Expert networks for private equity differ most in how they recruit, how fast they start and how they screen. GLG, Guidepoint, AlphaSights, Third Bridge, Dialectica and Nextyn all serve deal teams. Pick the ones that can reach your target's customers, competitors and former executives inside your exclusivity window, and that screen to your fund's compliance rules.
Best expert networks for private equity compared
The table sets six firms side by side, listed alphabetically. Each entry comes from the firm's own website, and a cell stays plain where a site gives no detail. For the wider market, see our overview of expert networks and our comparison of GLG, AlphaSights, Guidepoint and Third Bridge.
| Firm | Focus | Regions | Formats | How pricing works |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AlphaSights | Recruits experts project by project; private equity use from sourcing to exit | Global team across several cities | Calls, transcripts, surveys, deal advisors, research | Not published on its site; trial on request |
| Dialectica | Private markets investors; experts recruited for each project | Presence across the Americas, EMEA and APAC | Calls, B2B surveys, insight reports, Origin company intelligence, executive partnerships | Not published; sales team or trial on request |
| GLG | Broad financial services client base; private equity use from sourcing to exit | Worldwide service, with hubs in the Americas, EMEA and Asia Pacific | One to one calls, AI moderated calls, surveys, expert content library, events, deal advisors, board and fractional placements | Not published for calls; its terms describe subscriptions, project fees and advance payments; placements are success based |
| Guidepoint | Expert calls, transcript library and AI search on one platform | Global, headquartered in New York | Expert calls, AI moderation, transcript library, AskGP, surveys | Not published; trial on request |
| Nextyn | Expert network and primary research firm; a research lead owns each brief | Offices in New York, Singapore, Mumbai, Bangalore and Jakarta; dedicated US team | Expert calls, moderated and AI moderated calls, panels, field immersions, surveys, advisory boards, Nextyn IQ | Upfront engagement agreements; project scopes draw down against them |
| Third Bridge | Investors and business leaders; private equity use from sourcing to portfolio | Global, with teams on several continents | Expert calls including investor and analyst led interviews, library, surveys, advisors, data feeds | Not published; contact the firm |
The firms compared here do not publish call prices on the pages we reviewed, so ask each for a written structure before you compare cost. Our guide to expert network pricing explains the main models.
How private equity deal teams use expert calls before the investment committee
Deal teams use expert calls to test the assumptions an investment case rests on with people who have worked in the market. The calls feed the investment committee paper at four points.
- Screening: a few calls with a former executive or a customer show whether a market is structured the way the pitch says, before you commit diligence budget.
- Commercial due diligence: inside the exclusivity window, calls with customers, channel partners and former executives of competitors test growth, pricing, share and retention in the management case.
- Investment committee: notes or transcripts tied to each claim show the committee what each source said and where sources disagree.
- After close: the same experts and transcripts inform the first hundred days and the value creation plan.
Strong diligence calls start from written hypotheses, mix customers with competitors and former employees so no single voice carries a claim, and run in waves. Our pages for private equity firms and commercial diligence practices describe how teams brief us. For an example of an evidence trail built for a committee, see building a healthcare diligence evidence trail for an investment committee.
How to choose an expert network for commercial due diligence
Brief two or three networks on the same live question and compare what comes back. Five points matter most.
- Coverage: whether the network can reach the seats your target depends on, in the countries the plan relies on.
- Speed: how soon after a brief you see the first profiles, and who is available when your exclusivity window is short.
- Screening: how experts are checked for conflicts and material non public information, and whether you keep a record your compliance team accepts.
- Formats and records: one to one calls, moderated calls, panels or surveys, and whether calls land in a searchable library. Our guide to expert call transcript libraries compares the options.
- Commercial terms: a price per call, a subscription or a prepaid agreement. Cost rises with the seniority of the expert, the rarity of the profile, the format, the geography and any extra compliance steps.
GLG for private equity research
GLG's private equity page describes support from sourcing through diligence, portfolio work and exit planning. For diligence it lists one to one expert calls, AI moderated interviews run by a moderator it calls compliance trained, and deal advisors who work alongside the team. It also offers surveys, an expert content library and events.
Its compliance page describes expert training and screening for conflicts. Its terms of use describe subscriptions for included services, with additional work priced separately, so ask how your agreement is structured.
Guidepoint for private equity research
Guidepoint's private equity page covers sourcing and screening, due diligence and value creation. It lists live expert calls, with AI moderation, a transcript library you can search, and AskGP, an AI tool that answers questions with citations to transcript content. For value creation it describes going back to past transcripts and returning to experts after close.
Its compliance page describes expert vetting, an affirmation from each expert before every project, controls that hold a project until screening is complete and an audit trail you can review. Clients can ask for custom controls.
AlphaSights for private equity research
AlphaSights' private equity page runs from sourcing and screening to diligence, portfolio monitoring and exit preparation. It describes interviewing recent former executives, commissioning a customer survey, or adding an industry veteran to your deal team, plus a database of company research for screening targets.
Its site says it recruits experts project by project, and that a team of former investors and strategy professionals can take calls on your behalf. Its compliance page describes background checks and a legal framework that every expert accepts before any interaction.
Third Bridge for private equity research
Third Bridge's private equity page lists use across sourcing, due diligence and portfolio value creation. It offers expert calls, including interviews led by investors or analysts and calls with competitors, customers and former executives. It also offers a library of company research, custom surveys, advisors who join your team, board candidate sourcing and data feeds.
Its compliance page says experts are background checked when they join and checked again before every call, and that every transcript receives human and technology enabled review.
Consulting networks that private equity firms use alongside expert calls
Private equity firms also use networks for senior advisers, interim executives and board members. GLG lists deal advisors, board placements and fractional placements. AlphaSights lists deal advisors and longer term advisory work. Third Bridge lists advisors who join your team. Dialectica lists executive partnerships for origination, deal assessment and interim roles. Nextyn offers interim and fractional executives, executive and board search, long term consulting support and advisory boards.
Trust is something you establish yourself. Ask for references from funds with a similar strategy, read the compliance material and start with a small paid project. We compare these advisor models in our guide to senior advisor networks for private equity.
Where Nextyn fits
Nextyn is an expert network and primary research firm, founded in Mumbai in 2018 and headquartered in Singapore since 2022. Our team works from New York, Singapore, Mumbai, Bangalore and Jakarta, and a dedicated US team serves active US mandates. Clients include private equity firms, venture capital investors, hedge funds, investment banks, consulting firms and corporate strategy teams.
A research lead owns each brief from the first conversation to the transcript, and every call lands in Nextyn IQ, where your team can search it. Every expert is screened for conflicts and material non public information before booking, and where your policy and ours differ, the stricter applies. Our compliance page sets out the approach. Engagements run on an upfront agreement that project scopes draw down against.
You can see how teams have used Nextyn in our case studies, for example commercial diligence on a retail chain inside exclusivity.