eagle Scope)
The full story.
Situation & Challenges
The company is a large international services group with revenues in the multi-billion-euro range. Its Corporate M&A team is responsible for identifying and evaluating acquisition targets across a broad range of service segments, including facility management, technical services, and security systems.
The team had previously used Bureau van Dijk's Orbis platform for many years, before ending the contract following a disagreement over pricing. A subsequent switch to an alternative database provided basic coverage but lacked the analytical depth and usability the team needed. At the time of engaging StrategyBridgeAI, the group was also evaluating PitchBook as a shared solution across three internal departments.
The core challenge was not access to data in isolation, but the ability to combine reliable financial data, ownership transparency, and structured analysis within a single workflow. Building a company analysis manually from public sources typically took up to two thirds of a working day per target, making it difficult to move quickly on multiple opportunities in parallel.
The main challenges were:
Manual and time-consuming analysis: building a structured target overview from public sources required significant research effort per company
No benchmarking capability for private companies: the team needed financial comparisons across privately held competitors, which most platforms do not support
Fragmented tooling: ownership structures, financial data, and market context had to be gathered from separate sources and consolidated by hand
Niche search quality: longlists for specific subsegments occasionally included companies that did not match the actual search criteria closely enough
Coverage gaps: data quality for smaller companies in certain European markets, particularly Switzerland and Poland, was insufficient for the team's deal pipeline
Use & Impact
The Corporate M&A team now uses StrategyBridgeAI as the main platform for company research, target analysis, and deal sourcing. The Hawkeye report is the most-used feature: it delivers structured competitor benchmarking, ownership structures, financial analysis, and market context in a single output, formatted directly as PowerPoint and Excel.
The team has confirmed that a target analysis which previously required up to two thirds of a working day can now be produced on demand. The structured output can be shared directly with decision-makers without further preparation, as the data is source-referenced and presented in audit-ready quality.
The longlist function is used to generate target lists for specific service segments. The AI-driven search allows the team to define precise criteria, including negative filters to exclude categories that do not fit, which significantly improves precision in niche markets.
The Eagle Scope market analysis has also been noted as a strong complement to the Hawkeye report, particularly for strategy and innovation work that requires broader market trend data alongside company-level analysis.
The platform is used for:
Hawkeye analyses for target assessment and investment committee preparation
Longlist generation for M&A sourcing in specific service segments
Ownership and shareholder structure research, including PE-backed and holding company structures
Financial benchmarking against private-company peer groups
Eagle Scope market analyses for industry trends and segment overviews
Impact in Daily Work
Impact in practice:
Target analyses that previously took most of a working day can now be produced on demand
Benchmarking output in IDW-standard quality, suitable for direct use in investment committee presentations
Ownership structures and beneficial owners clearly visible, including complex holding arrangements
Noticeably better usability compared to previous platforms, with a lower learning curve across the team
Quotes
The Hawkeye report: it would be presumptuous to suggest any improvements. Genuinely impressive what you have built there.
Around two thirds of a working day saved per report, is my rough estimate off the top of my head.
The usability is noticeably better than what we had before.
About the company
The interview partner is a member of the Corporate M&A team of a large international services group headquartered in Germany, with revenues in the multi-billion-euro range. The group operates across multiple service lines including facility management, technical services, and security systems, serving clients in both public and private sectors across Europe and beyond.
The Corporate M&A function evaluates acquisition targets across core and adjacent service segments. The team works on a deal-by-deal basis, producing structured target analyses for internal review, and managing a shared pipeline alongside colleagues in strategy and group innovation. The focus lies primarily on small to mid-cap targets in the low to mid double-digit million euro revenue range.
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