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Research companies and markets

Kaiya can investigate companies, industries, markets and people. Tell Kaiya what you need to decide or discuss. Kaiya can research the facts and compare conflicting claims.

Ask for the information you need in your own words.

Start with the decision​

Tell Kaiya what you need to decide or discuss. Kaiya can then choose the questions and sources that fit the work.

Assess whether the Acme Software CFO search should include candidates from
software-enabled services as well as SaaS. Compare the business models, likely
candidate experience and trade-offs. Cite the source for each important fact.

Tell Kaiya the client's plans, concerns and decisions that shape the research:

The client plans European expansion and add-on acquisitions, with an exit in
three years. I need to test whether prior PE and buy-and-build experience should
be essential. The CEO is concerned about candidates who have not worked at this
scale.

Kaiya can work out the research questions and sources. If a missing client decision would change the answer, Kaiya will state an assumption or ask you.

Track market developments and senior moves​

Ask Kaiya to review a sector over a set period. Kaiya can find transactions, investment, expansion plans and changes in senior leadership. Ask for the events by company, theme or relevance to your clients.

Review developments in UK PE-backed B2B software since the start of this month.
Cover acquisitions, new investment, exits and CEO, CFO or Chair moves. For each
event, give the date and source. Explain what conversation it might open for an
executive search Partner, and keep the facts separate from your suggestions.

Kaiya runs this research when you ask. Kaiya does not monitor the market or send alerts. For an update, repeat the request in the same conversation. Kaiya can then compare the new period with the earlier findings.

Ask for a table when you want to sort the events by date, company, sector or type of move. See Work with results.

Research a prospect or client before a meeting​

Kaiya can research the organisation, the people attending and the market around them. Explain why you are meeting, what you know about the relationship and which services you want to discuss.

Prepare me for a first meeting with Acme Software and its PE sponsor about
a CFO search. Use the attached invitation to identify the people attending.
Research them, the business, ownership and recent acquisitions. Explain how the
findings could affect the mandate and give me eight questions to discuss with
the client. Cite important facts.

Check names, roles, dates and ownership before the meeting. Ask Kaiya to read the source behind any claim that could shape your advice.

See Kaiya for Partners and Create messages, documents, spreadsheets and images.

Turn research into outreach or content ideas​

Ask Kaiya to find a specific reason to contact a client or prospect. Kaiya can turn a market event, leadership move or pattern into draft outreach, a briefing topic or an article outline.

Use this research on UK PE-backed SaaS CFO moves. Find three timely reasons to
contact existing clients and two article ideas for prospects. For each idea,
name the audience, the fact behind it and the point we could make. Draft one
short email and outline one client briefing. Mark any claim that needs more proof.

Check that the message offers the reader something useful and that each factual claim has a source. Remove any client or assignment detail that is not public.

Kaiya can draft an email, LinkedIn message or post. Kaiya cannot send or publish the draft. Review the draft. Send or publish it through your email or LinkedIn account. See Create messages and documents.

Research a company​

Ask for the facts and interpretation needed for your conversation or assignment:

Research Acme Software for a CFO search. Cover its products, customers,
scale, ownership history, acquisitions, international footprint, leadership and
recent developments. Explain the likely implications for the CFO mandate. Mark
estimates and inference, and cite material facts.

Ask for the information you need:

  • Business model, products, customers and markets.
  • Ownership, investors and transaction history.
  • Scale, financial performance and employee numbers.
  • Board and leadership, including recent changes.
  • Competitors, market pressures and relevant news.
  • The effect on the search or client decision.

Tell Kaiya if you need a different emphasis or a Word document for a meeting.

Research an industry or market​

Give Kaiya the question behind the research:

Assess how consolidation in European vertical SaaS could affect the market for
PE-backed CFO candidates. Identify the main company clusters, ownership trends
and likely talent constraints. Cite the evidence and show gaps in the available
data.

Ask Kaiya to compare regions, business models, ownership types or time periods. Name the client assumptions you want Kaiya to test against evidence from online sources.

Build a market map​

A market map gives you a structured view of the companies and segments that matter to an assignment.

Map the UK and European PE-backed B2B software market for a CFO search. Group
companies by product type, scale and ownership stage. Highlight possible finance
talent pools. State which countries and types of company you included.

Kaiya can draft the scope, identify companies, group the market and flag gaps. Check the boundaries before you use the map to choose target companies.

See Create a target company list.

Research a person​

Give Kaiya enough identifying information to avoid a namesake:

Research Jane Smith, Divisional CFO at Acme Software. Build a sourced
career profile with company context, relevant transactions and online evidence
of finance transformation. Assess her against the attached CFO scorecard. Mark
facts, inference and missing evidence.

Kaiya can search leading professional networking sites, Invenias and other online sources. A lack of evidence online does not prove that a candidate lacks the experience. Ask Kaiya to check other sources or mark the point for interview.

Review sources and uncertainty​

Open the progress summary to inspect Kaiya's searches and sources. See Follow Kaiya's progress.

Before you use the research:

  • Open the sources behind important or surprising claims.
  • Check the date and ownership period for time-sensitive facts.
  • Ask Kaiya to resolve conflicts between credible sources.
  • Separate verified facts, estimates and inference.
  • Tell Kaiya which gaps need more work and which need a client question.

Kaiya can show a preview of structured research in the conversation and a fuller view on the Results page. See Work with results.

For difficult analysis or conflicting sources, turn on Deep Thinking with the brain icon. See Use Deep Thinking.