Deal Origination Associate

Atomic; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Atomic is building a stealth vertical AI holding company that acquires niche software serving overlooked verticals. You will own the top of funnel end-to-end, running outbound to hundreds of founders weekly, and cultivate long-term relationships to position as the trusted party before LOI discussions.

You will quarterly quarterback deals, perform financial pre‑diligence, and support LOI drafting while engaging 8–12 industry trade shows annually.

Qualifications

• 2-5 years in deal sourcing/origination at a private equity firm, holding company, or search fund.
• You've done cold outbound at scale and enjoy it.
• Financial literacy: read a P&L, understand SDE/EBITDA add-backs, sanity-check a 4x multiple.

Responsibilities

• Own the top of funnel end-to-end with a proprietary pipeline of target companies.
• Run heavy outbound: 100+ founder touches per week via email, LinkedIn, phone, notes, and in-person visits.
• Build 3-year relationships with founders to be the trusted inbox for LOI conversations.
• Quarterback deals from first call to signed LOI including financial pre-diligence and LOI drafting support.
• Leverage proprietary distribution to convert the 50K+ founder audience into conversations.

Skills

Deal sourcing

Cold outreach

Financial literacy

Trust and fiduciary duties

Industry research

Tools

LinkedIn

CRM tools

Job description

The Role

We are a stealth vertical AI holding company building the world's largest distributor of AI to industries who will never buy it directly from model labs.

We acquire hyper-niche vertical software companies serving the forgotten economy – lumber suppliers, elevator repair, marinas, mobile home parks, tow trucks, locksmiths, tattoo parlors, pest control, sign manufacturers, and 20+ other overlooked verticals. We buy the systems of record these industries already run on, then layer AI agents and embedded fintech on top to compound cash flow. Every acquisition is a permanent home for a founder's life work.

More about who we are will be shared under NDA.

What You'll Do...

• Own the top of funnel end-to-end. Build and maintain a proprietary pipeline of 2,000+ target companies across our buy box, mapped by vertical, ARR, ownership structure, and readiness-to-sell signals.

• Run heavy outbound. 100+ meaningful founder touches per week - cold email, LinkedIn, phone, handwritten notes, in-person visits. We measure conversations, not activity theater.

• Build 3-year relationships. Most founders in our verticals sell once. Your win rate is a function of being the trusted party in their inbox for years before the LOI conversation happens.

• Show up in the physical world. Attend 8–12 industry-specific trade shows per year. This is where the deals live.

• Qualify ruthlessly against the buy box (below). No happy ears. If a target doesn't fit, kill it early.

• Quarterback deals from first call to signed LOI. Financial pre-diligence, valuation triangulation, LOI drafting support with the M&A lead.

• Leverage our proprietary distribution. We already reach 50K+ founders and operators through owned channels - your job is to convert that audience into founder conversations.

On Day 1 we expect you to have...

• 2-5 years in deal sourcing / origination at a private equity firm, holding company, or search fund.

• You've done cold outbound at scaleand enjoyed it. If a cold email makes you flinch, this is the wrong seat.

• Financial literacy: you can read a P&L, calculate SDE/EBITDA add-backs, and sanity-check a 4x multiple in your head.

• High-trust operator.Founders will share their most personal financial information with you. You are their fiduciary before you are ours.

• You've read every Constellation Software president's letter. Or you will by Week 2.

Nice to have...

• Domain experience in any of our target verticals or a prior small software exit.

Who You Are not

• A banker looking for a comfortable seat and 2/20 economics

• Someone who needs a warm lead list handed to them

• A "network person" who can't send 50 cold emails a day

• Anyone allergic to visiting a lumber yard in rural areas

We are focused on building a diverse and inclusive workforce. If you’re excited about this role, but do not meet 100% of the qualifications listed above.

Atomic is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetics or any other basis forbidden under federal, state, or local law.

Please review our CCPA policies here.