Acquisition Strategy

Proprietary Deal Sourcing

Finding the company before an intermediary opens a process is the durable advantage in private markets. Unity sources privately, matches the opportunity to a written mandate, and routes overlapping interest by membership priority inside a defined review window.

Submit a mandate Sourcing model

Why proprietary

Access before the process starts

Public listings and banker-run auctions arrive after price expectations harden and after several buyers have already seen the same book. Proprietary deal sourcing means the owner is still privately considering options. Exposure stays limited. There is time to build a relationship. Later overlap is handled by priority routing — not a public auction.

Businesses that are not listed on marketplaces, listing sites, or intermediary databases
Relationship-driven outreach through CPA networks, M&A counsel, SBA lenders, and owner conversations
No auction theater, no manufactured urgency, no extra intermediary fee layers on the buy-side introduction
Mandate-aligned targeting inside a disciplined acquisition pipeline
Confidential handling of buyer identity and seller privacy at every stage

How Unity sources

Sourcing infrastructure

CPA & accounting networks

Advisors who already see succession timing, tax events, and owner fatigue introduce Unity privately — often before any listing conversation begins.

M&A attorneys and wealth counsel

Legal and wealth advisors sit in the first serious conversation about liquidity. Those relationships surface ready owners without a marketed book.

SBA lenders and capital partners

Refinance, covenant, and growth-capital conversations often reveal a sale or recap is the cleaner path. Lenders refer those owners quietly.

Direct owner outreach

Mandate-specific lists — sector, size, tenure, geography — drive measured outreach to operators who have never listed.

Mandate match and routing

Qualified opportunities are matched to written buyer criteria. When several mandates fit, review order follows membership, then fit score, inside a defined window.

Controlled distribution

Introductions are not blasted across a buyer list. A single-buyer presentation happens only with a written exclusivity arrangement on that opportunity.

NDA from day one

Seller identity, financials, and buyer interest stay behind authorization. Nothing identifiable moves without explicit consent at that stage.

Lower middle market focus

The $1M–$50M EBITDA corridor is where relationship sourcing still beats auction processes — and where Unity concentrates origination.

Next step

Start with a written mandate

Tell Unity the sector, size, geography, and structure you will pursue. Sourcing follows that mandate. Overlapping interest is routed — it is not shopped.

Submit acquisition criteria Deal origination

For acquirers

Who sees off-market deals first?

When several qualified buy-side mandates fit the same off-market opportunity, review order follows membership.

Not a public auction. Mandate-fit scoring still applies inside each tier.

1 Priority $500
2 Intelligence $300
3 Advantage $150
4 Free $0

Earliest access

Priority

$500/mo

First in the review queue when mandates overlap
Widest radar & instant alerts
Multiple mandates & team workspace
Mandate-fit scoring inside the Priority window

Select Priority

Intelligence

$300/mo

After Priority, before Advantage/Free
Pipeline + diligence assistant
Instant deal alerts
Mandate-fit scoring

Select Intelligence

Advantage

$150/mo

After Intelligence in the queue
Full briefs & acquisition analyses
Portfolio / add-on targeting
Defined review window

Select Advantage

Free

$0/mo

Browse marketed listings & preview intel
Last in queue for overlapping mandates
Upgrade anytime from Membership
No review priority

Create free account

[ Upgrade to Priority ] Compare all tiers Why membership matters

Platform membership is separate from any transaction success fee or advisory compensation under your acquisition agreement with Unity.

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