Insights
M&AMay 22, 2026· 5 min read
The M&A shortlist most corp dev teams miss
The best acquisition target is rarely the loudest one in your CRM. It is usually in a category adjacency you have not screened yet.
CD
Casewell Deals Desk
Editorial
Most corporate development teams run a shortlist of 8 to 15 named targets. Almost all of them come from banker decks, CEO relationships, or the CRM. The problem is not the quality of that list. The problem is what is missing from it.
Where the misses live
- Category adjacencies with a different revenue model but overlapping ICP.
- Assets inside larger portfolios that the parent is likely to divest.
- Regional leaders in markets where the acquirer is under-indexed.
- Bootstrapped players with strong unit economics but no banker relationship.
How Casewell Deals expands the universe
The Deals module screens a 40+ target universe, filters against a customizable rubric, and produces tear sheets with valuation football-fields — before you spend a single Friday afternoon on a management meeting.
#M&A#Corp Dev#Sourcing
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