5 Use Cases for a Company Search API

Prospecting without company data is like showing up to a sales meeting without knowing who you’re pitching to – you might nail the delivery, but if they just got acquired or slashed budgets, you’re talking to the wrong crowd.

Eugh – sounds like a nightmare, right? 

Fortunately for you, that nightmare can stay where it belongs (in some dark recess of your brain, hopefully never to surface again). Use a Company Search API, and you won’t ever have to worry about prospecting without key data. 

Why? Well, a company search API retrieves key company data (think name, industry, revenue, employee count, funding, and tech stack) so that you always have accurate, up-to-date information at your fingertips. In turn, this allows you to find and qualify leads faster, improve outreach with personalization, and stay ahead of industry trends like funding rounds or expansions. 

If you want to know more, you’re in the right place. Today we’re going to talk about five practical use cases for a Company Search API – and take a look at how sales teams can integrate Surfe’s API into their own workflows: 

• Use Case #1: Find Companies Similar to Those You’ve Already Closed Deals With
• Use Case #2: Find Recently Funded Companies for High-Intent Outreach
• Use Case #3: Build a Custom, Flexible Lead Finder
• Use Case #4: Re-Engage Past Customers or Lost Deals
• Use Case #5: Automate Personalized Cold Outreach with Data-Driven Insights

Get ready for the best night’s sleep you’ve had in ages. Keep reading: 

Use Case #1: Find Companies Similar to Those You’ve Already Closed Deals With

Let’s jump right into our list of use cases for company search APIs. First up: targeting low-hanging fruit. 

Winning a deal is great – it’s why we went into sales, after all. Winning more deals just like it? Even better. If a certain industry, company size, or business model has already converted into a customer, there’s a good chance that similar companies will too.

That’s where a Company Search API comes in. Instead of manually sifting through LinkedIn looking for similar companies or hoping for a stroke of luck, you can automate the process of finding lookalike companies – businesses that share key traits with your very best customers.

How a Company Search API Helps:

• Identifies companies with similar industry, size, revenue, and tech stack to your closed deals.
• Builds a high-potential prospect list based on data-backed success patterns.

How to Use Surfe’s API:

On the off chance you’d like to see how the process would look if you were to use the Surfe company search API, we’ve included some details below: 

• Query Surfe’s Company Search API with details of your top closed deals.
• You’ll receive a list of companies similar to your best clients. Feed them straight into your CRM or outreach sequence, and you’re done. Rinse and repeat. See how easy that was?!

Use Case #2: Find Recently Funded Companies for High-Intent Outreach

If a company just raised a new round of funding, you can bet they’re not sitting on that cash for a rainy day. They’re hiring, expanding, and – most importantly – spending. And that means good news for you and your outreach activities. 

That said, you can’t manually track every funding announcement out there – not unless you want to not spend time on anything else, and enjoy working through an inbox of outdated news alerts. 

That’s exactly where a company search API comes in. It’ll send you real-time funding data, so you can reach out while there’s plenty of budget to spend. Nice.  

How a Company Search API Helps:

• Sends real-time alerts when companies in your target industry raise funding.
• Provides key details like the amount raised, funding round, and lead investors.
• Helps prioritize outreach to companies that are actively investing in new tools and services.

How to Use Surfe’s API:

• Set up a Surfe Company Search API query to find recently funded companies.
• Use the funding amount and investor details to craft relevant, timely outreach messages.

Why wait until your competitors swoop in? With the right data, you’ll be the first to congratulate them – and maybe the first to land a deal. And since you’re not refreshing Crunchbase at midnight anymore, that decent night’s sleep is looking closer than ever.

Use Case #3: Build a Custom, Flexible Lead Finder

Traditional lead databases and sales tools – like LinkedIn Sales Navigator – are useful, but their filtering options can feel a bit…limiting. If your ideal customer profile doesn’t fit neatly into their pre-set categories, you’re stuck sifting through endless lists or settling for second-best leads.

That’s why we love using Company Search APIs to define exactly what we’re looking for. Whether you need tech companies in the U.S. with 200-500 employees and $10M+ in revenue or fast-growing startups expanding into Europe, you set the parameters and leave the API to find the leads.

How a Company Search API Helps:

• Removes the limitations of pre-set filters in traditional sales tools.
• Lets you create a custom lead finder tailored to your specific needs.
• Seamlessly integrates into your CRM, lead scoring tool, or sales automation system.

How to Use Surfe’s API:

• Query Surfe’s Company Search API with custom filters.
• Retrieve highly specific lists of companies that match your criteria.
• Automate lead generation workflows by feeding the data into your existing sales stack.

Reach out to businesses that are exactly up your street, and you’ll rest easy knowing every single outreach activity is efficient. Love it. 

