If you're part of a business development or origination team in private credit, chances are you’ve got a CRM open right now. And chances are… it’s not doing exactly what you need it to.
We get it. CRMs serve an important role.
They’re great for keeping track of relationships, logging calls and meetings, and maintaining a history of who reached out to whom and when.
But when it comes to actually sourcing private market deals, especially in today’s fast-paced and highly competitive environment, they often leave you working with one hand tied behind your back.
In this article, we’ll walk through where traditional CRMs fall short when it comes to sourcing, and how Dakota fills in the gaps with the data and structure your team really needs.
CRMs Are Built for Sales, Not Sourcing
Most CRMs were originally built for traditional sales teams. They’re designed to move leads through a funnel, automate follow-ups, and help manage prospects.
But private market sourcing isn’t just about outreach or cold email cadences.
It’s about understanding ecosystems. It’s about mapping out sponsor relationships, tracking portfolio company activity, staying ahead of capital deployment trends, and spotting opportunities before they’re widely known.
Trying to retrofit a traditional CRM to do that kind of work is like using a spreadsheet to power a data platform: it’s technically possible, but rarely practical.
Even if your CRM is kept up to date (which we know isn’t always the case), it often becomes a collection of partial, disconnected details. A company name, but no sponsor. A contact, but no context. A note, but no history. And when your job is to connect the dots across firms, funds, transactions, and trends – those gaps create real friction.
Private Markets Demand a Different Lens
Private market sourcing doesn’t just require speed, it demands context. And often, that context just isn’t available inside a CRM.
To find and act on new opportunities, you need to understand:
- Which sponsors are actively deploying capital in your target sectors
- What companies they’ve backed and how those companies are performing
- What deals are quietly in motion
- Where new opportunities might surface, even before they’re widely visible
Traditional CRMs weren’t built to give you that level of insight. But Dakota is.
Introducing Dakota’s Portfolio Company Data
Built specifically for sourcing teams in private markets, Dakota gives you the intelligence layer your CRM is missing.
It’s designed to help you go beyond contacts and company names to uncover the full story behind a deal. With Dakota, you can:
- Quickly identify sponsor-backed companies across any sector
- Filter by sponsor, fund, geography, company size, or industry
- Access detailed company profiles that include revenue data, ownership structure, board members, and M&A activity
- Get real-time, verified contact information for CEOs and senior executives
And just as importantly, Dakota’s portfolio company data brings consistency to your team’s sourcing process. Everyone gets access to the same information, structured the same way. No matter who’s doing the outreach, research, or diligence, you’re all working from the same playbook.
That means faster ramp times for new team members, less time spent stitching together spreadsheets, and more time actually connecting with the right people at the right firms.
Start Sourcing PortoCo Deals
If you’re still relying solely on your CRM to drive private market sourcing, you may be missing valuable insights and opportunities.
Dakota brings structure, context, and clarity to your sourcing process, so you can move faster and act smarter in an increasingly complex and competitive market.
For more information on Dakota’s portfolio company data, book a demo here!
