PE Sourcing Knowledge Base
Practical guides, playbooks, and templates to help your firm build a systematic approach to proprietary deal sourcing and relationship management.
The Complete Guide to Proprietary Deal Sourcing
A comprehensive playbook for building a systematic proprietary origination process. Learn how top PE firms source 50%+ of their deals through relationships—and how you can too.
What's inside:
- 1Why Proprietary Sourcing Matters
- 2Mapping Your Firm's Network
- 3Building Relationship Intelligence Infrastructure
- 4The Outreach Playbook
- 5Measuring Sourcing Performance
All Guides
Do CEO Traits Predict PE Exit Success? What 47,643 Appointments Reveal
A comprehensive analysis of whether CEO background characteristics predict positive exit outcomes for PE-backed companies.
Topics covered:
- 47,643 CEO appointments analyzed
- FDR-corrected hypothesis testing
- Machine learning achieves AUC of only 0.562
Does an MBA Make a Better PE CEO? The Data Says No
Analysis of 4,274 MBA-holding CEOs vs. 7,900 non-MBA CEOs across PE-backed companies.
Topics covered:
- MBA exit rate: 36.3% vs non-MBA 33.7%
- Top-10 MBA programs perform worse than average MBA
- Not significant after FDR correction
FAANG, MBB, and Elite Banking: Do Prestigious Employers Predict PE CEO Success?
We analyzed PE-backed CEO outcomes for executives with FAANG, MBB, and elite banking backgrounds.
Topics covered:
- FAANG CEOs have below-average exit rates
- Elite banking shows zero predictive signal
- MBB effect vanishes under rigorous testing
What Actually Predicts PE CEO Success? Only 2 of 22 Traits Survived
After testing 22 CEO background traits with FDR correction and temporal validation, only 2 survived.
Topics covered:
- General management background and years of experience
- Effect sizes are still tiny (general management = seniority proxy)
- Full robustness gauntlet: FDR, era, temporal, causal
Beyond the Resume: Why Backchannel Diligence Beats Credential Screening
If CEO backgrounds can't predict PE exit success, what can? The answer lies in relationship-based intelligence.
Topics covered:
- Why credential screening gives false confidence
- Building a relationship-based diligence process
- How relationship intelligence transforms hiring
Relationship Mapping 101
The fundamentals of building and maintaining a relationship map for your PE firm. From data collection to activation strategies.
Topics covered:
- Defining relationship quality tiers
- Collecting relationship data systematically
- Keeping your map current
The Sector Coverage Playbook
How to build comprehensive coverage of any sector—from initial mapping to ongoing monitoring and outreach.
Topics covered:
- Defining your ideal company profile
- Building exhaustive company lists
- Prioritizing targets by relationship strength
Building an Executive Talent Pipeline
A step-by-step guide to building a proprietary database of portfolio company executive candidates.
Topics covered:
- Defining executive profiles by role
- Sourcing candidates through relationships
- Validating track records
The Warm Introduction Playbook
Proven templates and strategies for requesting and facilitating warm introductions to target executives.
Topics covered:
- When to request (and not request) an intro
- Crafting the perfect ask
- Making it easy for the introducer
Reference Checking Through Relationships
How to leverage your network for more candid, thorough reference checks during due diligence.
Topics covered:
- Finding back-channel references
- Structuring reference conversations
- Reading between the lines
Ready-to-Use Templates
Download templates used by top PE firms to operationalize their sourcing process.
Target Prioritization Matrix
Score and rank targets based on fit, relationship strength, and timing signals.
Download CSVRelationship Data Collection Form
Systematically gather relationship intel from your team.
Download TXTReady to Put These Strategies to Work?
See how Verata can help you implement systematic relationship-based sourcing.