Case study
Crossroads Capital cuts deal search time by up to 80% with Inven
reduction in deal search time
10-hour searches done in 2–3
coverage across sectors and geographies
GovCon, IT Services, SaaS, US & Europe
analysis on every target
more time for evaluation
Crossroads Capital is an M&A advisory in the DC Metro area, focused on GovCon/Defense, IT Services, and SaaS in the lower middle market. With Inven, work that previously took ten hours now takes two to three — letting co-founder Richard Phillips spend the saved time on deeper target analysis instead of search.
The challenge
Flying blind: The pitfalls of a fragmented process
Phillips had experimented with various deal sourcing tools in the past, but none quite hit the mark. “To put it simply,” he stated, “– other software solutions just haven’t been effective enough at intelligent targeting.”
Some tools failed to address their buy-side needs, while others excelled in specific industries but fell short when deployed in broader sectors. Additionally, many of the software solutions they had tested weren’t intuitive enough, making it difficult to find what they were looking for and be more systematic in their approach.
Their process ended up consisting of a mix of different databases, direct communication with companies, and a lot of internet searches, but it didn’t feel ideal. “We knew we were missing out on targets and intelligence, it felt like we were flying blind a little bit,” Phillips admitted.
"We knew we were missing out on targets and intelligence, it felt like we were flying blind a little bit."
The Solution
Enhanced target quality: Deeper analysis and better results
Turns out, Inven was the missing piece. When Crossroads Capital discovered Inven, it was revolutionary for them.
Phillips recalls, “When we saw the interface, I remember thinking that this is great. It’s creative. Easy to use, easy to understand, easy to navigate. Easy to find what you’re looking for quickly.”
“I absolutely love it. I sing its praises a lot to other folks,” Phillips says. They have found value in Inven’s contact data, the intent to sell, AI screening capabilities, and especially the software’s nuanced understanding of the context and criteria of each search. “It’s a great business intelligence tool and its ease of use is on top of all those things.”
"When we saw the interface, I remember thinking that this is great. It’s creative. Easy to use, easy to understand, easy to navigate. Easy to find what you’re looking for quickly."
The result
Crossroads Capital cuts deal search time by up to 80%
“It has improved our search capability,” he explains. “The impact of it is so obvious and apparent. Work that might have taken ten hours with our previous methodologies and tools, now takes only two or three – and we’re able to do a deeper analysis on targets with that saved time.”
For Crossroads Capital, Inven has improved the quality of targets and allowed them to spend their time more effectively and thoughtfully.
“Of all the tools I’ve used, and I’ve used pretty much all of them – Inven is the easiest to use, the one I enjoy most, it’s my go-to,” Phillips concludes.
"The impact of Inven is so obvious and apparent. Work that might have taken ten hours with our previous methodologies and tools, now takes only two or three – and we’re able to do a deeper analysis on targets with that saved time."
About Crossroads Capital
Crossroads Capital is an M&A advisory in the DC Metro area, focused on GovCon/Defense, IT Services, and SaaS in the lower middle market. The firm serves both buy-side and sell-side clients across domestic and cross-border transactions.
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