Brainconnect AI: No Mandatory Deposits, No Expiration Dates, No Minimum Hours
If You're Using an ENS, Isn't the Cost Structure Inefficient and Frustrating?
"I deposited $80,000 with an ENS last year, only used $50,000, forfeited $30,000, and now I have to deposit another $80,000 this year?"
"The interview finished in 30 minutes, but I still have to pay $8,000."
If you're an M&A professional, you've probably had these thoughts at least once while using an Expert Network Service (ENS).
To use an ENS, you must deposit six figures upfront, and unused funds simply disappear—it's an unreasonable model.
When a 20-30 minute interview would suffice, yet you're forced to pay for a full hour—isn't a structure like that inefficient and frustrating?
If you've brushed it off thinking "That's just how this industry works...", things can now be different.
Brainconnect AI has boldly eliminated the '3 inconveniences' this industry has long taken for granted.
Read on to learn how you can reduce your Expert Interview budget by 30-50% on your next M&A project while meeting more experts and gaining deeper insights.
"You Need to Deposit $80,000"… The Secret Behind ENS Cost Structures
Breakage Revenue Captured by Global ENS Providers
Global ENS services currently used by Private Equity (PE) firms and consulting firms all require upfront Retainer Deposits, with usage fees deducted from the deposit.
Global ENS providers typically require annual deposits of $80,000 or more.
While large PE firms and consulting firms often exhaust these deposits, for small and mid-sized firms or corporate clients that don't conduct M&A projects continuously, depleting these deposits is challenging.
Practitioners often face challenges securing budget approval for ENS. Professionals moving from PE or consulting into corporate M&A roles often find it difficult to get usage fees approved.
30 Minutes Would Suffice, But 1 Hour Is the Minimum Charge
"This interview just needs a quick 20-30 minute confirmation... but it's a mandatory 1-hour minimum."
When conducting Expert Interviews during M&A or investment processes, 20-30 minute Short Interviews are often sufficient for tasks like confirming the financial health of an Acquisition Target, validating a technology's market viability, or tracking competitor trends.
However, most ENS providers charge for interviews in minimum 1-hour units. Five expert interviews quickly become a significant expense, ten interviews even more so. Pricing doesn't differ whether the expert is a mid-level professional or more senior.
This ultimately leads to compromises like "Let's just meet 2-3 key people..." and increases the Risk of missing information that could create problems later.
Why Did This Structure Emerge?
The existing ENS industry's billing structure was designed with 'global large consulting firms' as the primary customers.
Global ENS providers with large consulting firms as main clients are optimized for environments where these firms spend hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. Deposit systems based on bulk purchasing are efficient, and standardized 1-hour billing is operationally convenient.
But the market has changed. Corporate M&A teams and New Business Development teams now need ENS, and small-to-mid-sized PE firms and boutique consulting firms have proliferated.
The need for a customized, project-by-project approach has now reached even the M&A, consulting, and ENS industries—sectors once thought resistant to change.
Yet ENS industry practices remain unchanged as of 2025.
Yet, the industry's only response is "That's how we've always done it..." and "Our system is set up this way..."
Brainconnect AI Has 3 Things 'Missing'
Brainconnect AI set out to innovate these inconvenient practices.
Redesigning from a customer-centric perspective, we created an ENS with 3 things missing.
① No Mandatory Retainer Deposit
Existing ENS providers require minimum six-figure prepayment, with contract processes taking several weeks. Even for one or two uses, the structure requires a massive upfront investment.
Brainconnect AI is different. With no mandatory Retainer Deposit, use only what you need, when you need it. We offer prepaid options, but these are optional, not mandatory, and prepaid deposits receive discounts.
One company representative needed interviews with 3 experts while evaluating an M&A. The team lead said:
"Since we only needed 3-5 interviews, a six-figure deposit from traditional ENS would have been too burdensome, and we would have given up entirely. Brainconnect's per-transaction payment made it easy to start, and we ultimately gained critical insights that completely changed our project direction."
Using Brainconnect AI ENS simplifies budget approval processes and eliminates pre-project burdens. The streamlined contract process enables immediate response to urgent Deals.
② No Deposit Expiration Date
Global ENS deposits typically have 1-2 year validity periods. For example, if you deposit a significant sum and only use a portion within one year, the remainder simply disappears. Global ENS providers profit handsomely from this breakage revenue.
As global market volatility increases, Deals may occur less frequently than expected, and quarterly project volatility grows. Optimistic predictions of "we'll use it all within a year" often miss the mark.
Brainconnect AI has no expiration date on prepaid deposits, even if you choose the prepaid option. Whether 1 year or 2 years later, use it whenever needed.
"I almost forfeited a substantial amount in unused credit last year due to an expiring deposit. With Brainconnect, I can charge without worrying about expiration dates, and I'm even receiving prepaid discounts while using it comfortably."
