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The Best Expert Networks for Private Equity: A Buyer’s Guide

4 Min Read

When your PE firm is evaluating a deal or developing an investment thesis, you need insights fast. The best expert networks surface operators with firsthand experience who can spot pitfalls, provide key insights, and accelerate conviction. But not all expert network companies connect you with precise-fit industry experts. Some cast wide nets, while others go deeper–vetting subject matter experts through tailored expert interviews.

This guide will break down the top expert networks in PE, what they do well, where they fall short, and how to figure out which model fits your firm.

TOP Expert Networks for Private Equity

1. Apex Leaders

  • Founded: 2009, Boise, Idaho
  • Approach: Bespoke expert sourcing for private equity

What Apex Leaders Does Best:

  • Network Ownership: Every advisor introduced is yours to keep, allowing you to build a proprietary bench of top professionals over time.
  • Fresh Research: Each advisor search starts with your firm’s unique thesis, diligence angles, and what questions you need answered so you can move forward with conviction. s. Research is tailored to your specific questions, providing you with sharper insights  than general databases.
  • Rigorous Vetting: PE-centric vetting and interviews occur well before advisors ever hit your desk. You can be sure the subject matter experts you connect with are trusted operators who can answer your questions and guide your decision-making.
  • Economic Model: Apex Leaders offers a flexible, PE-centric model combining a monthly retainer with success fees on closed platform transactions.

Who Apex Leaders is Best For:

Apex Leaders is an expert network and consulting firm that partners well with firms that prioritize depth over breadth and want to develop conviction in every deal. Apex’s experts provide value from the start and become long-term trusted partners, creating a sustainable proprietary advisor network.

“Apex Leaders is excellent across the board. They’ve found us great advisors in a timely manner and have kept working through issues once we found a primary operator. We always appreciate the team’s thoroughness and persistence on our behalf.”

Sam G. Astor, Partner at Atlas Holdings
Private equity professional meeting with one of the best expert networks

2. GLG (Gerson Lehrman Group)

  • Founded: 1998, New York City
  • Approach: Large-scale network, with 1.2M+ advisors across industries

What GLG Does Best:

  • Expansive Network: GLG offers a large global expert network covering a wide range of industries for rapid, high-volume connections.
  • Efficiency: GLG quickly qualifies experts using surveys to speed up the vetting process.
  • Diverse Services: PE firms can engage with SMEs on expert calls, surveys, research, and strategic projects.

Limitations:

 Speed is a trade-off for deep, rigorous vetting.

WHO GLG IS Best For:

Larger PE firms with resources to sift through a wide pool of industry experts and who need global reach at speed.

3. AlphaSights

  • Founded: 2008, New York & London
  • Approach: Global leader in “knowledge on-demand”

What AlphaSights Does Best:

  • Speed and Global Reach: AlphaSights is highly regarded in the expert network industry for rapid expert identification and connections worldwide.
  • Client Service Teams: AlphaSights offers access to a dedicated client service team to manage projects and communication.
  • Technology-Enabled Sourcing: This expert network leverages technology to efficiently identify and engage experts.

Limitations:

AlphaSights’ size is both its strength and its challenge. With such a vast pool of advisors, PE firms sometimes find themselves sorting through several conversations before landing on the one that delivers real conviction.

WHO AlphaSights IS Best For:

Urgent due diligence and quick assessments where immediacy takes precedence over thorough vetting.

4. Guidepoint

  • Founded: 2003, New York
  • Approach: Versatile, subscription-based platform

What Guidepoint Does Best:

  • Varied Offerings: Guidepoint offers a range of engagement opportunities, including calls, events, and surveys. They also offer market reports and call transcripts.
  • Subscription Model: This traditional expert network operates on a subscription model.
  • Strong Global Compliance: Guidepoint emphasizes robust compliance protocols, with offices worldwide to give private equity firms regional expertise where they need it.

Limitations:

The subscription model can encourage a “use it or lose it” mentality and can be pricey for smaller investment firms.

WHO Guidepoint IS Best For:

PE firms seeking a versatile partner with a wide array of research tools and market intelligence offerings, particularly those valuing comprehensive access to diverse data and reports to complement their research efforts.

Private equity team discusses the best expert networks for their firm

5. Third Bridge

  • Founded: 2007, London
  • Approach: Content-rich research with a transcript library

What Third Bridge Does Best:

  • Integrated Research: Third Bridge offers one-on-one expert network calls and access to a library of transcripts from moderated calls, with hundreds of new transcripts added monthly.
  • Specialized Teams: This expert network supplies dedicated, specialized teams for Public Equity, Private Equity, Credit, and Consulting.

Limitations:

 Third Bridge emphasizes opinions over deep-dive analysis, which can limit how far insights go.

WHO Third Bridge IS Best For:

Firms that lean heavily on transcript-driven insights and structured content to supplement their own research.

6. AlphaSense / Tegus

  • Founded: 2016, Chicago (Tegus acquired by AlphaSense)
  • Approach: Market intelligence platform with financial and transcript integration

What Alphasense Does Best:

  • Significant Transcript Library: AlphaSense is known for having one of the largest libraries of expert transcripts, which is a core part of its business model.
  • Integrated Platform: AlphaSense combines expert transcripts, financial data, and custom calls, providing PE firms with easy access to on-demand information. 
  • User-Friendly Interface and Excel Integration: This expert network provides seamless integration with financial modeling tools.

Limitations:

Because AlphaSense places a heavy emphasis on historical transcripts, it means there is less emphasis on new, tailored conversations. PE firms may find expert insights do not align with their current needs.

WHO AlphaSights IS Best For:

Firms that prioritize aggregated insights and efficient data retrieval over custom advisor discovery.

Picking the Right Expert Network

The best expert network for your firm depends on what you value most for your investment decisions. When deals hinge on details, you need expert insights to help you build conviction. 

Firms that partner with Apex Leaders gain expert access for in-depth research, build their own bench of trusted advisors for their network, and walk into every deal confident they’ve left no stone unturned.

If you’re ready to move with speed, confidence, and precision, Apex Leaders can help. We connect you with the expertise your firm needs to lead with confidence.

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