Why Agathon Research Partners is Intentionally One-Person

Every M&A target list I build takes around 150-175 hours. That’s not just a number. It reflects the care, judgment, and depth required to deliver intelligence that PE, advisory and, origination teams can act on confidently.

Each list is designed to be fully comprehensive, structured, and actionable, so deal teams can make high-stakes decisions without second-guessing any of the information.

The Top-Down Approach That Works

When a client shares their specifications, I rarely start by “filling cells.” Instead, I take a top-down approach: analyzing the market, identifying relevant sub-sectors, and narrowing down the universe of companies before diving into the details. This allows me to focus on targets that truly matter and uncover opportunities that aren’t obvious on first glance.

For example, in one recent project, a client was looking for founder-led software companies serving a niche healthcare vertical. On the surface, it looked like a small pool. However, by connecting fragmented data points and digging into company histories, I identified several off-market targets that no database or freelancer could have flagged quickly.

Why Scaling Doesn't Work

I’ve tried scaling in the past. Hiring seemed like a logical way to accelerate list building. But I quickly realized that no matter how capable they were, the work lacked the depth and proactivity required.

Not everyone approaches research with the same level of ownership and foresight. Anticipating the questions a deal team might have, digging deeper when information is scarce, and treating each list as a guide for real decisions requires a particular mindset.

Open-ended, top-down research is inherently difficult to quality-check. Even with meticulous review, the subtle insights, judgment calls, and nuanced understanding that make a list actionable can’t be verified if someone else did the work. This is why Agathon remains intentionally boutique.

Empathy and Ownership Are Non-Negotiable

I build every list with the mindset that the deal team will comb through each piece of information. I care about every detail because I know the stakes. This empathy, seeing the research from the client’s perspective, and ownership are at the core of Agathon. Every company I add, every data point I verify, and every note I include is chosen with the client’s strategy in mind.

In one project, I spent hours researching a single company because key details weren’t publicly available. That extra effort revealed a critical ownership nuance that changed the client’s outreach strategy. A freelancer or scaled team might have missed it.

Depth Over Scale

Agathon remains a one-person operation: one project at a time. This allows me to focus fully on precision, judgment, and actionable insights. Scaling would inevitably dilute the care and ownership that make these lists reliable. There is no substitute for a human-led, empathetic approach when the work demands attention to every detail.

Research Isn't Just Data—It's Decisions

The work I do isn’t just gathering information, it’s clarifying decisions. Every M&A target list I deliver is structured, vetted, and curated to support confident, strategic actions by the client.

The empathy and ownership baked into the research cannot be outsourced. It must be lived, and that’s what makes Agathon’s approach unique.

A Partnership Built on Trust

Clients trust that every list I deliver has been meticulously built with their strategy in mind. They know nothing has been overlooked and that every effort has been made to anticipate their needs. This trust is the foundation of my client relationships, and it’s something that cannot be replicated by freelancers, automated outputs, or larger teams.

If your firm values research built with empathy, ownership, and depth, I’d be glad to start a conversation. Reach out at yash@agathonrp.com.