Deep Water research

Affinity CRM PE Customers Evaluate Replacing Grata SourceScrub PitchBook Inven Before ACG AI Demo Day

Which specific named lower-middle-market PE firms ($200M–$2B AUM) that are confirmed Affinity CRM customers have publicly documented evidence (job postings, RFP filings, vendor evaluation RFI responses, LinkedIn posts by operations/technology team members, or procurement records visible on LinkedIn or PE Hub) of actively evaluating, dissatisfaction with, or planning to replace Grata, SourceScrub, PitchBook, or Inven between November 2025 and the March 19, 2026 ACG Middle-Market AI Demo Day — AND whose deal-technology decision-maker (Partner, Head of Origination, VP of BD, COO, or Director of Operations) is a verified first-degree LinkedIn connection, prior co-investor, ACG LA/NY/Cleveland committee co-member, or board co-director of either Cheryl Strom (Riverside Cleveland, former ACG chapter president 2022), Bob Landis (Riverside NY, ACG Legend Award), or Sasha Bernier (Cheltenham) — so DeepSignal can secure a warm-introduced POC pitch through these under-leveraged referral nodes that prior research cycles have NOT yet exhausted, timed to land before the Demo Day showcase as a live customer reference?

Jun 29, 202632 sources reviewed

Executive Summary

  • Target Identification Gap: Current publicly available intelligence yields no verifiable records (RFPs, vendor evaluations, or LinkedIn posts) of specific lower-middle-market PE firms signaling active intent to replace Grata, SourceScrub, PitchBook, or Inven between November 2025 and March 2026.
  • Primary Referral Node (Cheryl Strom): Cheryl Strom represents a highly leveraged, unexhausted entry point. As a Partner in Origination at The Riverside Company with 16 years of tenure, she manages a 16-person North American origination team and previously served as the 2022 President of the ACG Cleveland chapter.
  • Secondary ACG Referral Nodes: DeepSignal can leverage Bob Landis (Chair, ACG New York) and Jeremy Holland (PE Roundtable Committee, ACG Los Angeles) to access distinct geographic networks ahead of the March 2026 ACG Middle-Market AI Demo Day.
  • Workflow Positioning: Dealmakers explicitly justify technology adoption based on CRM integration depth, prioritizing tools that eliminate manual data entry and prevent information silos. DeepSignal must position its POC to outperform Grata's current real-time data overlay capabilities within Affinity and Salesforce.

1. CRM Integration Dynamics and Dealmaker Tech Dissatisfaction

While explicit churn intent for specific firms post-November 2025 is absent from current public disclosures, the baseline criteria for evaluating and replacing deal-origination technology are well-documented. Firms using CRMs like Affinity [19] or Salesforce face a specific set of workflow bottlenecks that dictate their tech-stack decisions.

The Integration Imperative

Operations and origination leaders prioritize tools that natively sync with their existing pipelines. Grata, a primary incumbent in this space, markets itself not as a CRM replacement, but as a complementary integration designed to fit into existing workflows [25]. Operations teams justify adopting dedicated deal-tech over generalized AI alternatives (like ChatGPT) specifically because manual database cross-referencing is a primary pain point [1].

When evaluating tools, decision-makers demand three core technical capabilities:

  1. Real-Time Syncing: The ability to push/pull data reliably without lag [13].
  2. Workflow Support: Seamless integration into sourcing, outreach, and pipeline tracking [13].
  3. Contextual Overlay: Real-time visibility into CRM ownership, last touchpoints, relationship scores, and custom fields directly on company profiles [31].

Strategic Takeaway for DeepSignal

To secure a POC ahead of the March 2026 Demo Day, DeepSignal's pitch must focus strictly on operational friction. Since manual data entry is a universally acknowledged workflow killer that causes information silos [7], DeepSignal must demonstrate that its Affinity integration is natively faster, requires fewer clicks, and yields higher data fidelity than the current incumbent integrations.

2. ACG Network Nodes: Mapping Warm-Introduction Pathways

To secure a live customer reference, DeepSignal must exploit the networking leverage of highly connected ACG leaders. The provided intelligence maps three critical nodes within The Riverside Company—a massive PE entity with extensive ACG integration, boasting 23 staff members with active ACG memberships in 2022 [38].

Node A: Cheryl Strom (Midwest / Cleveland)

Cheryl Strom is the most thoroughly documented referral node. Based in Cleveland, she is a Partner at The Riverside Company [5], specifically leading Origination initiatives with deal source firms throughout the Midwest [11].

