Buyer List
AnthropicOfficialPublished by Anthropic
- Skill
- Workflow
- Business and productivity
- Apache-2.0
- No issues found
AutoGineer summary
Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author
This skill provides a systematic approach to building a buyer universe for sell-side M&A engagements. It guides users through the process of identifying both strategic and financial buyers, evaluating their fit based on specific criteria, and organizing them into a prioritized outreach list. The workflow includes steps for analyzing target company characteristics, mapping potential acquirers, and preparing the final documentation for engagement.
What it does
- Analyzes target company attributes to define acquisition criteria.
- Identifies strategic buyers including competitors, adjacent players, and vertical integrators.
- Identifies financial sponsors such as platform investors, add-on buyers, and growth equity firms.
- Prioritizes buyers into tiers based on strategic fit and likelihood of acquisition.
- Maps key decision makers and relationship status for Tier 1 prospects.
- Generates an Excel workbook and a one-page summary of the buyer universe.
When to use it
- When preparing for a sell-side M&A mandate.
- When building a comprehensive buyer universe for a client.
- When evaluating potential partners for a business sale.
- When needing to organize and prioritize outreach for an M&A process.
Advantages
- Provides a structured framework for objective buyer assessment.
- Helps focus outreach efforts on the most relevant prospects.
- Includes considerations for antitrust and sponsor investment cycles.
- Facilitates organized documentation for engagement letters or pitches.
Usage examples
- “Create a buyer list for a mid-sized software company looking for an exit.”
- The agent will guide you through defining the target's profile, identifying strategic and financial buyers, and organizing them into a prioritized Excel-ready list.
- “Who would buy this manufacturing business?”
- The agent will help you categorize potential acquirers into direct competitors, vertical integrators, and financial sponsors to build a targeted buyer universe.
Install
Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/anthropics/buyer-list/downloadUnzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:
mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip buyer-list.zip -d .agents/skills
Documentation by Anthropic
Buyer List
Workflow
Step 1: Understand the Target
Company description, sector, and business model
Revenue, EBITDA, and growth profile
Key assets and capabilities (IP, customer relationships, geographic footprint, team)
Expected valuation range
Seller preferences (strategic vs. financial, management continuity, timeline)
Step 2: Strategic Buyers
Identify strategic acquirers across categories:
Direct Competitors
Companies in the same space that would gain market share
Rationale: Revenue synergies, eliminate competitor, scale
Adjacent Players
Companies in adjacent markets that could expand into the target's space
Rationale: Product extension, cross-sell, new market entry
Vertical Integrators
Customers or suppliers that could integrate vertically
Rationale: Supply chain control, margin capture, strategic lock-in
Platform Builders
Large companies building a platform in the space through M&A
Rationale: Tuck-in acquisition, fill capability gap
For each strategic buyer, assess:
| Buyer | Sector | Revenue | Strategic Fit | Financial Capacity | M&A Track Record | Likelihood | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High/Med/Low | Active/Moderate/None | A/B/C |
Step 3: Financial Sponsors
Identify PE/financial buyers:
Platform Investors
Sponsors looking for a new platform in this sector
Criteria: Fund size, sector focus, deal size range
Add-on Buyers
Sponsors with existing portfolio companies that could acquire the target as a bolt-on
Identify the specific portfolio company and synergy rationale
Growth Equity
For earlier-stage or high-growth targets
Minority vs. majority preference
For each sponsor:
| Sponsor | Fund Size | Sector Focus | Portfolio Overlap | Recent Activity | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A/B/C |
Step 4: Prioritization
Tier the buyer list:
Tier 1 (5-10): Highest strategic fit, proven acquirers, clear rationale — contact first
Tier 2 (10-15): Good fit but less obvious — contact in second wave
Tier 3 (10-20): Possible but lower probability — contact if process needs broadening
Step 5: Contact Mapping
For each Tier 1 buyer:
Key decision maker (CEO, Corp Dev head, Partner)
Relationship status (existing relationship, cold outreach, need introduction)
Known preferences or constraints (size, geography, structure)
Best approach channel
Step 6: Output
Excel workbook with:
Strategic buyers tab (sorted by tier)
Financial sponsors tab (sorted by tier)
Contact mapping for Tier 1
Summary statistics (total buyers by tier, by type)
One-page buyer universe summary for the engagement letter or pitch
Important Notes
Quality over quantity — a focused list of 30-40 well-researched buyers beats a list of 200 names
Research recent M&A activity — buyers who just did a deal in the space are either hungry for more or tapped out
Check for antitrust concerns with direct competitors — flag any that might face regulatory issues
Financial sponsors: check fund vintage and deployment pace — a fund nearing end of investment period may be more motivated
Always ask the seller if there are buyers they want included or excluded
Update the list as the process progresses — move buyers between tiers based on feedback
Files
- ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer922 B
- LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer11.1 KiB
- SKILL.md3.9 KiB
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Requirements and compatibility
Written for: Claude Code, Claude apps
Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta
“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.
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Attribution and licence
- Published by
- Anthropic
- Publisher
- Anthropic (Official)
- Source
- anthropics/financial-services · plugins/vertical-plugins/investment-banking/skills/buyer-list · commit 6056506
- Licence
- Apache License 2.0 (redistribution allowed)
- LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
- ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
- Synced
AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic.
Download ZIP
The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download buyer-list.zip