ENDE

Target Search & Longlisting

Find every relevant target — before anyone else does.

The Longlist module finds acquisition targets, strategic buyers and competitors with precise, semantic search — matching companies by business model and market logic, not rigid industry codes, so niche providers, SMEs and private companies surface too. Built for buy-side and sell-side mandates. Refine and enrich results live via chat, then export to Excel.

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2,000+ users50M companies>100 countries>80% time savings

Recommended by IDW (Institut der Wirtschaftsprüfer)Made in Germany

StrategyBridgeAI longlist results interface for M&A target search

Trusted by leading firms worldwide

The best targets are rarely filed neatly under the right industry code.

Many M&A teams still search through rigid industry filters. That works for clearly defined industries, but often fails for niches, new business models, specialized SMEs or companies that cannot be found through classic classifications.

Industry codes are too broad

Specialized providers disappear inside generic categories and are not identified cleanly.

Manual research is slow

Web research, database filters, Excel lists and plausibility checks take hours or days.

Relevant targets are missed

Especially in niche markets, the search logic determines whether a company is found at all.

Sneak peek

Three workflows, one longlisting engine

Every M&A process has two sides — and the Longlist module covers both: buy-side (find companies to buy) and sell-side (find buyers to sell a company), plus enriching a list you already have. Here's a quick look at each, straight from the product.

1

Similar Companies

Buy-Side

Buy-side: find companies to buy — semantic, AI-based search via chat.

Similar Companies: Results via chat input

Step 1Results via chat input

Describe your search field in plain language and get an initial longlist of matching companies.

Similar Companies: Detailed filtering

Step 2Detailed filtering

Narrow the list with granular filters for business model, location, industry and financials.

Similar Companies: Refine & enrich via chat

Step 3Refine & enrich via chat

Ask follow-up questions and the model researches live from the web to enrich and re-rank the list.

2

Strategic Buyers

Sell-Side

Sell-side: find buyers to sell a company, scored along the value chain.

Strategic Buyers: Website input via chat

Step 1Website input via chat

Paste a company's website to anchor the search on its business model and value chain.

Strategic Buyers: Find & select buyer groups

Step 2Find & select buyer groups

Review suggested strategic and financial buyer groups across the value chain and pick the ones that fit.

Strategic Buyers: Generate longlist

Step 3Generate longlist

Get a scored buyer longlist with contact data, ready to export.

3

Enriched Longlists

Bring your own list and fill in the gaps.

Enriched Longlists: Upload existing list

Step 1Upload existing list

Drop in an Excel or CSV of companies you have already collected — no fixed format required.

Enriched Longlists: Data mapping

Step 2Data mapping

Map your columns to StrategyBridgeAI fields so each company is matched to the right record.

Enriched Longlists: Enrichment & Excel export

Step 3Enrichment & Excel export

Enrich each company from the database, then download the completed list as Excel.

Full contents

What's inside the Longlist module?

Three workflows that cover target search, buyer search and list enrichment.

Buy-Side

Similar Companies

Semantic, chat-driven search
Granular filters
Live web enrichment — refine and enrich results from current web data via chat
Integrated detail view
Niche filters
Output as Excel

Sell-Side

Strategic Buyers

Strategic acquirers
Financial investors
All industries
Contact data
Intuitive output
Output as Excel

Enriched Longlists

Free-form upload
Smart matching
Verified data
Enriched list as output
Excel download

From target idea to decision case in five steps

StrategyBridgeAI takes you from a first search idea to decision-ready materials — without leaving the platform.

1
Enter a search field or target
Start with a market, business model, target name or investment thesis.
2
Identify targets and market participants
Find target lists, buyer lists, competitors and niche providers.
3
Analyze companies
First-view analysis, financials, ownership structure, market environment and initial risk indicators.
4
Go deeper
Due diligence & benchmarking, valuation, industry analysis and forecasting.
5
Prepare the decision case
Export as PowerPoint or Excel for pitches, IC, gate-1 or board materials.

Free longlist

What you receive: 30 potential targets for your search field

We create an initial target list based on your search logic — not just by industry, but by business model, service focus, market segment, region, company size and other relevant criteria. The 30 targets are your entry point into the platform: from target search to screening and benchmarking, through valuation, market intelligence and decision materials.

Ideal for M&A, corporate development, corporate finance, private equity, and advisory teams — on both buy-side and sell-side mandates.

Request your longlist

Describe your search field. We will follow up with the next step.

Why teams use StrategyBridgeAI for longlisting

More relevant targets

A broader and higher-quality deal pipeline, including niche markets and private companies.

Intuitive control, precise filters

Drive the search by chat in plain language, then narrow it with hard, granular filters — no query syntax, no learning curve.

Fewer tool switches

All the data lives in one place — no tool-hopping to piece information together from separate sources.

More time for the deal

Less manual research, less copy-paste, more focus on valuation, thesis and decision-making.

What clients say

Dr. Dirk Pramann — Dr. Dirk Pramann
Mition Mittelstandsbeteiligungen

Dr. Volker Riedel — Dr. Volker Riedel
Dr. Wieselhuber & Partner

Nikolai Üstündağ — Nikolai Üstündağ
WTS Advisory

Explore the rest of the platform

Outside-In Business Analysis

A complete outside-in view of any company: financials, peers, industry and a first valuation.

Niche Market Reports

Source-verified market intelligence across industries, including niche markets.

Global data coverage

~50M private and public companies: ownership, financials, transactions and contacts.

See the full StrategyBridgeAI platform

Trusted by auditing and advisory professionals

Featured by IDW

StrategyBridgeAI is listed by the Institut der Wirtschaftsprüfer - a recognized seal of quality for tools used by auditing and advisory professionals in Germany.

NET PROMOTER SCORE

73

Our customers don't just stay — they tell others.

Top 10% globally · Industry avg: 30–40

Source: Bain & Company NPS Benchmarks

ANNUAL RENEWAL RATE

97%

Of our customers renew. Every year.

Best-in-class · B2B SaaS median: 91%

Source: SaaS Capital, 2026 — 1,000+ companies

Book a demo

Prefer a walkthrough? Grab a slot and we'll show you the Longlist module live, on a search field you care about.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a StrategyBridgeAI longlist work?

You describe a search field, target, business model or investment thesis in the chat. StrategyBridgeAI runs a semantic search by business model, market logic, region, size and ownership structure — not by rigid industry codes — and returns a longlist of matching companies. It works the same way for buy-side target searches and sell-side buyer searches. You refine and enrich the results directly in the chat, then export the list to Excel.

Can I enrich a target list I already have?

Yes. The Enriched Longlists workflow lets you upload an existing Excel or CSV, map your columns to StrategyBridgeAI fields, and enrich each company with data from the database. You then download the enriched list as Excel.

Does it find private companies, SMEs and niche providers?

Yes. Because the search works on business model and market logic rather than industry codes, it surfaces niche providers, SMEs and private companies that generic industry filters often miss.

Who is the Longlist module for?

M&A, corporate development, corporate finance, private equity, advisory and strategy teams — on buy-side and sell-side mandates — building target lists, buyer lists or competitor sets for sourcing, screening and deal preparation.

How is this different from a standard company database search?

A standard database search relies on fixed industry codes and static filters. The Longlist module uses semantic search — matching on business model and market logic rather than codes — lets you refine results conversationally, and enriches them live with current web data, so relevant companies outside the obvious category still surface.