Ross Sanzari had exposure to PitchBook at a prior firm and wanted to use it, but a subscription wasn’t in the cards for that firm. He was quick to advocate for adoption when Lee & Associates began discussions with PitchBook in 2021.
Phoenix
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Now, Ross spends an hour or two each day tracking companies and deals in PitchBook, paying close attention to M&A. In his experience, after being acquired, company owners retain the company’s real estate, which they no longer need. With PitchBook, Ross and the team are able to learn more about the deal and the company so that they come to the property owner knowledgeable, ready and able and help the property owner sell or lease unneeded space.
Results
Despite the challenges of the market in 2022, in only six months, Ross closed his first deal sourced via PitchBook—a $2 million office space sale. PitchBook alerted Ross to the acquisition. He then learned that the seller retained the real estate in the deal. The new company wanted to move out of the building and go fully remote. The Lee team was able to jump in and complete the transaction. Ross created and closed a 2M deal in less than 6 months in a tough market.
San Francisco
Elijah leads research efforts for the San Francisco office on behalf of the five-person brokerage team. His goal is to keep the new business pipeline full. He focuses efforts on startups, specifically looking at biotech, AI, and EV battery developers. He uses PitchBook to identify prospective clients and gather relevant data and background information. This enhances the broker's understanding of the company and industry, enabling them to present compelling talking points or pitches to prospects.
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Elijah maintains around six saved searches, centered around high-priority verticals. More general searches help him to track trends as well—for instance, he keeps an eye on VC funding directed towards companies with low headcounts, indicating an inflection point and the potential for future growth. Daily alerts keep Elijah regularly updated on market movements.
Results
Since Elijah started using PitchBook, he has been able to accelerate his lead identification and qualification processes. Now, he can identify and assess two to five leads a week—in just a fraction of the time it took before. He can research a company's background, competitors, and funding history. This wealth of data paints a picture of the company's potential future real estate needs, and with PitchBook providing comprehensive contact information, it's easy for brokers to pursue these leads.
Not every contact becomes a client, but warm leads and smart introductions go a long way toward priming the market for future opportunity. PitchBook’s Emerging Spaces research is helping the San Francisco team stay on top of unfolding trends and startups in their backyard.
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The Boston team constantly monitors companies and capital to see when new capital is raised, where it’s flowing, who’s hiring, and what new leadership or other resources might impact the trajectory of a target firm. The team considers these “triggering events,” a point of entry for approaching prospects about commercial real estate needs.
For startups, communication is a distant second priority to the task of research, discovery, and innovation. A lack of external communication can make it hard to track the space. PitchBook fills the void with the robust data on private markets, all in one place.
Boston
When you think of Boston, its institutions of higher education and innovation—namely MIT and Harvard—come to mind. It’s also home to an intensively active startup incubator ecosystem. The many institutions and incubators in the city make a hotbed of growing companies in life sciences, robotics, and clean tech. These are the industries targeted by Lee & Associates Boston.
A lot of the companies we target are in stealth mode. Having crisp, reliable insights on financial movements impacting our target verticals is so important.
Who's on the board
Who's investing
When financing rounds are underway
What the company's footprint is, coast to coast
Where their facilities are located
Employee headcounts
Detailed contact information
Results
Boston is also known for Fenway Park and its home team, the Red Sox. It stands to reason that they view their business and success through a baseball lens. With PitchBook, they’re getting a lot more “at bats.” They’re identifying players and companies with a lot of promise. They’re at bat equipped with data to make a warm introduction instead of a cold call. They’re swinging for the fences.
For each targeted sector, the team uses PitchBook to see:
— Eric Solem, Founding Partner
Time is the team's most valuable resource and it's increasingly scarce. PitchBook makes everything easier and faster. It helps us work smarter.
— Donna VanShagen, Director of Operations & Marketing
The daily alerts, research center, and hot topic reports save me so much time and give me new ideas. I'm able to produce more research, more efficiently. With PitchBook, I can do what once took a week in about two days.
— Elijah Hodges, Research Analyst
I can't imagine what we could have accomplished in a more robust environment. The number of deals that would be happening if we had PitchBook this time last year would be incredible. The market will rebound and we'll be well positioned for big wins.
— Ross Sanzari, Founding Partner
Information is the most important thing in commercial real estate. Being able to get that competitive edge in terms of early access to information is key.
— Elijah Hodges, Research Analyst
Elijah Hodges,
Research Analyst
Ross Sanzari,
Principal, Investment Sales Broker
I always get useful information from PitchBook and share with other brokers. It's so much deeper than other sources. The unique deals we're able to find through PitchBook more than pay for the cost of the license.
— Ross Sanzari, Principal, Investment Sales Broker
Eric Solem,
Founding Partner
Donna VanShagen,
Director of Operations & Marketing
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— Ross Sanzari, Principal, Investment Sales Broker
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