What do you do when you can't find comprables for a DCF or a prcedent transaction?

I need some help. The private equity firm I work at (think lower-middle market firm) is planning on acquiring a professional services firm (B2B - I prefer not to disclose industry for legal reasons). The issue is the industry is miniscule and there haven't been many transactions in this industry nor information/research regarding the industry.

My MD is hammering to finish a few valuation models and give him price ranges for the firm. I have used CapIQ, Hoovers, Pitchbook, and bloomberg already. I don't have access to other databases.

Any public comp. or transaction I find is either missing a transaction value or key financials (EBITDA, Rev., Net Profit let alone anything else) thus it is hard for me to estimate what gross., G&A, etc. are and reverse engineer the numbers. The data I have found is too widely dispersed skewing the valuation range and my MD won't let me use other companies/industries as proxies.

The team at my firm is small and the other employees are busy on other projects thus I'm slowly dying over here. I keep updating my MD and explaining the situation, he just says try your best and this needs to be done asap.

Any advice is appreciated.

1 Comments
 

Tempora non sit recusandae dolor aut. Maiores vel minima aut odit consequatur autem. Dolorem qui rem assumenda nostrum error alias facere. Sunt ea mollitia repellat in neque. Voluptatum et inventore deleniti excepturi. Esse vitae eos sit animi sapiente repellat.

Eaque est veritatis et dignissimos. Nihil et voluptas ut officia facere aliquam. Quasi nulla possimus exercitationem tempore cumque libero. Possimus doloribus quia maiores alias quisquam vitae.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.3%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.2%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (100) $364
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (106) $280
  • 2nd Year Associate (236) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (414) $231
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (273) $126
  • Intern/Summer Associate (40) $79
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (357) $61
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”