Questions about Bayou Signal, answered for search funds and independent sponsors

Ten questions search funds and independent sponsors ask

What does Bayou Signal do?

Bayou Signal reads Louisiana’s public contractor license records and gives search funds and independent sponsors a list of companies with the mechanical classification on a Louisiana contractor license, each traced to its license record. Each company is found by one agent and checked by a separate verification agent before a partner sees it. We never contact owners.

Who is Bayou Signal for?

Bayou Signal is for search funds and independent sponsors who are looking for companies to acquire in Louisiana. We are not for owners who want to sell, and we do not represent owners.

What does it cost?

The price is $500 a month. Design partners are free until the design-partner period ends on November 30, 2026, and nothing is charged on this site today. The pricing page has the details.

Where is Bayou Signal based?

Bayou Signal is a Tulane student venture based in New Orleans, Louisiana. We cover Louisiana only.

How do I start?

Create a free account and send us your thesis. We are taking five design partners, and Jaime Albella replies within two business days. Accepted design partners read list #1 on their own page once it has passed verification.

What does list #1 cover?

List #1 has four companies. Each has a contractor license record at the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors with the mechanical classification, and each brief shows what that record shows. A brief says nothing about what the company does, who owns it, or any plans for it.

Which sectors are planned?

Our first list covers mechanical contractors, which includes HVAC companies. Electrical, marine and industrial services are the next sectors we plan to cover, and we do not cover them yet. A new list every Monday until the program ends on November 30, 2026 is planned and is not running yet.

How is Bayou Signal different from a business broker?

We are not a broker. We do not list companies for sale, we do not represent owners, and we never say that an owner wants to sell. We give you a list of companies traced to a public license record, and you decide whether to approach one.

How is Bayou Signal different from a paid company database?

We make no claim about any particular database. What we can say is what we give you: a list, not a database to search, in which each company is traced to a public contractor license record and checked by a separate verification agent.

How is Bayou Signal different from cold outreach by the searcher?

Cold outreach starts with a searcher choosing whom to contact, and we do the step before it: finding companies and checking the facts about them. We never contact owners, so the outreach stays with you.

Facts and sources

Every number on this page, with where it comes from.

Price

$500 a month. Source: the price set by Bayou Signal, stated on our pricing page.

Design-partner period ends

November 30, 2026. Source: Bayou Signal’s design-partner program, as stated on Tell us your thesis.

What list #1 covers

Companies with the mechanical classification on a Louisiana contractor license. Source: the public contractor license records of the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors.

Companies on list #1

Four. Source: list #1 as released by Bayou Signal; the counts are on How this list was built.

Market context

In 2023, the US Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns counted 1,623 establishments and 14,032 employees in Louisiana in NAICS 238220, plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, table CB2300CBP, Louisiana, NAICS 238220, opened on November 10, 2026. This is context only: an establishment is a location, not a company, the category includes plumbing, and it is not a count of our list.