Case study
How Candor Advisors uses Inven to expand their buyer universe lists
buyers added per mandate
strategic and financial
view of the private market
boutique team reach matching larger platforms
Candor Advisors is a boutique sell-side firm led by Kirk Michie, a 30-year M&A veteran with over 60 transactions and $1B+ in deal value behind him. With Inven, the firm added 50+ strategic and financial buyers to a single fintech/software mandate — building the kind of buyer universe boutique teams rarely reach without enterprise tooling.
The challenge
Streamlining buyer list building
Operating with a lean, but efficient team, Candor Advisors wanted to simplify the process of building out their buyer lists, to include a robust and inclusive catalog of all potential buyers in the market. They required a tool that could help them to expand their buyer universe efficiently, similar to larger platforms but tailored to a boutique firm's scale. The need was for a solution that had return on investment but was also efficient and easy to integrate into their existing workflow.
"We were able to add roughly 50 potential buyers, both strategic and financial, to our list using Inven. The AI-driven search in Inven was pivotal in refining our buyer list, making the process more targeted and efficient."
The Solution
Choosing Inven
Coming from Crunchbase, Candor Advisors wanted something with more advanced functionality — closer to PitchBook, but without the cost and complexity. Inven fit.
Descriptive search lets the team type what they were looking for in their own words, without having to figure out the exact terms. Advanced filters narrowed results to companies that genuinely matched the brief. The data was accurate, the workflow was fast, and the targeting was precise — exactly what a lean team needs to compete with larger platforms on reach.
"The ease of use of the software is great, and I think it really narrows down on companies that make a lot of sense with what we were searching for."
The result
50+ potential buyers discovered through Inven
Candor Advisors quickly integrated Inven into their processes, using its AI capabilities to refine and expand their buyer list for a fintech/software business deal. This included identifying potential financial and strategic buyers, which helps the firm drive more competitive tension for better valuation and terms for selling founders.
“We were able to add roughly 50 potential buyers, both strategic and financial, to our list using Inven. The AI-driven search in Inven was pivotal in refining our buyer list, making the process more targeted and efficient.” — Kirk Michie
“The ease of use of the software is great, and I think it really narrows down on companies that make a lot of sense with what we were searching for.” — Allie Michie
Even with everything Inven automates, Kirk and Allie appreciated the human contact and service. “The fact that we can actually talk to a real person, who is always available, is great and I think is really unique.”
"I’ve appreciated how nice everybody is. The fact that we can actually talk to a real person, who is always available, is great and I think is really unique."
About Candor Advisors
Candor Advisors is a boutique transaction advisory firm founded by Kirk Michie, who has over 30 years of experience in the financial and capital markets. The company specializes in guiding founders through the complexities of selling their businesses. Kirk’s extensive experience includes participating in over 60 M&A transactions, with a cumulative value exceeding $1 billion, along with raising more than $1 billion in capital throughout his career.
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