Use Case #4: Re-Engage Past Customers or Lost Deals

Just because a deal didn’t close last year doesn’t mean it’s dead forever. Timing is ✨everything✨in sales, and the right moment to re-engage stalled deals could be just around the corner. Maybe a company that wasn’t ready before has just raised funding. Maybe they’ve expanded into new markets or hired a new decision-maker who’s open to new solutions.

A company search API helps you track these changes so you can reach out when the time is right, rather than relying on gut instinct or sheer luck.

How a company search API helps:

• Sends alerts when past prospects raise funding, change leadership, or expand operations (all of which are key signals that it’s time to re-engage). 
• Identifies when a company grows to a size where it now needs your solution.
• Helps craft highly personalized outreach based on up-to-date business updates.

How to use Surfe’s API:

• Query past customers or lost deals to monitor their growth.
• Track company signals like funding rounds, expansion, or leadership changes.
• Use the latest data to craft timely outreach emails that align with their current business priorities.

Instead of chasing cold leads, you’ll be reaching out when there’s a clear reason to restart the conversation – making your follow-ups feel relevant rather than random.

Use Case #5: Automate Personalized Cold Outreach with Data-Driven Insights

Cold outreach isn’t dead – bad cold outreach is. If your emails sound like they were copied and pasted to 100 other prospects, they’re going to be ignored. Sorry. 

The key to good cold outreach is personalization – and no, we don’t just mean ‘Hey [First name]’. We mean messaging based on proper, data-driven insights that show you understand a company’s current priorities. 

A company search API does the hard bit – finding the data to base your personalization on – for you. By enriching outbound campaigns with company data, you’ll be able to craft hyper-targeted messages that speak directly to a prospect’s situation in no time at all. 

How a company search API helps:

• Pulls in real-time company data like size, revenue, funding, and tech stack.
• Enables hyper-personalized messaging that resonates with a prospect’s needs.
• Increases response rates by making outreach super relevant to these needs. 

How to use Surfe’s API:

• Automate email personalization by dynamically pulling in company insights, like:
  • “[Company Name] just raised $15M in funding – let’s talk about how we can help you scale.”
  • “I see [Company Name] recently started using [Tech Stack]—here’s how we integrate with it.”
• Sync enriched data with sales automation tools like Outreach or Salesloft to scale personalized outreach without working yourself to the bone. 

The result? Outreach that feels more like a message from a friend than a pitch slap from a random sales pro. Perfect. 

Let’s Wrap It Up! 

Zzzzz…

Woah – looks like the Surfe company search API really is helping you get more sleep. You’re finding new leads similar to your best customers, identifying recently funded companies to reach out to, enjoying your own customized alternative to LinkedIn Sales Navigator, re-engaging past prospects and, to top it all off, sending hyper-personalized messages every time. 

What a powerhouse! No wonder you need those forty winks after being so productive all day. Don’t let us stop you. 

Company Search API FAQs 

What Is a Company Search API and How Does It Work?

A company search API is a tool that finds you real-time company data – think industry, revenue, employee count, funding rounds, and tech stack – in no time at all. Instead of manually searching for this info, an API pulls it in instantly, helping sales teams find and qualify leads faster. You simply input search criteria (e.g., “tech companies with 200+ employees in the U.S.”), and the API delivers a list of matching companies. 

How Can a Company Search API Improve Sales Prospecting?

A company search API helps sales teams prospect efficiently. It identifies companies that match your ideal customer profile, alerts you when target accounts raise funding or expand, and enriches outreach with up-to-date data. Instead of basic copy-and-paste cold emails, you can send hyper-relevant messages that actually get responses. Whether you’re looking for lookalike companies, recently funded startups, or high-growth prospects, an API gives you the insights you need without hours of manual research.

Can a Company Search API Help With Lead Scoring?

Absolutely. A company search API feeds real-time company data directly into your CRM or lead scoring tool – which in turn helps you to prioritize the best prospects. You can score leads based on revenue, employee count, funding, or any other criteria that indicate buying intent. For example, if a company just raised $20M and matches your target industry, they’re probably more interested in new tools than a bootstrapped startup. With an API, you get data-backed insights to focus on leads that actually have budget and intent – no more shooting in the dark.

What’s the Difference Between a Company Search API and LinkedIn Sales Navigator?

LinkedIn Sales Navigator is great for finding leads, but its filters are limited. A company search API, on the other hand, lets you build completely custom searches. Want U.S. SaaS companies with $10M+ in revenue, using HubSpot, and recently funded? An API delivers exactly that. In short: Sales Navigator gives you some of the data, while an API lets you tailor everything to your prospecting needs.