Off-Market Deal
Written by Christopher Krassnig - Founder - Kairos Exchange and ZenoX Media.
Published
- Checks in every memo8
- Automatic on day one3 of 8
- Read by handad spend and processor payouts
- Tracked ecom salesEUR 200M+ZenoX ad-management figures, not Kairos deal volume - Kairos hasn't closed a deal yet.
Off-Market Deal is a sale that never appears on a public listing, a marketplace, or a broker's roster. It is sourced through a relationship: a competitor, a supplier, or an operator who knows the niche. The two sides set price and terms privately. There is no bidding process and no listing to compare against. It is a channel alongside marketplaces and brokerages, and it leaves no public record.
Who Buys Off-Market
The clearest source is a seller's own niche: a competitor who wants the supplier terms, a supplier who wants to sell direct, or an operator already running a few stores like it. That group is small and awkward to approach cold, which is exactly why it rarely shows up on a public listing, and it is also why it can pay well: a buyer who already understands the business does not need to be taught what a customer list or a supplier relationship is worth. The tradeoff is reach. A marketplace or a brokerage puts a listing in front of many buyers at once; an off-market deal depends on already knowing, or finding, the one buyer who fits.
Not to Be Confused With
- Blind Listing
- a blind listing is still a marketplace listing, just anonymized until an NDA is signed; an off-market deal never appears on any listing or marketplace at all.