How engagements work, what they cost, and how we handle your information.
We are a research and analytics partner for M&A, private equity, venture capital and corporate development teams. We handle deal sourcing and origination research, target screening, market and industry research, financial modeling and valuation, due diligence support, and investment memos and IC materials. You get analyst capacity without adding permanent headcount.
The founder, Mustafa Bin Tariq, does it directly. There is no junior staff rotation and no account manager in between. The person you brief is the person who builds the work.
Every engagement follows three steps. First, a short scoping call to agree the question, the deliverable and the deadline. Second, a fixed-fee pilot workstream, usually delivered in one to two weeks. Third, ongoing support on the workstreams that proved useful, if you want it.
Whatever your team already uses. Models are delivered in Excel with live formulas and clear assumptions. Memos and research come as Word or PDF documents, and exhibits as PowerPoint slides. If you have your own IC template or model format, we work inside it.
Most pilot workstreams are delivered in one to two weeks. Exact timing is agreed on the scoping call and depends on scope and on how quickly source materials are available.
Every engagement has a fixed fee agreed in writing before work starts. There is no hourly billing. Single workstreams start at $1,000. Lighter scopes, such as one comp set or a screening pass, cost less. Fuller scopes, such as modeling-heavy or multi-service work, cost more. See the pricing section for example scopes.
We flag it as soon as we see it and agree any change in writing before doing extra work. You will not receive an invoice you did not expect.
Payment terms are set out in a short engagement letter before work begins. International bank transfer and common business payment platforms are supported.
An NDA is signed before any information is exchanged. We are happy to sign yours. Deal materials are used only for the engagement they were shared for, are never shared with third parties, and are returned or deleted on request when the engagement ends.
We do not work on opposite sides of the same transaction. If a potential conflict comes up, we raise it before accepting the work.
No. HSM Strategic provides research and execution support only. We do not give investment advice or valuation opinions, and we do not act as a broker or intermediary in transactions. Investment decisions stay with your team.
They tend to work in your favor. Work briefed at the end of your day can move forward overnight and be waiting for you the next morning. Calls are scheduled in overlapping hours, usually during the US Eastern morning.
Our deepest experience is in software, especially vertical market software, built on time in the Constellation Software ecosystem. We also do research in healthcare services and education and student transportation software. See Sectors for more.
Ask directly. Replies usually come within one business day.
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