How this list works
- Entries come from each vendor's own website, checked on the date shown, and from dated announcements for ownership changes. Figures marked “vendor figure” are the vendor's claims; we have not verified them.
- Within each category the order is alphabetical. There is no ranking and no “best”.
- Vedekon has no commercial relationship with any vendor listed, and no link here is an affiliate link.
- The market moves quickly. Datasite now owns Grata and Sourcescrub; BlackRock owns Preqin; Cyndx announced it is winding down and is not listed. We re-check the list every month.
Categories
- Private-company databases and search (10)
- Deal networks and marketplaces (5)
- Deal CRM and relationship intelligence (4)
- Contact data and enrichment (4)
- AI-native sourcing and research (2)
- Market and deal intelligence (3)
How to choose
Start from how you source, not from the tool. A team that buys add-ons for a few portfolio companies needs a good private-company database and a CRM the deal team actually uses. A team that runs thesis-led outreach to founders needs the database, contact data and a disciplined cadence. A team that mostly sees banked processes gets more from deal intelligence and adviser relationships than from search.
- Test coverage on your own universe. Before buying, ask each vendor to find twenty companies you already know fit your buy box, including small private ones. Coverage claims in the millions say little about your niche.
- Check data freshness. Revenue estimates, headcounts and owner details go stale fast. Ask how they are sourced and how often they are updated.
- Plan the CRM first. A database without a CRM produces lists nobody follows up. Make sure the two integrate.
- Mind the contracts. Most of these tools sell annual subscriptions by seat. Check what happens to your exported data and notes if you leave.
A typical stack
Most deal teams combine one tool from each of the first three layers: a private-company database to define and search the universe, a CRM to manage relationships and the pipeline, and a contact-data tool to reach the right person. Marketplaces and deal intelligence sit alongside. For how the tools fit into the work, see our guide to deal origination and sourcing.
Private-company databases and search
Where a buyer defines the universe: companies, their size, ownership and history. Most sourcing starts here.
CB Insights
Predictive intelligence on private companies, delivered through a research terminal and AI agents. The site cites 13M+ company profiles and funding data from 1.5M deals (vendor figures).
- Suits
- Corporate strategy and corporate development teams looking for acquisition, investment or partnership targets.
- Pricing
- Subscription; not published.
Crunchbase
Private-company data with AI predictions on funding, growth, acquisitions, IPOs and closures.
- Suits
- Venture and growth investors, and go-to-market teams researching younger companies.
- Pricing
- Pro and Business plans with a free trial; prices on the vendor's pricing page.
Dealroom.co
Startup and technology-ecosystem intelligence: startups, founders and funding rounds, with signals on fast-growing companies.
- Suits
- Investors, corporates and public bodies following technology ecosystems.
- Pricing
- Not published.
Grata
Search and research on private middle-market companies, which Datasite now describes as an “agentic M&A workspace”. The site cites 22M+ companies mapped (vendor figure).
- Suits
- Buyers who search for private targets by describing what they want rather than by industry code.
- Owner
- Datasite
- Pricing
- Not published.
Inven
AI platform for mapping whole markets and building target lists grounded in company data. The site cites 65M+ companies and 3M+ transactions (vendor figures).
- Suits
- Private equity, investment banking, consulting and corporate development teams building market maps.
- Pricing
- Not published.
Orbis
A global database of private and listed company data. Moody's cites coverage of 650M+ companies (vendor figure).
- Suits
- Buyers who need broad international coverage of private companies.
- Owner
- Moody's (formerly Bureau van Dijk)
- Pricing
- Not published.
PitchBook
Private capital market data across venture capital, private equity and M&A: companies, deals, investors, funds and limited partners.
- Suits
- Sponsors and advisers who need fund, investor and deal history alongside company data.
- Owner
- Morningstar (since 2016)
- Pricing
- Subscription; not published.
Preqin
Private markets data on funds, investors and performance.
- Suits
- Fundraising and investor research more than target sourcing.
- Owner
- BlackRock (since March 2025)
- Pricing
- Not published.
Sourcescrub
Deal-sourcing platform that finds and tracks private companies; Datasite is combining its data with Grata. The site cites 16M+ companies from 220K+ sources, though the figures vary across its pages (vendor figures).
- Suits
- Private equity, investment banking and corporate development origination teams.
- Owner
- Datasite (since August 2025)
- Pricing
- Not published.
Tracxn
Tracks private companies from pre-funding to unicorn stage. The site cites 8.4M+ companies (vendor figure).
- Suits
- Venture capital, private equity, corporate development and innovation teams.
- Pricing
- Not published.
Deal networks and marketplaces
Where sellers and their advisers meet buyers. Useful for reaching many small advisers at once, and for smaller and online businesses.
Acquire.com
Marketplace for buying and selling online businesses: SaaS, ecommerce, agencies, content, newsletters and apps.
