If you need to keep tabs on who’s buying whom in the business world, you’ve probably heard about Crunchbase. Whether you’re in corporate strategy, sales, or just nosy about market shifts, having a tight process for tracking acquisitions can save you a ton of time—and headaches. This guide walks you through a no-nonsense way to monitor company acquisitions in Crunchbase, what’s worth your attention, and what’s just noise.
Who’s This Guide For?
- Anyone who needs up-to-date info on company acquisitions
- Sales teams hunting for new leads after mergers
- Investors or analysts doing competitive research
- People tired of missing important industry news
If you want a system that actually works and doesn’t eat your whole day, keep reading.
Step 1: Set Up Your Crunchbase Account
Let’s get the boring part out of the way. You can use Crunchbase for free, but you’ll hit some walls fast. If you need more filters, exports, or alerts, you’ll need Crunchbase Pro. The free version is fine for occasional checks, but for any serious tracking, just bite the bullet and get Pro—or plan on some manual digging.
To get started: - Go to Crunchbase. - Sign up (or log in) with your work email. - Consider the 7-day Pro trial if you’re not sure.
Pro tip: If your company already pays for a Pro account, ask around. No point in paying twice.
Step 2: Understand How Crunchbase Tracks Acquisitions
Crunchbase lists acquisitions as deals between a buyer (“acquirer”) and a company being bought (“acquiree”). Each event has details like date, price (if public), and links to both company profiles. But the data is only as good as what Crunchbase can scrape or what users submit. Don’t expect every acquisition to show up instantly—or at all.
What works: - Big, public deals show up fast. - Each acquisition links to both companies for easy browsing.
What doesn’t: - Smaller or stealth deals can be missing. - Numbers (especially price) are often “undisclosed”—don’t waste time hunting for ghosts.
If you need airtight data, always cross-check with company press releases or SEC filings.
Step 3: Build a Targeted Search
Here’s the heart of the process. Instead of scrolling aimlessly, use Crunchbase’s filters to zero in on what matters to you.
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Go to the ‘Acquisitions’ tab
From your dashboard, click on “Acquisitions” in the left menu. This is where you’ll set up your custom searches. -
Use Filters That Actually Matter
Crunchbase gives you lots of ways to slice the data. Here are the filters you’ll actually use: - Acquirer Name: Who’s doing the buying? Great for tracking competitors.
- Acquiree Industry or Location: Target deals in your space or region.
- Acquisition Date: Set timeframes so you’re not trawling through ancient history.
- Deal Size: If you care about big fish only, filter by disclosed price.
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Current Status: Focus on completed deals, unless you want rumor mill fodder.
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Ignore the Noise
Don’t bother with fields like “Funding Stage” or “IPO Status” unless you have a very niche use case. Stick to company name, industry, geography, and date.
Example:
Want to see every SaaS company bought by Salesforce in the last 2 years?
- Acquirer: Salesforce
- Industry: SaaS
- Acquisition Date: Last 2 years
Pro tip: Save your search once it’s dialed in. You’ll thank yourself next week.
Step 4: Set Up Alerts (and Actually Use Them)
Crunchbase Pro lets you set alerts for saved searches. This is what keeps you from obsessively refreshing the page.
- How to set alerts:
- After saving your search, click the “Create Alert” button.
- Choose how often you want updates: daily, weekly, etc.
- Pick email or Slack, depending on your workflow.
What works: - Email alerts are clear and easy to scan. - You can set different alerts for different searches (e.g., one for “Big Tech” buyers, another for your industry).
What doesn’t: - There’s still some lag on new deals—don’t rely on this for breaking news. - Too many alerts? You’ll just start ignoring them. Be ruthless about what you actually need.
Pro tip: If you’re getting too much noise, tighten your filters or set alerts to weekly.
Step 5: Export and Share (Optional, But Handy)
If you need to do more than just keep yourself informed—say, share a list with your team or boss—Crunchbase Pro lets you export search results as CSV files.
- How to export:
- Run your saved search.
- Click “Export” at the top of the results.
- Choose your format (CSV is usually best).
What works: - Spreadsheets make it easy to add your own notes or flag deals for follow-up. - Good for building reports, presentations, or tracking trends over time.
What doesn’t: - Free accounts have strict export limits. - Data isn’t always super clean—expect to do a little cleanup.
Pro tip: Use Google Sheets and share the doc with your team. Keeps everyone on the same page and avoids endless email chains.
Step 6: Spot Check and Supplement Your Data
Crunchbase is a solid starting point, but it’s not the Bible. Here’s what to do to keep your info reliable:
- Google it: If a deal looks important or surprising, search for press releases or news coverage. Crunchbase sometimes misses context, like layoffs or integration plans.
- Check company sites: Big players often announce acquisitions on their own blogs before anywhere else.
- Look for patterns: If you notice a company acquiring lots of small startups, dig into why—are they building a new product line? Trying to kill competition?
Don’t bother: - Don’t expect Crunchbase to cover every tiny transaction, especially in international markets. - Don’t get hung up on missing deal sizes. Most companies don’t disclose them anyway.
Step 7: Review and Adjust Your Process Regularly
The business world moves fast. What mattered to you last quarter might not matter today.
- Once a month: Review your saved searches and alerts. Are they still relevant?
- If you’re drowning in emails: Cut back on frequency or be pickier with filters.
- If you’re missing deals: Broaden your search or add new competitors.
Remember:
No tool is set-and-forget. You’ll get better results by tweaking your process every so often.
What to Ignore (and What Not to Sweat)
- Paid add-ons: Crunchbase will try to upsell you on integrations and “premium data.” Most folks won’t need these. Start simple.
- Obscure filters: Unless you’re doing very niche research, stick to the basics.
- FOMO: You will miss a deal here and there. Move on. The big stuff usually bubbles up.
Summary: Keep It Simple, Iterate as You Go
Monitoring company acquisitions in Crunchbase doesn’t need to be a part-time job. Start with a focused search, save it, set up alerts, and check your results now and then. Spend five minutes a week tweaking your filters, and you’ll stay ahead of most folks without drowning in data. Don’t chase every new feature or panic over missing details—what matters is having a system that works for you and lets you get back to your real job.