What is Tegus Expert Network?
Tegus is an expert network that connects subject matter specialists with clients doing extensive research on a company, product or market. They come from many industries and have a wide range of experience. These experts are often former employees, competitors, or key influences of the business the client is researching.
Tegus was established in 2016 by Michael Elnick and Thomas Elnick, an AlphaSights associate. The two served as co-founders and co-CEOs. In November 2021, Oberndorf Enterprises led a $90 million Series A funding round, and Willoughby Capital invested $1.5 million in venture capital. The company purchased BamSEC in late 2021. This platform makes it easy for users to access and use SEC filings. Tegus has its headquarters in Chicago and a European office located in Waterford, Ireland. More than 300 employees work for the company, which serves more than 1,000 customers.
“Making informed investment decisions requires a 360-degree view of a company, but in today’s world, finding and capturing the right primary perspectives, aggregating filings and public information, and modeling outcomes is too slow and tedious. That’s where Tegus comes in.”
What happens during the consultation?
A typical Tegus consulting project is between 45 and 60 minutes. The client needs to learn from experts who have extensive hands-on experience quickly. Expert network consulting with companies like Tegus can provide a great source of additional income. The firm has high hourly rates, and schedules calls conveniently for the consultant. Projects are often very short, with little preparation and no follow-up.
Tegus is a specialist network that focuses on investors. It works with mutual fund managers and venture capitalists, while some expert networks focus more on clients. Tegus claim it has hosted over 20,000 client calls and arranges more than 900 per month. The transcripts of all Tegus client calls can be accessed by the entire client base, in a unique twist to the expert network model.
Mastering Your Tegus Client Call
Okay, you’ve done the vetting call, agreed on a rate, filled in the screening questions, been approved, and scheduled a call. What can you anticipate?
Most client calls focus on a particular company, industry, or product. The client will want to know the details of the industry— how it works, business models, verticals, customer types, competitive landscape, key growth drivers, challenges, and trends.
No need to prepare
The only thing you need to do in terms of preparations is to be on time and make sure you have an excellent connection to the conferencing tool. The client or Tegus is not expecting you to prepare for the call— they are looking to rapidly extract industry knowledge via your many years of experience. Clients have often already explored and reviewed publicly available information and heard management presentations. Now they are looking for someone with real-life experience in the industry who can confirm the spreadsheets and power points they have already made.
Most frequent client type: Investment firms
If you’re speaking with an investment manager, they are likely researching a distinct company; they will want to know how it compares to its competitors, product and feature differentiation, quality of management, etc. These calls through Tegus often revolve around your former employer or a significant vendor you work with frequently. In this case, they’ll want you to compare it to similar products you vetted, emphasizing the key factors influencing your decision.
Speaking to consulting firms
Alternatively, the client (through Tegus) may be a management consulting firm tasked with developing a marketing strategy, solving operational problems, restructuring an organization, or other issues. These calls will often dive into how you approach a particular issue or problem, your impressions of various products, how purchase and budget decisions are made, and provide feedback on some potential new products or proposed solutions.
You’ll usually have an easy time answering most questions during a Tegus call – after all, the client wants to learn about an area you’ve worked in for years. Of course, you may not have the answer to everything, so don’t feel bad for saying that you don’t have the answer to a specific question; the client will move on to the next question on their list, and they aren’t paying top dollar for made-up answers!
How do I get paid after my call?
Tegus is offering its network members payment directly to their bank account via direct deposit or electronic prepaid card. For members based outside of the United States, the country of your bank will determine the method and currency of your transferred payment, but most often include wire transfer or international direct deposit. Payments typically take 7–10 business days to be processed by Tegus before being sent to your bank. You will receive an email notification once your payment has been processed. You can track your payment status by clicking the “Payment” tab on your Tegus profile. From this page, you can view the payment status for all completed projects and the estimated date for payment. You can also view the account to which the payment was made.
The importance of compliance
It’s important to note that you’ll never be asked to share non-public or proprietary information. Tegus will provide you with clear compliance guidelines several times before you connect with the client. One of the critical responsibilities of expert networks is to ensure that improper information isn’t shared with clients, who are bound by strict compliance standards. You’ll rarely be asked to share any non-public information, and you should decline to answer any questions you feel move in this direction; clients won’t press you to share things that you shouldn’t.