Private Equity Research Specialist (Lower Middle Market)

First: Please don't contact me outside of Upwork. Thank you! I'm looking for an experienced business researcher to identify 25–30 U.S.-based private equity firms that fit a very specific investment profile. This is not a simple web search project—I am looking for someone who knows how to efficiently research private equity firms using high-quality business databases and professional research techniques. Experience researching private equity, investment banking, venture capital, or M&A firms is a significant advantage. What You'll Research Identify firms that meet all of the following criteria: U.S.-based private equity firms Focus on the Lower Middle Market or Middle Market Publicly reference patient capital, long-term ownership, or a similar investment philosophy Have Operating Partners, Portfolio Operations, or an equivalent operating team Please exclude mega-funds such as Blackstone, KKR, Apollo, Carlyle, etc. See the project attachment for more specifics. Preferred Qualifications The ideal freelancer has experience researching: Private equity firms Investment firms M&A advisory firms Investment banking Financial services Capital markets Familiarity with the lower middle market private equity landscape is a strong plus. Research Expectations Accuracy is far more important than speed. I would rather receive 25 outstanding matches than 40 mediocre ones. Please verify: Company websites Contact names Email addresses (when publicly available) LinkedIn profiles That every firm satisfies all of the required criteria Research Tools Please describe the tools you plan to use. Researchers with access to professional databases or premium research tools (such as PitchBook, Capital IQ, Crunchbase Pro, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Apollo.io, ZoomInfo, or similar) are preferred over researchers relying solely on Google searches. To Apply Please include: A brief description of your experience researching private equity or investment firms. The research tools and databases you regularly use. One example of a similar research project you've completed. Your flat rate proposal for the project