Investment Banking Deal Origination

For investment banks, origination has become a data-driven discipline – firms that can identify qualified buyers and targets first consistently win mandates. This review outlines the leading deal origination and deal sourcing platforms used by investment banks. It covers tools such as Inven, PitchBook, and Capital IQ, examining how an advanced deal origination system can support faster, more informed M&A sourcing and client coverage.

Key Takeaways

  • The most effective deal origination and private market data platforms for investment banking combine data coverage, analytical depth, and efficient workflow integration.
  • Inven is the first AI-native origination platform built specifically for private-market sourcing, complementing traditional providers such as PitchBook or Capital IQ.
  • AI tools for investment banking are increasingly used to streamline market mapping, comparable analysis, and buyer outreach.
  • Deal sourcing software pricing ranges from thousands to tens of thousands per user annually, depending on software, data access and integration level. Higher-cost software may be quoted at the hundred thousands.

Top Deal Origination Platforms for Investment Banking 2025

Deal origination has become a defining capability for investment banks competing for mandates in a data-saturated market. The firms that can identify qualified targets, maintain buyer coverage, and surface proprietary opportunities first are those that consistently win engagements. 

Modern deal sourcing platforms centralize company and ownership data, integrate transaction histories, and increasingly apply AI-driven logic to detect patterns that manual research may overlook.

The following eight platforms are among the most widely adopted by investment-banking origination and coverage teams.

1. Inven – AI-native origination for private-market coverage

Inven is an AI-native deal origination platform built for private-market coverage. It combines data on more than 21 million companies and 430 million executives and owners, enabling analysts to locate acquisition candidates and buyers that match their criteria through an intelligent, natural-language search supported by a variety of filters.

Analysts can specify parameters such as “family-owned manufacturing businesses in the DACH region with €10–50 million revenue,” and Inven returns qualified results complete with ownership and funding information, revenue estimates, other user-requested data, and contact information for outreach instantly.

Best for: Investment banks conducting buy-side and sell-side origination in fragmented private markets.‍

Strengths: Competitive pricing, AI-driven discovery, contact and ownership data, exportable lists that can be generated in seconds, global reach. Users report up to 10x faster sourcing and 30% more qualified targets.‍

Limitations:  Focused on private-market discovery rather than public-company financial modeling or macro-level datasets.‍

Inven Pricing: Custom, competitive and aligned with team size and coverage scope.

Get started with Inven to schedule a demo and discuss pricing for your team.

2. PitchBook – Transaction and valuation intelligence

PitchBook remains a core platform for firms conducting comparable-transaction analysis or monitoring sponsor activity. Covering more than three million public and private companies, it provides detailed deal histories, valuation multiples, and investor data used in pitch preparation and market mapping.

Best for: Comparable-transaction analysis, valuation benchmarking, investor tracking.‍

Strengths: Extensive deal records, Excel integration, fund and sponsor coverage. ‍

Limitations: Historical and sponsor-focused by nature; smaller private or undisclosed companies often underrepresented in coverage.‍

PitchBook Pricing: Generally from the mid-$20K range per year.

Compare Inven and Pitchbook in more detail.

3. S&P Capital IQ – Public-to-private market visibility

Part of S&P Global, Capital IQ integrates public-company financials with private-market intelligence. Its datasets and sector research make it a strong tool for bankers preparing comps, benchmarking analyzes, and valuation models.

Best for: Financial modeling and public-private comparables.‍

Strengths: Verified data, in-depth sector reports, strong Excel workflow.‍

Limitations: Optimized for financial modeling, not proactive origination; limited visibility into sub-$50M revenue or early-stage private firms.‍

Capital IQ Pricing: Enterprise licenses typically from $25K + per user.

4. Cyndx – AI-Assisted Company and Investor Matching

Cyndx positions itself as an AI-driven platform for deal origination and capital matching. It uses natural-language processing and predictive analytics to connect investors with companies seeking funding or liquidity. The system analyzes data points to suggest relevant buyer–seller or investor–target matches.

Best for: Early-stage and growth investment banks focused on capital introductions and investor mapping.‍

Strengths: AI matching algorithms, integrated investor network, visualization of company–investor relationships.‍

Limitations: Focused on investor–company matching more than full origination workflows; limited transparency into data sources and smaller overall company coverage compared to larger platforms.‍

Cyndx Pricing: Reportedly mid-five-figure annual licenses, depending on data access and seat count.

5. Gain.pro – European Private-Market Research

Gain.pro offers financial and ownership intelligence on European private companies, particularly in the lower- and mid-market segments. The platform blends registry data, financial filings, and proprietary analyst research to identify profitable, growing companies that fit buyout or add-on strategies. Analysts and bankers use it to validate deal theses, benchmark targets, and prepare origination lists for European clients.‍

Best for: European mid-market investment banks, private equity firms, and M&A advisors.‍

Strengths: Verified European financials, strong coverage of EBITDA-positive private companies, detailed ownership data.‍

Limitations: Primarily Europe-focused; limited global visibility and narrower sector diversity than larger global datasets.‍

Gain.pro Pricing: Custom enterprise pricing; typically low-to-mid five-figure annual licenses per firm.

