Manual Sourcing (Associates + Spreadsheets) vs ScoutedByTed
Your associates are smart, expensive, and spending 60% of their time on work that an AI agent handles better. Here is the comparison.
Feature-by-Feature
| Feature | Manual Sourcing (Associates + Spreadsheets) | ScoutedByTed |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Human analysts scanning databases, newsletters, and networks | AI agent monitoring signals and delivering scored companies |
| Coverage | 30-50 companies reviewed per week | Thousands of companies monitored, 10-25 scored and delivered daily |
| Consistency | Varies with analyst attention, energy, and other priorities | Same coverage every day, no gaps |
| Signal breadth | Limited to tools analyst has access to and time to check | Six signal categories monitored simultaneously |
| Scoring | Subjective, varies by analyst | Consistent 0-100 thesis-weighted scoring |
| Cost | $85K-$150K/yr fully loaded per analyst | $11,988-$35,988/yr |
Where Manual Sourcing (Associates + Spreadsheets) Wins
Contextual judgment
A good analyst brings contextual judgment that AI cannot match. They understand nuance, read between the lines, and apply pattern recognition from experience.
Relationship building
Analysts can attend events, build relationships with founders, and gather qualitative intelligence that signal monitoring does not capture.
Flexible tasking
An analyst can switch from sourcing to diligence to portfolio support. An AI agent does one thing.
Where ScoutedByTed Wins
Coverage scale
An analyst reviews 30-50 companies per week. Ted monitors thousands and scores hundreds. The coverage gap compounds every week.
Consistency
Ted never takes a vacation, never has a slow week, and never gets pulled into a portfolio emergency. Coverage is identical every day.
Cost
$12K-$36K/yr vs. $85K-$150K/yr. The savings can fund an additional investment or extend your runway.
Speed
Ted delivers signal changes the morning they happen. An analyst reviewing databases weekly has a 3-7 day lag.
Cost Comparison
Manual Sourcing (Associates + Spreadsheets)
ScoutedByTed
Choose Manual Sourcing (Associates + Spreadsheets) If...
- You need analysts for diligence and portfolio support, not just sourcing
- Your sourcing process requires deep qualitative judgment that comes from experience
- You value the relationship-building aspect of having humans attend events and meet founders
Choose ScoutedByTed If...
- Your analysts are spending too much time on sourcing logistics and not enough on high-value work
- You want to expand sourcing coverage without adding headcount
- You are an emerging manager who cannot afford a dedicated sourcing analyst
- You want to redirect analyst time from database scanning to founder engagement
See the difference for yourself.
Book a call and we will walk through your specific thesis.