Comparison
DealSource Systems vs CT Acquisitions.
DealSource Systems wrote this page and DealSource Systems is one of the firms on it. That belongs in the first line, not in a footnote. Every CT Acquisitions claim below was read off ctacquisitions.com on 18 September 2026 and is quoted. Their buy-side offer costs nothing until a deal closes, which is a real advantage over a retainer and is treated as one here.
Who each one is for
CT Acquisitions describes itself as "a buy-side sourcing firm that works with a small, vetted group of capital partners, private equity, family offices, search funds, and strategic acquirers". The seller-facing side of the business trades as CT Strategic Partners and works with founder-owned companies at "Revenue typically $1M to $50M" across the US and Canada.
DealSource Systems is hired by the acquirer, works only for the acquirer, and builds a pipeline on that acquirer's thesis rather than matching it to sellers already in hand.
What CT Acquisitions actually does
They source founder-owned businesses and introduce them to a deliberately short buyer list. "We work with a small group of capital partners we have personally vetted. We do not run an open buyer list."
What an approved partner receives, in their words: "Mandate-matched deal flow, we don't blast deals; you see what fits your thesis"; "Sequential introductions, you speak with the seller before any other buyer"; "Direct access to founders who haven't engaged a broker"; and "Lower deal cost, no banker fees, only our success fee at close".
Entry is gated. Partners must have "A clear, defensible thesis", "Committed capital (or demonstrated access) and a track record of closing", "An operator mindset", "Discretion with founder-owners" and "Willingness to be mutually exclusive on individual deals, even if not on the relationship". They claim "Active buyer mandates across 51 verticals", heavily concentrated in home services, industrial and specialty trades, B2B services, healthcare services and automotive, and "100+ Active U.S. lower middle market buyers in our network". On the seller side they say "The buyer pays our fee. You owe nothing at any stage" and that "Most deals close in 60 to 120 days".
What we do
DealSource Systems runs origination as a standing function for private equity funds, M&A advisors, boutique investment banks and search funds. AI maps the market against your thesis, scores readiness signals on each company and drafts the approach. Then operators with deal experience review every message before an owner sees it and handle the replies, including the ones that need a real answer about structure or timing.
Pricing is on the site rather than behind a call: from $4,000 a month for a single thesis, $8,000 and above for a dedicated multi-thesis mandate, no success fee, 90-day minimum term. The engagement we publish in full is Merritt Healthcare Advisors, a healthcare investment bank: 14 qualified founder conversations in the first three weeks, 133 inside 90 days. We are part of Danish Lead Co.
| CT Acquisitions | DealSource Systems | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Sources founder-owned businesses, introduces them to a short vetted buyer list | Builds and runs an origination campaign on your thesis |
| Who pays | The buyer, at close. Sellers "owe nothing at any stage" | The acquirer, monthly |
| Fee model | "only our success fee at close" | Flat monthly retainer, no success fee |
| Fixed cost to engage | None | From $4,000 a month, 90-day minimum |
| Access | Gated. "We do not run an open buyer list" | Open to any acquirer whose thesis we can cover |
| Exclusivity asked of you | "Willingness to be mutually exclusive on individual deals" | None |
| Coverage | "Active buyer mandates across 51 verticals", concentrated in trades and services | Any market your thesis defines |
| Pipeline predictability | Introductions when a match appears | A run rate you can forecast, 133 conversations in 90 days on our published engagement |
Where CT Acquisitions is stronger than us
No fixed cost. "only our success fee at close" means a buyer can be in their network with no retainer, no subscription and no minimum term. Against our $4,000 a month with a 90-day minimum, that is a materially lower barrier and for some buyers it is the deciding factor.
Sequential access. "you speak with the seller before any other buyer" is a real structural benefit, and it is the opposite of a broadcast deal feed.
Sector density in the trades. If you buy HVAC, plumbing, roofing, pest control or the adjacent trades, they are already deep in those verticals with active mandates.
Alignment. They are paid only if something closes. We are paid whether or not you buy anything, which is a genuine difference in whose risk it is.
Where we are stronger
Your thesis, not their coverage. Their deal flow is bounded by the 51 verticals they source and the sellers who happen to be in hand. Ours starts from your buy box, including markets nobody is currently working.
You are the client. They are paid by the buyer while representing the seller's route to market, and the seller is told "You owe nothing at any stage". That is disclosed and legitimate, but our only duty is to the acquirer who hired us.
No exclusivity conditions. Their partner criteria include "Willingness to be mutually exclusive on individual deals". We ask nothing of that kind.
Volume you control. Being one of "100+" buyers waiting for a match is not a pipeline you can forecast. Ours produced 133 qualified founder conversations in 90 days on a published engagement, because we generate rather than wait.
No success fee. Their model adds a fee to the deal cost at close. Ours does not touch the transaction.
The honest counterweight: we are the newest firm in this category and we publish one documented engagement. Anyone asking for a decade of closed transactions across hundreds of mandates is asking for something we do not have yet.
When to choose CT Acquisitions over us
Choose them if you cannot or will not carry a fixed monthly cost, if you buy in the trades and services verticals they cover, if you are happy for deal flow to arrive opportunistically rather than on a schedule, or if paying only on a close is the model your LPs prefer. There is little downside to being on a vetted list that costs nothing to join.
When to choose us over CT Acquisitions
Choose us if you need a forecastable number of owner conversations rather than occasional introductions, if your thesis sits outside their vertical coverage, if you want your own brand in front of owners, if you do not want a success fee attached to the purchase price, or if you want to own the relationships the campaign creates.
How we checked this
Read on 18 September 2026: ctacquisitions.com for the seller-facing positioning, fee language, revenue range and close timeline, and ctacquisitions.com/partners/ for the buy-side offer, partner criteria, exclusivity requirement, success fee language and vertical coverage. No buy-side retainer or subscription price is published because the model does not appear to have one. Our own numbers come from our published engagement.
Common questions
Does CT Acquisitions charge buyers a retainer?
Their partners page says approved partners get "Lower deal cost, no banker fees, only our success fee at close". So the cost to join appears to be nothing, with a fee payable if a deal closes. They publish no retainer or subscription price.
Can any buyer join CT Acquisitions?
No. They say "We do not run an open buyer list" and require a clear thesis, committed capital, a track record of closing, an operator mindset, discretion with founders and willingness to be mutually exclusive on individual deals.
What sectors does CT Acquisitions cover?
They claim "Active buyer mandates across 51 verticals", weighted towards home services and the trades, industrial and specialty services, B2B services and technology, healthcare services and automotive.
Which model costs less?
Theirs, until you close. A success fee at close against $4,000 a month means a buyer who does nothing pays nothing. The trade is predictability: you cannot forecast introductions that depend on a match appearing.
Can we use both?
Yes, and several buyers do. Being on a no-cost vetted list while running your own origination campaign are not competing decisions. Just check the exclusivity condition on any individual deal before you accept an introduction.