How we helped Sutton Capital Partners sign their first client in 2 months and generate 50+ leads

Sutton Capital Partners is a technology-focused investment bank based in Los Angeles, specializing in working with SaaS companies in the lower middle market. Led by Peter Cowen, the firm helps software companies navigate complex M&A transactions during a transformative period in the tech landscape.

The challenge

Sutton Capital had traditionally relied on local relationships and referrals from a major conference they hosted to generate clients. However, the market was evolving rapidly, particularly in the wake of COVID-19 and major shifts in the SaaS landscape:

• Geographic limitations - Local relationships were becoming less critical, the biggest opportunities were now spread across the country, not concentrated locally
• Changing opportunity landscape - SaaS companies were facing significant changes due to AI influence and overvaluation from investments 3-4 years prior
• Fewer in-person events - Traditional networking opportunities had diminished post-COVID

"The market was changing, and opportunities were changing on a more national level. It was an advantage to us; it was a disadvantage in that the local relationships seemed to be less important. On the other hand, there were huge opportunities nationally, and people are very comfortable building relationships off of Zoom calls."
- Peter Cowen, Managing Director

Sutton Capital recognized that the traditional approach of meeting people in person first, which required significant time commitment from both parties, was no longer the most efficient path forward.

Solution

After being approached by numerous vendors and evaluating several companies, Sutton Capital selected Hypergen based on professionalism and strong client references. We developed a national email outreach campaign tailored to the SaaS M&A market:

• National market targeting - Identified and reached founder-led SaaS companies, bootstrapped or minimally funded, across vertical niches (healthcare, fintech, logistics, regulatory tech) in US/Canada - companies primed for exit due to AI disruption and valuation corrections, not recently-funded high-flyers
• Message refinement - Worked collaboratively to not just execute outreach, but help refine Sutton Capital's positioning and messaging for the evolving SaaS landscape
• Qualified lead generation - Focused on generating opportunities with SaaS companies experiencing the market dynamics Peter anticipated, companies dealing with AI transformation, valuation corrections, and strategic pivots‍
• Responsive support - Provided quick responses to any issues and continuous input for improvement, despite the time zone difference between teams

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Client experience

Peter and his team at Sutton Capital have been impressed with the our quality of service extended beyond just execution:

"The more we worked with Hypergen, the more we realized they were helpful in helping us not just get out and reach people, but also help us refine our message."

Despite initial concerns about the time zone difference, the partnership has been seamless:

"We have thought that because the team we're working with has an eight or nine hour time zone difference from us, that might be a difference. It has not made any difference. People are responsive, great attitude, supportive, and continually giving us input and things to improve in a very clear way."

Results

Within just the first two months of launching their campaigns with us, Sutton Capital Partners achieved remarkable results:

• 1 client signed in month 2 - A high-quality retainer engagement that began immediately
• 50+ leads generated in the first 60 days
• Multiple open deals with high-quality companies
• National market reach achieved, breaking free from geographic limitations

The speed of results exceeded expectations:

"The biggest surprise we had was that at the start of the second month, we actually signed a client. And it's a good client, and we're deeply engaged with them now. We were surprised how quickly it was, but it was the right client at the right time, and it was literally one call who were able to be signed."
- Peter Cowen

This partnership is designed for sustained growth. We're committed to continuous campaign optimization, testing new messaging approaches as market conditions evolve, expanding the educational content strategy (including webinar series around the State of SaaS), and building a repeatable system to maintain 10–15+ qualified opportunities in the pipeline each month. The initial 50+ leads represent the foundation for a long-term, scalable prospecting engine.