If you’ve ever tried to keep tabs on sponsor-backed portfolio companies, you know the drill.
You’re tracking a company that just popped up in conversation, but the contact info you have is out of date. The CEO listed on LinkedIn isn’t there anymore. You’re digging through old decks, half-filled CRM notes, and Google alerts that lead nowhere.
Meanwhile, deals are flying, and time is not on your side.
You’re not alone.
This is the reality for a lot of business development teams in private equity and private credit. It’s messy, slow, and frankly, exhausting.
Let’s break down why this happens – and what you can actually do about it.
In this article, we’re digging into why this challenge persists, the real cost of bad data, and how Dakota Transactions is changing the game.
The Problem: Portfolio Company Data Is a Mess
Let’s be honest, portfolio company data is scattered. Some of it lives on LinkedIn. Some are buried in emails. Some is tucked away in a spreadsheet someone last updated in 2022. You might find a few details here and there, but never the full picture.
So what happens? You lose time. You miss signals. You make outreach with incomplete context. You pass on deals that maybe shouldn’t have been passed on.
And in a space as competitive as private markets, that can be the difference between getting in—or getting left behind.
How many times have you reached out to a CEO, only to realize they’ve moved on? Or spent too long chasing down a board member’s email that doesn’t exist anymore?
That’s frustrating. And in a space where timing and relationships are everything, it can be costly.
Another common problem? Siloed teams.
Research is happening in one place. The CRM tells a different story. Marketing is using its own list. And no one’s quite sure if the GP backing that company is still in Fund III, or already onto Fund IV.
It makes collaboration tough. And without a shared, reliable view of portfolio company activity, the whole team ends up working harder just to stay aligned.
Outdated contact info isn’t just annoying, it slows you down. It also keeps you from doing what you do best: building relationships and moving on deals.
Even When You Do Find Data, It’s Often Not Enough
You get a company name and maybe a sector… but then what? What about the sponsor behind it? What about the other portfolio companies they’ve backed? What’s the broader fund strategy?
Without that context, it’s almost impossible to understand the why behind the deal, or spot the next one coming.
That context can make all the difference – and without it, you’re flying blind.
Enter Dakota Marketplace
This is exactly why we have incorporated portfolio company data into Dakota Marketplace.
We’ve seen these challenges firsthand. And we knew that business development teams, whether in private equity, private credit, or investment banking, deserved better.
So we built a tool that makes finding, understanding, and acting on sponsor-backed portfolio company data easier.
With Dakota Marketplace, you can:
- Find the right contacts faster – Current CEO and board member info, so you’re not reaching into the void.
- Filter with precision – Search by sector, revenue range, metro area, investor, industry, and more.
- See the full picture – From deal-level details to fund performance, LP rosters, and sponsor insights.
- Ask smarter questions – Use Dakota AI to discover similar companies or map out new targets, without spending hours searching.
The truth is, business development in private markets is hard enough. You shouldn’t have to dig through disconnected systems just to figure out who you should be talking to, or what deals are worth tracking.
Dakota Marketplace gives you the clarity you’ve been missing.
Whether you’re building a list, evaluating a new target, or trying to understand a sponsor’s broader strategy, Dakota helps you get there faster and with confidence.
For more information on Dakota’s Portfolio Company data, book a demo here!
