Wall Street’s New AI Era: How OffDeal is Disrupting Investment Banking with Artificial Intelligence

In the rapidly evolving world of finance, innovation is often incremental. Yet, every once in a while, a breakthrough redefines an entire industry. OffDeal, a banking startup led by CEO Ori Eldarov, is doing just that by harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize investment banking. By reimagining the traditional model from the ground up, OffDeal is transforming how mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions are handled, streamlining workflows, and fast-tracking the development of junior bankers. This article explores the vision behind OffDeal, how its AI-native approach works, and what it means for the future of investment banking.

Introducing OffDeal: The World’s First AI-Native Investment Bank

What if Goldman Sachs or Evercore were created today instead of a century ago? That’s the question Ori Eldarov and his team set out to answer with OffDeal. Unlike traditional investment banks that evolved over decades, OffDeal was built from scratch with AI at its core — not simply as an add-on but as a foundational element.

“We are innovating not just on software and data but also on the organizational structure, compensation, and incentives,” Eldarov explains. This holistic rethinking allows OffDeal to deliver superior outcomes for clients by leveraging technology and human expertise in ways never before possible.

OffDeal’s core mission is to serve small businesses with annual cash flows between $1 million and $10 million — a segment often overlooked by traditional banks. These businesses, which represent a significant portion of the economy, frequently miss out on maximizing value during critical transactions like selling their company. “Eighty percent of these folks don’t even have a sell-side auction when they sell their business,” Eldarov notes. “That’s millions of dollars left on the table for the most important transaction of their lives.”

How OffDeal’s AI-Driven Model Works

At the heart of OffDeal’s offering is a fully integrated AI-driven workflow that touches every aspect of the M&A process. From customer relationship management (CRM) to outreach, from building pitch materials to managing buyer inquiries — every step is AI-first.

“The human’s role is to manage the AIs,” Eldarov says. This means that AI handles the heavy lifting of data analysis, outreach automation, and initial document preparation, while human bankers focus on strategy, negotiation, and relationship-building. The result is a highly efficient process that accelerates deal-making without sacrificing the personal touch essential to complex transactions.

Competitive Tension: The Key to Unlocking Higher Valuations

One of the biggest challenges for smaller businesses selling their companies is creating enough competitive tension among potential buyers to drive up valuations. Traditional private equity firms rely on investment banks to run auctions and generate competitive bids, but for smaller companies, this is difficult because the buyer universe can number in the hundreds or thousands.

OffDeal solves this problem by using AI to identify every potential buyer for a company, analyzing overlaps in products, services, customers, and investment histories. This creates a rich, targeted pool of buyers, increasing the likelihood of multiple offers and competitive bidding. “When you have multiple offers, people compete,” Eldarov explains. “That’s what drives higher valuations.”

Simple, Transparent Pricing Aligned with Client Success

OffDeal charges a straightforward 5% success fee based on the enterprise value achieved in the transaction. This fee is competitive — slightly higher than traditional banks for larger deals but more affordable for smaller ones. Importantly, there are no hidden costs or additional fees like expenses for meals or travel. “We make money when we get you a higher enterprise value, so our incentives are aligned,” says Eldarov.

Why OffDeal’s AI Advantage is Difficult to Replicate

With AI becoming a buzzword in finance, many wonder why larger banks or competitors can’t simply replicate OffDeal’s success. The answer lies in the degree of vertical integration and customization OffDeal has built into its technology stack.

“Banks will use AI, but largely as point solutions,” Eldarov points out. They might have a slide deck builder, an off-the-shelf CRM, or isolated automation tools that don’t communicate effectively with each other. In contrast, OffDeal’s software is fully vertically integrated — every tool, every workflow is built to work seamlessly together.

This integration enables a smooth, end-to-end process that covers everything from initial outreach to due diligence, creating confidential information memorandums (CIMs), pitch decks, and advising clients on which deals to accept. The complexity of M&A transactions requires this level of cohesion, which is difficult to achieve with patchwork solutions.

The Human Element Remains Essential

Despite the AI-driven nature of OffDeal’s platform, Eldarov emphasizes that human judgment remains indispensable. “Selling your business is one of the most important decisions of your life,” he says. “You need a human to tell you, ‘Hey, this is a good deal to take,’ or ‘This is the buyer you can trust.’”

The human role is evolving rather than disappearing. Instead of spending years on repetitive tasks like fixing logos in decks or managing endless spreadsheets, junior bankers at OffDeal are client-facing from day one. They engage in sourcing, buyer outreach, material preparation, and deal negotiation, gaining direct experience and developing essential sales and relationship skills early in their careers.

Reimagining the Investment Banking Career Path

One of the longstanding criticisms of traditional investment banking has been the slow and often tedious training process for junior analysts. For years, new hires focus on back-end tasks, delaying exposure to client interaction and deal-making skills.

OffDeal flips this model on its head. Junior bankers are thrust into client-facing roles immediately, allowing them to build negotiation skills, sales acumen, and trust-based relationships from the outset. This approach not only accelerates their professional growth but also aligns with OffDeal’s mission to deliver superior client outcomes through better human engagement supported by AI.

The Technology Behind the Transformation

OffDeal’s commitment to innovation is reflected in its engineering-to-banker ratio, which is roughly one-to-one. This balance ensures that technology development keeps pace with the evolving needs of the banking team. The company is focused on building what Eldarov describes as “probably the best software in the finance space in the world.”

Unlike software vendors who sell to multiple banks and must generalize their products, OffDeal’s technology is custom-built for their specific processes and workflows. Eldarov compares this to how Tesla engineered its gigafactory to optimize production unique to its cars. This bespoke approach means OffDeal’s platform is deeply tailored and unlikely to be licensed or sold as a generic solution.

What This Means for Small Business Owners and the Future of M&A

For small business owners, OffDeal represents a paradigm shift. Traditionally underserved by large investment banks, these entrepreneurs now have access to a platform that maximizes competitive tension, simplifies the selling process, and aligns incentives to their success.

By leveraging AI to identify every potential buyer and streamline communications, OffDeal reduces the risk of leaving millions on the table — a common pitfall in smaller transactions. The transparent pricing model and integrated workflow also provide clarity and efficiency, making the complex world of M&A more accessible.

Looking ahead, OffDeal’s model challenges the status quo of investment banking. By combining cutting-edge technology with a reimagined human role, the company is setting a new standard for how deals are sourced, negotiated, and closed in the digital age.

Conclusion: The Dawn of AI-Native Investment Banking

OffDeal’s AI-native investment bank is more than a fintech startup; it’s a blueprint for the future of financial services. By tearing down the legacy structures of traditional banks and rebuilding from scratch with AI as the foundation, OffDeal is unlocking new efficiencies and value for small business clients.

As Ori Eldarov puts it, the human element remains vital — but the nature of the work is changing dramatically. Junior bankers are empowered to engage directly with clients from day one, supported by a fully integrated AI system that handles the heavy lifting behind the scenes. This synergy of human judgment and artificial intelligence promises faster, smarter, and more lucrative M&A transactions.

For business owners looking to sell, OffDeal offers a compelling alternative to the old guard. With aligned incentives, transparent pricing, and a technology-first approach, the company is poised to disrupt Wall Street and democratize the investment banking experience for a broader audience.