OffDeal

What do they actually do

OffDeal is a sell-side M&A advisory for small businesses that runs its banking workflow with help from in‑house software. Their AI automates research, buyer discovery, and draft documents; human bankers handle client conversations, outreach, diligence coordination, negotiation, and closing to keep judgment calls and high‑stakes decisions with people (TechCrunch demo, Yahoo Finance).

Owners can start with free tools on OffDeal’s site: instant valuation and comps, buyer‑match/buyer network previews, and a learn hub with process guidance (valuation/comps, comparables, buyers, learn). A typical engagement: the owner enters basics (site, revenue, headcount), OffDeal’s system builds a profile, generates comps, buyer lists, and draft marketing materials, and then advisers run a formal sale process end‑to‑end using those outputs (TechCrunch demo).

OffDeal positions itself as an “AI‑native investment bank” for smaller deals: the software accelerates analyst‑type work, while the advisory team leads the sale rather than operating a self‑serve marketplace (OffDeal site, YC profile).

Who are their target customer(s)

• First‑time small‑business sellers: They don’t know market value, can’t afford a traditional bank, and feel overwhelmed by finding/qualifying buyers and preparing materials (valuation/comps, homepage).
• Bootstrapped or founder‑run online businesses (SaaS, ecommerce, content): They need quick comps and a credible buyer short list to test a sale, but lack time and know‑how to assemble a CIM and outreach plan (TechCrunch demo, comparables).
• Owners of local, niche, or industrial businesses: Buyer identification is hard and comparables are sparse, making timelines uncertain and packaging the business for buyers difficult (industries, buyer network).
• Corporate development or strategic acquirers at mid‑sized companies: Sourcing and vetting small targets is manual, and initial materials are often inconsistent, slowing qualification and diligence (buyer network, match).
• Micro‑PE, search funds, and independent sponsors: They need steady, diligence‑ready deal flow and standardized initial docs to underwrite quickly; current sourcing requires heavy manual screening (buyer network).

How would they acquire their first 10, 50, and 100 customers

• First 10: Hand‑sell pilot mandates via founder/advisor networks and early PR; use the free valuation/comps tool to capture leads, then run a discounted end‑to‑end sale to create case studies and references (valuation/comps, TechCrunch demo).
• First 50: Shift to inbound: drive targeted SEO/PR to valuation, comps, and buyer‑match tools; convert with a standardized “sales‑readiness” package. Add referrals with accountants, brokers, and SaaS communities using finder fees or white‑label reports (comparables, learn hub).
• First 100: Productize more pre‑sale steps (self‑serve comps, templated CIMs/outreach) and build repeat buyer channels (micro‑PE, search funds, corp dev) while adding a small inside‑sales team and partner integrations to scale qualification (buyer network, about/press).

What is the rough total addressable market

Top-down context:

In the U.S. business‑for‑sale market, BizBuySell reported 9,546 closed transactions in 2024 totaling $7.59B in enterprise value; this is only the deals reported on its platform, and many transactions occur off‑platform. Typical small‑business success fees range roughly 8–15% (BizBuySell 2024, IBBA).

Bottom-up calculation:

Floor TAM using only BizBuySell‑reported deals: 9,546 deals × ~$345k median sale price × 10% fee ≈ ~$0.33B annual sell‑side fees. If actual U.S. deal count is ~2× BizBuySell’s reported total (to account for off‑platform transactions), TAM ≈ ~$0.66B in fees (BizBuySell 2024 counts and median, IBBA fee range).

Assumptions:

• Median sale price ≈ $345k reflects small‑business transactions relevant to OffDeal’s core segment.
• Average success fee modeled at 10% within the IBBA‑cited 8–15% range.
• Total market likely exceeds BizBuySell‑reported transactions; a 2× multiplier is a conservative proxy for off‑platform deals.

Who are some of their notable competitors

• Acquire.com: Self‑serve marketplace for buying/selling startups and online businesses; focuses on listings and transaction facilitation rather than a banker‑run auction process.
• Empire Flippers: Curated marketplace that vets and lists revenue‑generating online businesses; emphasizes marketplace workflows over managed, advisor‑led sales.
• FE International: Traditional M&A advisor/broker for SaaS, ecommerce, and content businesses; similar advisory model but without OffDeal’s AI‑first automation layer.
• Quiet Light: Advisor/broker focused on hands‑on guidance for founders selling online businesses; competes on human expertise rather than automation and large‑scale buyer matching.
• Axial: Deal‑sourcing network connecting professional buyers with sellers and advisors; competes on buyer distribution and access, whereas OffDeal combines AI sourcing with in‑house bankers to run the sale.