Management consulting firms
Find operators, customers, suppliers and former executives aligned to the case question and workplan.
India-based expert network · Global sourcing
Direct experience.
Better decisions.
Firsthand Insights gives consulting, investment and corporate teams on-demand access to carefully screened industry professionals for focused, compliant expert calls.
Custom sourcingProject-specific screeningTerms before scheduling
01Built around your briefCompany, role, function and geography
02Screened for relevanceClear, project-specific qualification
03Managed end to endProfiles, scheduling and coordination
04Compliance ledClear boundaries before every call
WHAT WE DELIVER01 — SERVICES
Expert access shaped around the decision in front of you.
Some questions are too specific for reports and too urgent for broad research. We help you reach people who have worked inside the relevant market, function or value chain.
01↗02↗03↗
One-to-one expert calls
Focused 45–60 minute conversations with professionals selected around your exact research question.
Custom expert recruitment
Targeted sourcing by company, function, geography, seniority and relevant operating experience—not a generic directory search.
Screening and coordination
Project-specific qualification, client-ready profiles, availability management and compliance-led scheduling.
Who we support
Research teams that need specificity, speed and human context.
Explore the client experience ↗Private equity and investment teams
Pressure-test theses, understand markets and surface commercial or operational considerations during diligence.
Strategy and research teams
Bring external operating perspectives into market entry, product, procurement and growth decisions.
WHERE WE SOURCE02 — COVERAGE
Cross-sector expertise. Precisely matched.
Our coverage follows the client brief. We source relevant professionals across India and international markets, with particular strength in complex B2B questions.
Technology & software
Product, engineering, procurement, go-to-market, pricing and customer perspectives across enterprise and emerging technology.
Healthcare & life sciences
Commercial, clinical, market-access, procurement and operational expertise across healthcare ecosystems.
Consumer & retail
Category, merchandising, brand, supply-chain and channel experience across consumer markets and retail formats.
Industrials & manufacturing
Engineering, sourcing, manufacturing, distribution and aftermarket knowledge from practitioners across complex value chains.
Financial services
Banking, payments, insurance, fintech, risk and operations expertise from current and former market participants.
Energy & infrastructure
Power, renewables, oil and gas, mobility, construction and infrastructure perspectives across regional and global markets.
How it works
A disciplined path from brief to conversation.
Our workflow is deliberately straightforward. Every expert sits inside a defined project, every profile is reviewed, and scheduling follows the required terms and compliance steps.
See the expert-call process- 01
Brief
Share the market, companies, functions and questions you need to understand.
- 02
Source
We map the relevant talent pool and identify professionals with direct experience.
- 03
Screen
Candidates answer project-specific questions and complete an internal relevance review.
- 04
Select
You receive concise, decision-useful profiles and choose the best fit.
- 05
Speak
We coordinate the call after required terms and compliance steps are complete.
Questions we help explore
Built for real commercial and strategic decisions.
Expert conversations can add operating context at different points in the research lifecycle—from early market orientation to highly targeted diligence.
01Commercial due diligence
02Market entry and sizing
03Competitive intelligence
04Customer and supplier research
05Product and pricing strategy
06Operational benchmarking
✓COMPLIANCE LED
Trust by design
Clear boundaries protect the quality of every call.
Experts are expected to speak only from permitted experience. They may not share confidential, proprietary or material non-public information, and a call is not scheduled until required terms have been accepted.
Read our compliance approach ↗UNDERSTANDING EXPERT NETWORKS03 — INSIGHTS
Practical guidance for clients and experts.
Clear explanations of expert calls, primary research and the compliance principles that support professional knowledge-sharing.
EXPERT NETWORKS · 7 MIN
What is an expert network—and when should you use one?
A practical introduction for consulting, investment and corporate teams.
Read article ↗DUE DILIGENCE · 6 MINHow expert calls support commercial due diligence
Where direct industry experience adds context without replacing analysis.
Read article ↗COMPLIANCE · 8 MINExpert-network compliance: the boundaries that matter
Confidential information, conflicts, screening and pre-call controls explained.
Read article ↗Frequently asked
Before you start.
Direct answers to the questions most clients and experts ask first.
What is an expert network?+
An expert network connects research and decision-making teams with professionals who have direct experience in a relevant industry, company, function or market. Engagements commonly take the form of focused paid consultations.
Who uses Firsthand Insights?+
Firsthand Insights is designed for consulting firms, private equity and investment teams, corporate strategy groups and other professional research teams seeking direct industry perspectives.
How are experts selected?+
Experts are sourced and screened around the client brief, including relevant companies, roles, functions, geographies, seniority and ability to address project-specific questions.
Can experts discuss confidential information?+
No. Experts must not disclose confidential, proprietary or material non-public information and must respect employer, contractual and professional obligations.
Does submitting a brief commit us to a purchase?+
No. An initial project brief helps us understand your need. Commercial terms and the engagement structure are agreed separately before paid work begins.
Start a project
Tell us what you need to understand.
Share your target companies, roles, geography and timeline. We will respond with a focused sourcing approach.