The honest comparison
Before you retain an advisor, build a function, or buy a tool — here's exactly what each one gives you, and what it costs you in return.
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At a glance
The detail is in the three matchups below — this is the five-second version.
| Advisor / broker | Sentinel | In-house build | Self-serve platform | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whose interest it serves | The seller — always | You — one partner at a time | You — once it scales | Nobody — it's self-serve |
| Exclusivity per target | None, open market | One partner at a time, allocated | Yours by default | None, first-come |
| Market coverage | Whatever happens to list | The mapped off-market universe | Limited by your team's hours | Whatever's indexed |
| Cost structure | Priced into the sale premium | Retainer, pilot, or success-only | Salaries + data stack, ongoing | Seat licenses, either way |
| Guarantee | None | 20+ qualified calls / 90 days, in writing | None | None |
Matchup 01
A broker is doing their job well when a listing gets the widest possible audience. That's precisely the problem if you're the buyer.
| Traditional advisor / broker | Sentinel | |
|---|---|---|
| Who they represent | The seller — always, structurally | You, exclusively, on your mandate |
| Deal exposure | Marketed to every buyer who'll pay to see it | Named to you first; travels only with your written approval |
| Market coverage | Whatever happens to come to market | The full off-market universe, mapped and ranked |
| Competition at introduction | Every buyer in the room, by design | None — one partner per target, allocated |
| Cost structure | Priced into the sale premium — you bid for it | Retainer + success, pilot, or success-only |
| Guarantee | None — success belongs to the seller, not you | 20+ qualified calls in 90 days, in writing, in writing |
| Time to first pipeline | Whenever something happens to list | First submissions in weeks |
A broker is doing their job — for the seller. Every polished memorandum you're handed already survived an auction; the premium you're bidding for was priced in before you saw it. Sentinel works your mandate exclusively, so the first call you get is one only you're having.
Matchup 02
In-house is the right long-term call for some platforms — after the model is proven. Most spend a year and two hires finding that out.
| Build in-house | Sentinel | |
|---|---|---|
| Time to first qualified call | 6–12 months to hire, train, and ramp | Weeks |
| Headcount required | 2–4 sourcing seats, plus a manager | Zero — your team stays on integration |
| Data infrastructure | Build or license it, then maintain it yourself | 10M+ records, live and maintained |
| Owner outreach scale | Limited to your team's hours and languages | 1,000+ owners reached a day, 7+ languages |
| Risk if it underperforms | Sunk cost — salaries, tools, and time already spent | 20+ qualified calls in 90 days, in writing |
| What grows with volume | Your payroll, every time you scale sourcing | Nothing on your headcount — it's our engine |
| Management attention required | Hiring, managing, and coaching a sourcing team | A weekly pipeline review |
In-house is the right long-term call for some funds — after the model is proven. Most spend a year and two hires finding that out. Sentinel is the same market intelligence and outreach, live from week one, with a guarantee that puts the risk on us instead of your headcount plan.
Matchup 03
A platform will show you more names than you can call — that's the product. Getting an owner on the phone is a different job entirely.
| Self-serve platform | Sentinel | |
|---|---|---|
| What you receive | A list, a login, and a search bar | Qualified, owner-verified calls |
| Who does the outreach | You, or nobody | Our team — in the owner's own words, 7+ languages |
| Verification | Whatever the record last said | Revenue and intent confirmed before you see a name |
| What counts as a "lead" | A record that matched your filter | An owner who has said yes to the meeting |
| Ongoing cost | Seat licenses, whether or not you convert | Retainer, pilot, or success fee tied to results |
| Support through close | None — the tool's job ends at the export | Back-channel from introduction to LOI |
| Accountability | A subscription, renewed either way | 20+ qualified calls in 90 days, in writing |
A platform will show you more names than you can call — that's the product. It won't get an owner on the phone, verify what they told you, or stay in the deal after the intro. Sentinel starts where the export ends.
Tell us your criteria — a principal replies within one business day, no obligation.
A qualified call: every criterion met, and the owner said yes to the meeting — written into your agreement, calibrated to the mandate. We can promise it because our floor is higher than most firms' ceiling.