- Suits
- Buyers of smaller online businesses.
- Pricing
- Separate buyer and seller plans; prices not shown on the home page.
Axial
A private deal network for the North American lower middle market. Buyers set their criteria; the advisers representing companies see which buyers match and choose whom to approach. There is no public listing of deals.
- Suits
- Financial sponsors, family offices, independent sponsors and acquisitive companies.
- Pricing
- Not published.
BizBuySell
Marketplace for small businesses for sale. Buyers search free; brokers and owners pay a monthly fee to list.
- Suits
- Individual buyers and acquirers of small, owner-run businesses.
- Owner
- CoStar Group
- Pricing
- Free for buyers; listing fees for sellers.
Dealsuite
A closed European M&A platform where vetted advisers, private equity firms, strategic buyers and owners exchange deal projects. The site cites thousands of M&A professionals in 50+ countries (vendor figure).
- Suits
- Buyers and advisers active in European mid-market deals.
- Pricing
- Not published.
Flippa
Marketplace and brokerage for online businesses: websites, apps, ecommerce and SaaS.
- Suits
- Buyers of small online businesses and digital assets.
- Pricing
- Not published on the home page.
Deal CRM and relationship intelligence
Where the pipeline lives. Relationship-intelligence CRMs capture email and calendar activity so the firm can see who knows whom.
4Degrees
CRM and relationship intelligence for deal teams: relationship-strength scoring, alerts on contacts' job changes and news, email and calendar sync, pipeline tracking and a Salesforce integration.
- Suits
- Private equity, venture capital and investment banking teams.
- Pricing
- Not published.
Affinity
Relationship-intelligence CRM for private capital that captures interactions, maps warm paths to decision-makers and automates deal-stage updates. The site cites 3,300+ private capital firms as users (vendor figure).
- Suits
- Private equity, venture capital and other private capital firms.
- Pricing
- Not published.
Intapp DealCloud
Deal and relationship management: relationship maps and scores, automatic logging of emails and meetings, configurable workflows and third-party data enrichment.
- Suits
- Private capital and investment banking firms, and professional services firms.
- Owner
- Intapp
- Pricing
- Not published.
Navatar
AI-powered CRM for private markets that combines a firm's internal knowledge with external market, company and relationship data.
- Suits
- Private equity, venture capital, investment banking, family office and institutional investors.
- Pricing
- Not published.
Contact data and enrichment
Once a target is chosen, these find the right person and a way to reach them. Built for sales teams, widely used by deal teams.
Apollo.io
B2B contact and company data combined with sales-execution tools. The site cites 240M+ contacts and 30M+ accounts (vendor figures).
- Suits
- Teams that want data and outreach in one tool.
- Pricing
- Free sign-up; paid plans.
Cognism
B2B contact data including phone-verified mobile numbers, CRM enrichment and API access, with an emphasis on European markets and GDPR.
- Suits
- Teams contacting owners and executives in Europe.
- Pricing
- Not published.
LinkedIn Sales Navigator
Search, saved lists and outreach on LinkedIn's professional network.
- Suits
- Finding and approaching owners and executives directly.
- Owner
- LinkedIn (Microsoft)
- Pricing
- Subscription.
ZoomInfo
Verified B2B contact and company data with AI agents and integrations.
- Suits
- Larger teams with structured outreach.
- Pricing
- Not published.
AI-native sourcing and research
Newer tools built around AI agents that search, enrich and draft outreach. Grata (above) has moved in the same direction.
Acqwired
Deal-sourcing platform that pulls company and contact data from sources such as Sourcescrub, Grata, LinkedIn and CRMs, with AI-assisted list building and outreach automation.
- Suits
- Private equity origination teams.
- Pricing
- Not published.
Harmonic
Startup discovery platform with an AI agent (Scout), research tools and an API for monitoring companies and people. The site cites 30M+ companies and 190M+ people (vendor figures).
- Suits
- Venture and growth investors, and corporate development teams following startups.
- Pricing
- Not published.
Market and deal intelligence
News, predictions and records of deals and advisers: who is selling, who advised whom.
Dealogic
Capital-markets content and software for banks, connecting them with investment firms on deals and events.
- Suits
- Investment banks and capital-markets teams.
- Owner
- ION Analytics
- Pricing
- Not published.
MergerLinks
Matches principals with M&A advisers (banks, law, accounting and PR firms) based on their track records. The site cites a pool of 120,000+ experts (vendor figure).
- Suits
- Companies and investors choosing advisers for a transaction.
- Pricing
- Not published.
Mergermarket
Proprietary M&A intelligence, data and AI-driven predictive analytics, produced by a newsroom of journalists and analysts.
- Suits
- Advisers and buyers tracking sale processes before they are public.
- Owner
- ION Analytics (ION Group)
- Pricing
- Not published.