Plain-language definitions.

Alternative data is non-traditional information used in investment research — distinct from public filings, sell-side research and tradit…

A B2B customer interview is a structured conversation with a business buyer (typically an enterprise decision-maker or influencer) about …

A B2B survey is a structured quantitative research instrument administered to vetted business professionals. Distinct from consumer surve…

Buy-side research is internal investment analysis conducted by hedge funds, asset managers, PE firms, family offices and other allocators…

A channel check is a structured primary-research interview with a channel intermediary — distributor, reseller, broker, agent, integrator…

Channel intelligence is structured insight on competitive dynamics, pricing patterns, demand shifts and partner economics derived from in…

A Chinese wall (also called an information barrier) is an internal compartmentalisation regime that separates teams within an organisatio…

Commercial Due Diligence (CDD) is the process of assessing a target company's competitive position, customer-base health, market dynamics…

An expert-network compliance framework is the integrated set of controls a reputable network operates to ensure expert engagements meet r…

A conflict of interest in expert-network engagements arises when an expert has a current commercial relationship — board seat, advisory r…

A cooling-off period is the mandatory waiting time between when an expert departs an employer and when they may be matched to expert-netw…

A customer interview is a structured primary-research conversation with a current, former or prospective customer of a topic company — ty…

Due diligence is the systematic pre-transaction investigation of a target — typically a target company or asset — across commercial, fina…

Equity research is structured analysis of publicly-traded companies' investment merits — including financial modelling, sector context, v…

An expert attestation is a short pre-call confirmation by the expert that they: (a) hold no Material Non-Public Information on the topic;…

An expert exclusion list is the buyer-defined list of companies whose current employees and recently-departed employees cannot be matched…

An expert network is a marketplace that connects buyers (investment funds, corporates, consulting firms) with vetted operating profession…

Expert network ROI is the measurable return generated on expert-network spend, expressed through one of three lenses: investment outcomes…

An expert profile is the anonymised summary of an expert's professional background that a network presents to a buyer pre-call. Identity …

An expert rating is the performance score a network maintains for each expert, based on buyer feedback after each call. Used to inform br…

Expert recruitment is the active sourcing process by which expert networks identify, qualify and onboard new experts. Channels include di…

Expert sourcing is the process by which an expert network identifies, qualifies and presents candidate experts for a specific buyer brief…

An expert survey is a structured quantitative research panel of vetted industry experts or operating professionals — distinct from consum…

Expert vetting is the verification process applied to every prospective expert before they are added to a network's available pool. Stand…

A free expert is an operating professional who participates in expert-network consultations without payment — typically as part of a long…

Ground intelligence is operator-level, region-specific or category-specific signal that's not available through desk research — typically…

Ground truth is the operator-level reality of what's actually happening in a market, category or company — as distinct from the official …

A Key Opinion Leader (KOL) is a recognised authority in a specific field whose published work, professional reputation and peer recogniti…

A KOL panel is a structured group consultation that brings together 3-6 Key Opinion Leaders in a specific field for simultaneous interact…

A management reference check is a structured reference-call programme on a specific executive — typically conducted by an independent thi…

Market sizing is the estimation of the total addressable, serviceable and obtainable market (TAM, SAM, SOM) for a product, category or bu…

A market study is a structured research engagement combining primary and secondary research on a defined market, category or sub-segment.…

Material Non-Public Information (MNPI) is information about a publicly-traded company that has not been disclosed to the market and would…

A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is a contract binding one or more parties not to disclose specified confidential information. NDAs inter…

A paid expert is a vetted operating professional who participates in expert-network consultations in exchange for a compensation rate set…

A panel call is a structured group consultation in which one buyer (or buying team) interviews 3-6 experts simultaneously on a shared top…

Primary intelligence is structured competitive, customer or channel insight derived from primary sources — operators, customers, channel …

Primary research is original data collected directly from sources — operators, customers, channel partners, ex-employees, end users — rat…

Qualitative research is primary-research methodology that emphasises depth, meaning and context — typically through 1:1 interviews, focus…

Quantitative research is primary-research methodology that emphasises measurement and statistical reliability — typically through surveys…

A reference call is a structured 1:1 conversation with someone who has direct first-hand experience with the topic of inquiry — typically…

Regulatory due diligence is the systematic pre-transaction assessment of a target company's current regulatory exposure, compliance postu…

Secondary research is research built from existing published sources — analyst reports, broker research, regulatory filings, industry dat…

Sell-side research is published equity (or fixed income) research produced by analysts at investment banks and broker-dealers. Distribute…

Supplier intelligence is structured insight on a company's supplier or vendor base — gathered through interviews with suppliers themselve…

TAM is the Total Addressable Market — the maximum revenue a category could generate if every buyer used the product. SAM is the Serviceab…

Technical Due Diligence (TDD) is the systematic assessment of a target company's technology stack, product architecture, engineering prac…

An expert transcript library is a searchable archive of anonymised expert-call transcripts, organised by company, industry, topic and tim…

Voice of Customer (VoC) is a structured, recurring primary-research programme with a company's current customer base, typically run by in…

Win-loss analysis is the structured practice of interviewing recent buyers — both those who chose you and those who chose a competitor — …