6. Grata – Mid-market discovery

Now part of Datasite, Grata uses website data and machine learning to help deal teams map industries, discover businesses, and enrich pipelines. Coverage and manual enrichment pace make it less suited for global or high-volume sourcing. Its platform combines company information with event and conference data, offering visibility into firms that are active in professional networks and supporting target discovery.

Best for: Mid-market origination and buy-side research.‍

Strengths: Website-based data capture, CRM connectivity, expanding SMB coverage.

‍Limitations: Manual enrichment takes 1–3 days; platform coverage is largely U.S.-centric and less suited for global or high-volume sourcing.‍

Grata Pricing: Basic quote reported to be around $15,000 a year.

See how Inven and Grata compare in more detail.

7. Sourcescrub – Private-Company Intelligence for Outbound Origination

Sourcescrub provides private-company intelligence for mainly U.S. and North American deal origination. It aggregates information from websites, business directories, and market activity to surface companies. Now part of Datasite’s M&A technology suite alongside Grata, Sourcescrub supports outbound origination, event tracking, and list enrichment for bankers and deal teams.‍

Best for: U.S. middle-market origination and outbound research.‍

Strengths: Standard private-company database, CRM integrations, event and network-based discovery.‍

Limitations: Limited global coverage and slower data enrichment. Core functionality and roadmap are transitioning into Datasite’s Grata platform.‍

Sourcescrub Pricing: Typically starts in the low-five-figure range per user annually.

Compare Inven and Sourcescrub in more detail.

8. Valu8 – Nordic private-market company data

Valu8 provides detailed intelligence on privately held companies across the Nordic and wider European markets. Its data focuses on small and mid-sized businesses, making it useful for analysts sourcing regional or add-on opportunities. Valu8 aggregates company financials, ownership details, and recent developments, offering filters tailored to buy-and-build and mid-market strategies.‍

Best for: Investment banks and corporate finance teams with a Nordic or European focus.‍

Strengths: Strong SMB coverage, verified registry data, useful for regional deal mapping.‍

Limitations: Coverage largely restricted to Europe; limited AI automation or workflow integrations compared to newer platforms.‍

Valu8 Pricing: Custom, based on data depth and number of seats.

How Investment Banks Use Deal Origination Platforms

Investment banks apply deal sourcing tools throughout the origination lifecycle:

  • To find potential sellers, acquirers, and financing targets that meet specific strategic criteria.
  • To construct and maintain buyer universes and build investor lists.
  • To benchmark transactions and valuation multiples across sectors and geographies.
  • To integrate live data directly into pitch materials and client presentations.

How do investment banks use AI for deal origination?

Modern origination teams rely on AI to automate company discovery, interpret unstructured data from websites and filings, and surface intent-to-sell signals. Tools like Inven now combine ownership, growth, and leadership data, enabling bankers to identify proprietary opportunities faster and with higher confidence.

Inven’s AI-based deal sourcing search reduces the time required for these steps, allowing teams to dedicate more effort to strategic discussions and client engagement rather than manual research.

What to Evaluate When Selecting a Platform

When assessing deal-sourcing software for investment banking, key factors include:

  • Coverage across private and public companies with financial information.
  • Search precision, ideally using natural-language or AI-assisted logic to cover even more applicable options.
  • Availability of accurate ownership and contact information.
  • Compatibility with existing workflows, such as CRM integration, Chrome extension, or exporting lists.
  • Frequency of data updates and level of client support.

For banks already using a tool like PitchBook or Capital IQ, a deal sourcing software such as Inven can also act as a complementary layer – expanding private-market visibility and proprietary origination reach.

Deal Origination Platform Pricing Overview

Pricing for deal origination platforms varies widely by scale of access, number of users, and available features. For most deal sourcing platforms, pricing operates on an annual subscription with tiered plans. Large institutions often select enterprise agreements that include custom integrations and better workflow support.

Because each vendor structures pricing differently – some per user, others by dataset or functionality – direct comparison is rarely meaningful. For detailed pricing information, request an introduction and offer from your selected software provider.

Inven offers free trials and competitive, custom pricing aligned to customer and sourcing needs.

Why AI Tools for Deal Origination Matter

Modern origination requires synthesising multiple data sources quickly and accurately. Platforms that combine multiple sources, structured data, and offer AI-assisted discovery as well as data enrichment help investment banks maintain visibility across fragmented private markets.

Investment banks and other customers using Inven have reported up to ten-times faster sourcing and measurable improvements in mandate conversion rates as well as revenue.

Conclusion – Selecting the Right Platform

Selecting a deal-origination platform depends on coverage requirements, internal workflows, and sector focus.

If your team is looking for an option that accelerates buyer and target discovery, reduces manual research, and integrates seamlessly with existing CRM and analytical workflows, Inven offers a modern alternative to legacy databases. Inven provides AI-driven search and verified private-market data suitable for global origination.

It empowers investment banking teams to identify proprietary opportunities earlier, build smarter buyer universes, and deliver differentiated insights to clients – all from a single, intuitive interface.

Ready for results?

Book a demo to explore how Inven can support your firm’s origination process and deliver faster, more targeted deal discovery.