  • Operational Leverage: Strom taps into 16 years of experience at Riverside [23] and collectively manages a team of 16 origination professionals across North America [17]. Her team is responsible for finding both new stand-alone platform companies and add-on acquisitions [35].
  • Network Access: Strom is highly embedded in local networking, having served on the board of ACG Cleveland and acting as its chapter president in 2022 [15]. She is also currently part of the ACG Cleveland 40th Anniversary Celebration leadership [8].

Through Strom's ACG Cleveland 40th Anniversary leadership cohort, DeepSignal could seek secondary introductions to local PE/investment firms, including:

  • Cyprium Investment Partners: Represented by Beth Haas [2].
  • SCG Partners: Represented by Jonathan Ives [26].

Node B: Bob Landis (New York)

Bob Landis operates as a Founding Partner in Origination at Riverside and chairs the ACG New York chapter [9]. He provides a direct channel to East Coast lower-middle-market dealmakers who may be experiencing incumbent tech dissatisfaction.

Node C: Jeremy Holland (Los Angeles)

Jeremy Holland is a Managing Partner in Origination at Riverside and serves on the Private Equity Roundtable Committee for ACG Los Angeles [3]. He is known to Jonathan Zucker, who sits on the ACG LA Board of Directors [3].

DeepSignal ACG Node Strategy Matrix

Executive Node Firm / Role ACG Affiliation Potential DeepSignal Pitch Angle
Cheryl Strom Partner, Origination (Riverside) ACG Cleveland (2022 President, Board) Equipping a massive 16-person origination team [17] with superior AI sourcing for platform and add-on deals [35].
Bob Landis Founding Partner, Origination ACG New York (Chair) Driving East Coast deal origination efficiency by eliminating data silos [7].
Jeremy Holland Managing Partner, Origination ACG Los Angeles (PE Roundtable) Leveraging roundtable influence to establish DeepSignal as a best-practice standard for West Coast sourcing.

3. The Riverside Company: A High-Value Proxy Target

While DeepSignal’s primary objective was finding a $200M–$2B AUM firm signaling tech replacement, The Riverside Company emerges from the data as an ideal, albeit larger, proxy target for a high-profile POC. Their varied fund architectures require a high-velocity, multi-faceted origination technology stack [29].

Riverside’s origination requirements are complex and divided into highly specialized sourcing strategies:

  1. Capital Appreciation Strategy (RCAF): Targets platform investments generating $10 million to $35 million in EBITDA [21]. This strategy is managed by Co-Chief Investment Officer Peter Tsang [30].
  2. Micro-Cap Strategy: Focuses exclusively on smaller deals, specifically businesses with $10 million or less in EBITDA [27].
  3. Technology Capital Solutions: A dedicated division investing exclusively in technology companies [33].
  4. Riverside Value Fund I: Launched in late 2021 with a $350 million fundraise target, focusing specifically on turnaround investments [40].

Evidence of Active Dealmaking

Riverside's transaction volume necessitates robust technology. For example, the firm has historically completed over 120 investments in just the education and training sector alone [24]. A recent notable transaction involved the acquisition of Wall Street Prep from Eden Capital [12]. This deal—which utilized Harris Williams (financial advisor) and Jones Day (legal advisor) [36]—was directly sourced by Cheryl Strom [6]. Wall Street Prep itself is a substantial entity, boasting 300 corporate clients, 150 university partners, and 500,000 learners [18].

A firm executing at this volume across segmented micro-cap, capital appreciation, and turnaround strategies relies heavily on its CRM to avoid collision between its 16 origination professionals [17]. If DeepSignal can utilize Strom to prove that its tool outperforms Grata or SourceScrub in overlaying real-time intelligence for complex add-on sourcing, Riverside could serve as an unimpeachable anchor reference for the March 2026 ACG Demo Day.

Limitations and Open Questions

  1. Lack of Churn Intent Data: There is an absolute gap in the evidence regarding specific firms expressing public dissatisfaction with Grata, SourceScrub, PitchBook, or Inven from November 2025 onwards. The prompt’s request for RFP filings, vendor RFI responses, or procurement records could not be fulfilled with the current dataset.
  2. Firm AUM Constraints: The provided intelligence does not verify specific lower-middle-market PE firms explicitly within the requested $200M–$2B AUM range. Riverside is mentioned extensively, but it is typically categorized as a middle-market firm whose total AUM far exceeds $2B, even though specific funds (like the $350M Value Fund I [40]) fit the target profile.
  3. Missing Connection Node: The prompt requested connections for Sasha Bernier. The current evidence contains no mentions of Sasha Bernier or Cheltenham.
  4. Unknown CRM Environments of Secondary Targets: While we identified Cyprium Investment Partners [2] and SCG Partners [26] through Strom’s network, there is no evidence confirming they use Affinity CRM.

Sources