Creating Target Company Lists
Throughout this section, example prompts can be copied and pasted into your chat with Kaiya:
Hover over the copy icon on the right of the box and click 👉
The basics​
Kaiya can help you source the companies for a target list and then enrich them with the data points you need. Kaiya will use public sources, read relevant pages and cite its work.
Break the task into chunks for best results:
- A single message should contain about 30 minutes of human effort
- Kaiya is much better at iterating than at completing a single massive request
If Kaiya is struggling, ask for a plan, then work ask Kaiya to work through the plan step by step.
For a deep, multi-step target-list build, set the effort to Thinking or Deep Thinking using the effort selector next to the message box. See Choosing Kaiya's Effort Level.
Two ways to build the list​
You can either:
- Provide Kaiya with your search strategies (the specific angles you want Kaiya to explore), or
- Ask Kaiya to create the search strategies for you, then run them.
Many users mix the two: pick the strategies together with Kaiya, then run them one at a time.
Example prompt: Provide Kaiya with your search strategies​
Give Kaiya each strategy in turn:
You:
I'd like you to find 10-15 companies that compete with Stark Industries and operate in the UK. I need their name, revenue, number of employees, and UK headquarters location. Give me the results in a spreadsheet.
I suggest we find the companies first, then find one datapoint for all companies at a time.
Make a plan and get started.
Give me a running list of the data you collect as we go.
Kaiya:
Kaiya will plan, begin finding companies, and keep a running list as it works.
You (next):
Great, next I want a list of 10-15 companies that have operations in the UK who provide both products and services (integration) to the large aerospace manufacturers.
They don't need to exclusively provide aircraft components.
Plan and think through your search strategy and confirm with me before doing any searches.
Example prompt: Ask Kaiya to create the search strategies​
You:
I'm looking to build a target list for an exec search assignment. Client is Stark Industries. Plan five alternate web searches we could use to find UK-based companies to target. Think aloud and weigh up options.
Once you are happy with the strategies, Kaiya can run each one in turn.
Start from a market map​
A market map is often the fastest way to a target company list. Ask Kaiya to produce a market map for your segment, review it with Kaiya, then ask Kaiya to turn it into a target list.
You:
Produce a market map for UK mid-market industrial services firms with revenue between £50m and £500m. Segment by specialism.
You (next):
From that map, give me a target list of 20 companies, with HQ, revenue, CEO name, and a one-line company description. Put the result in a spreadsheet.
See Conducting Company and Industry Research for more on market maps.
Getting the list as a document or spreadsheet​
Kaiya can deliver the list in the chat, as a Word document or as an Excel spreadsheet. Just ask:
You:
Give me the full list of results in a spreadsheet. I'd also like a short profile of each company as a Word document.
The spreadsheet Kaiya produces will contain the full list of companies. Kaiya will show the highlights in the chat. Treat the chat like the top results on Google: the best answer for you might be further down the list.
Using the list to find candidates​
Once you have a target company list, you can feed it into a candidate search:
You:
Take the attached list and create individual searches for Chief Information Officer for each company. Search LinkedIn and Invenias and report back to me when you have found the first batch of candidates. Keep a running list of the best candidates.
See Creating Target Candidate Lists for the full workflow.