An Executive Director at a leading Korean PE firm
③ No Minimum Hour Constraints
Existing ENS providers charge from 1 hour minimum. Even confirmations requiring only 20 minutes are billed for 1 hour, and simple fact-checking becomes expensive. Budget constraints force you to give up meeting multiple people.
Brainconnect AI allows flexible design starting from 20 minutes. 20-minute express interviews are cost-effective, working-level experts are moderately priced, and C-level experts are premium but still reasonable. Design interview duration freely to match your project.
Real use cases demonstrate this. One project requiring distribution status across 5 national regions conducted 20-minute interviews with each regional working-level manager, completing the project at a fraction of traditional costs—a 70% reduction.
In another case, a client gained a deep understanding of an acquisition target's internal dynamics by interviewing 3 former executives at 20 minutes each, 5 current working-level staff at 30 minutes each, and 1 former CEO for 1 hour, completing multi-layered verification efficiently.
This means meeting 3-4 times more experts with the same budget.
👉 Check out the Brainconnect AI introduction video!
ENS Must Now Change
ENS Redesigned from the Customer's Perspective, Attention to Every Detail
A Customer-First Refund Policy
Existing ENS providers rarely allow refunds once matching occurs. But Brainconnect is different. If interview quality falls short of expectations, if experts are inadequately prepared, or if technical issues interrupt interviews, we support refunds or rematching case-by-case.
Why is this possible? Confidence. We thoroughly verify during Expert Sourcing, so we're confident in customer satisfaction with interviews.
No Fake Profiles
Let me share an uncomfortable industry truth. Some existing ENS providers answer "yes" to experts not in their database, or present exaggerated profiles differing from actual experience.
Some push people lacking expertise, and overseas providers even use 'fake listings' like decoy profiles to lure clients before ultimately introducing different people.
Customers suffer from these ENS providers. They waste time and money having conversations at completely different levels from expected insights.
Brainconnect's two-step verification process prevents this.
Our proprietary AI cross-verifies experience, fact-checks career duration and positions, and scores project fit. Then professional researchers contact via phone or message to confirm availability, brief on expertise areas and discussion points, and confirm interview availability in real-time.
The result: Expert Recruitment failure rate is virtually 0%.
"Brainconnect recruited a niche field expert that other ENS providers said was 'difficult to find,' after persistent effort. And it was an industry-leading executive."
A consultant at a top-tier firm
We Act as a Strategic Partner for Your Project's Success
Brainconnect goes beyond simply connecting experts to become your project partner.
First, in understanding needs, we consider what information you need and who you should meet to achieve objectives. Then we design strategy, proposing combinations of 20-minute express and 1-hour in-depth interviews, suggesting whether multiple working-level or fewer executive strategies fit better, and establishing optimal interview plans within budget.
Before interviews, we provide pre-briefings with detailed expert career information, expected discussion points and insight directions, and preliminary suitability assessments.
Interviews are conducted via video with AI automatic note-taking, and real-time scheduling is managed through notifications on your preferred messaging app.
After interviews, we immediately respond if additional interviews are needed, support research report organization, and accompany you to project success.
Check Anytime on Mobile and Leverage AI
Brainconnect is a web and mobile integrated platform accessible anytime, anywhere. Seamlessly switch between your PC and mobile device to manage your project on the go, or check progress in real-time while traveling.
Real-time mobile notifications provide expert application alerts, interview schedule confirmations, and 1-hour pre-interview reminders.
While existing ENS providers still exchange emails and phone calls, Brainconnect proceeds as conveniently as a mobile app.
Start Easily Right Now
"It sounds good, but our company already has a contract with a global ENS..."
Don't worry. Brainconnect can be used in parallel with existing ENS.
Use global ENS for regular large-scale projects, and Brainconnect for urgent, small-scale, or niche projects.
Or maintain global ENS through consulting firm Retainer Deposit contracts, and use Brainconnect for per-transaction needs.
Many clients actually operate this two-track approach, simultaneously achieving Risk diversification and cost optimization.
Your First Project Is Even More Accessible
Special benefits are prepared for new customers.
The process is simple. Visit website brainconnect.ai and enter simple project information—3 minutes is sufficient.
A professional consultant will contact you within 24 hours and provide customized proposals and quotes.
Proceed if satisfied, or decline without burden if not.
Experience Innovative ENS
As outlined in this article, Brainconnect AI has 3 things missing.
No mandatory Retainer Deposit, no deposit expiration date, and no minimum hour constraints.
Instead, we provide customer satisfaction:
✅ Tenacity to ultimately find even seemingly impossible-to-recruit experts
✅ Customized solutions with flexible design starting from 20 minutes
✅ Expert quality guaranteed through two-step verification
✅ Partnership accompanying you to project success
Your next M&A Deal, your next New Business Development project—this time can be different.
Without mandatory Retainer Deposit burdens, without expiration date worries, starting from 20-minute short interviews, gain insights from truly necessary experts.
Let Brainconnect AI solve these challenges for you.
Secure actionable, first-hand insights from experts through Brainconnect AI.
Acquire decisive insights through Expert Interviews and identify hidden Risks.