What we're seeing in expert networks.

The Talent Technology Stack: What HR Leaders Actually Want (And What Vendors Keep Getting Wrong)

A consistent pattern emerges across every engagement: the gap between how HR technology vendors describe their products and how enterprise HR leaders evaluate and buy them is wider than most vendors understand.

Fleet Management Technology: What 10 Expert Calls Revealed About a $50B+ Market

Ten expert calls with fleet managers, fleet management company executives, and fleet software founders produced 96 discrete market insights — the richest single engagement in TCE's project history.

The Three Angles That Unlock Any B2B Market: A Research Design Framework

Across 195 expert research engagements covering 17 industries, one structural pattern appears more consistently than any other: the most rigorous programs organize expert outreach across three distinct angles — customers, competitors, and former employees.

Expert Networks in the Age of AI: What's Changing and What Isn't

AI appeared as a primary research topic in 109 of TCE's 195 most recent engagements — more than 55% of all projects across every major sector.

The Commercial Due Diligence Playbook: Lessons from 195 Engagements

After 195 commercial due diligence engagements across 17 industries, clear patterns emerge in how the best research programs are designed — and where average ones fail.

Branded-Title Vehicles: Inside a Supply Chain Most People Have Never Heard Of

We ran six expert calls to map a supply chain that most people outside the automotive industry have never thought about: the path from insurance total-loss vehicle to rebuilt, retitled, resold car.

Why Construction Industry Due Diligence Is Harder Than It Looks

Construction is the third-most-common industry in TCE's project portfolio. It's also one of the hardest industries to research well, because the practical mechanics of how construction business gets done create sourcing, access, and interpretation challenges.

The Former Employee Interview: Why "Formers" Are the Most Underrated Expert Type

Every commercial due diligence brief asks for customers and competitors. Almost every program under-resources the third category. Former employees — "formers" — are the most underutilized expert type in primary research.

What PE Firms Are Actually Asking About AI Right Now

In 109 of our last 195 research engagements, AI was the thing under investigation. Not AI as a tool we used to conduct the research. AI as the market subject our clients were paying to understand.

How to Run an Expert Call Program for Commercial Due Diligence (Without the Usual Mistakes)

Most first-time users of expert networks waste between 30 and 40 percent of their call budget. Not because the experts were bad or the questions were wrong — because the program design was off before the first call was scheduled.

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You're Getting Recycled Experts. Here's Why.

The difference between database matching and precision sourcing, and why it matters for your next engagement.

How to Get More from a 45-Minute Expert Call

Most expert calls underdeliver because clients show up unprepared. A practical guide to structuring calls that move decisions.

The IC Deck Is Due in Two Weeks. Here Is How to Run Commercial Diligence That Fast.

A tactical guide for deal teams running commercial due diligence on compressed timelines.