Find the right targets faster.
How do I find and screen acquisition targets?
To find and screen acquisition targets, define the strategy, research the market, build a long list, then rank targets against clear criteria such as fit, size, risk and availability. Reuben AI researches the market and each target, ranks them against your strategy and keeps the list current as companies and markets change.
The problem today
- Target lists live in spreadsheets that go out of date.
- Each target is researched from scratch, again and again.
- It is hard to explain to executives why one target ranks above another.
How Reuben AI helps
Market research first. See the market and its players before building the list.
Ranked against your strategy. Targets are compared like with like against the criteria you set.
A list that stays current. Market watchers flag changes to any target on the list.
Reasons you can show. Every ranking links to the evidence behind it.
Steps to screen acquisition targets
- Write down the strategy and the criteria that matter most.
- Research the market: size, players, trends and regulation.
- Build a long list from the market research.
- Score each target against the criteria and record why.
- Agree a short list with executives and start deeper diligence.
Common screening mistakes
Teams often start with a list of names instead of a strategy, which makes ranking subjective. Others screen once and never refresh, so a target that changed hands or lost a key customer stays on the list. A living record fixes both.
Illustrative example
- Strategy: buy a regional maintenance business to extend a fictional industrial services group.
- Long list: 30 fictional companies across two regions.
- Short list: 6 ranked on fit, size, customer base, licences and management depth.
- A management change at one target moves it down the list the day it is announced.
What you get
- Market maps
- Ranked target lists
- Target profiles
- Change alerts
Security and trust
- Client data is isolated, with access control and an audit trail on every record.
- Data residency is available in APAC, EMEA or the Americas.
- Every finding is fully sourced and marked verified or cross-checked.
- People make the decisions. Reuben AI does not give investment advice.