A guide to finding the right companies to sell to, using Signals and structured filters.
Acitinar watches UK companies for signs that they're changing, growing, or investing — things like hiring, getting new leadership, raising money, or launching new products. These are called Signals. Instead of guessing which companies might need your product, you can search for companies showing the exact kind of activity that makes them a good prospect right now.
At the top of the Companiespage, you'll see a search box where you can type a company name or a description (e.g. "law firm" or "accountancy software"). This is a good starting point if you already know roughly who you're looking for.
Next to it is the Filters button. This is where the real power of the tool lives — click it to open Advanced Filters.
Signals are short-cut buttons you can tap to say "show me companies where this is happening." You can tap more than one at a time — the more you select, the more specific your search becomes.
Hiring (last 90 days)
Shows companies that have posted at least one job in the last 90 days. This is a broad, general signal — it just means they're recruiting for something.
Use it when: you want a wide net of active, growing companies, without narrowing down to a specific type of role yet.
Hiring by Category
Lets you narrow hiring down to a department.
Use it when: you know your product is most relevant to a specific department. For example, if you sell finance software, filter for companies hiring Finance / Accounting roles — that tells you they're actively investing in that part of the business.
Growing Revenue
Shows companies whose financials indicate they're trending upward. A good general sign of a healthy, growing business.
Changing Directors (last 90 days)
Shows companies that have recently changed leadership (new directors appointed, or existing ones leaving). New leadership often means new priorities and new budgets — a good moment to reach out.
Raised Funding (last 90 days)
Shows companies that have recently secured investment (equity funding, grants, or loans). Companies with fresh funding often have budget to spend on new tools and services.
Note: This works best for limited companies. If you're targeting law firms, partnerships, or other business types that don't raise funding the usual way, this signal may show fewer results — try Hiring or M&A signals instead for those.
Employee Growth
Shows companies whose overall headcount is increasing — not just posting jobs, but actually growing in size. This is a stronger, more confirmed version of "Hiring."
M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions)
Shows companies that are being acquired, exploring a sale, merging, or going through an ownership change. These moments often bring in new decision-makers with new budgets and new priorities — a good window to introduce your product.
Below the Signals, you'll find filters to narrow your search to the right kind of company:
The real value comes from stacking signals and structured filters together. Here are a few examples:
Companies hiring Finance/Accounting roles in Manchester
Recently funded companies in Manchester
Mid-sized accountancy firms going through leadership change
Companies about to be acquired, hiring in Finance
Once you're comfortable with the basics, here's how experienced users in different roles actually set up their searches. Each one leans on a different combination of signals, because each job needs a different kind of "moment" to sell into.
The Recruiter — finding companies about to need staff
A recruiter doesn't just want companies that are hiring right now (that's the easy, crowded part of the market). The real opportunity is companies about to have a hiring problem — growing fast, changing leadership, or newly funded and about to scale up.
The search:
Why this works: you're getting ahead of the job postings, not competing with every other recruiter who's just searching "companies hiring."
The Software Seller — finding companies ready to buy (e.g. accounting or HR software)
Software buying decisions almost always follow a trigger — a new hire in the department, a process pain point, or a leadership change that shakes up priorities. You don't want "any company," you want companies with a live reason to buy now.
The search:
Why this works: the category hiring filter tells you exactly which department is expanding, so your pitch lands with the right buyer at the right time — not a cold guess.
The Business Strategy Consultant — finding companies in flux
Consultants get hired when something is changing and leadership doesn't have all the answers yet — M&A activity, leadership turnover, or rapid growth outpacing internal structure. You want companies mid-transition.
The search:
Why this works: you're not searching for "big companies" generically — you're searching for the specific moment of disruption that creates demand for outside advice.
The Lawyer — finding companies that need legal services
Legal need usually follows an event: a deal, a new hire that expands regulatory exposure, or a company launching something that needs contracts, IP protection, or compliance review.
The search:
Why this works: you're not chasing "any company in your region" — you're chasing companies at the exact moment they're most likely to need a lawyer.
The Accountant — finding new prospects
Accountants win new clients most easily when a company's finances are moving — growing revenue, fresh funding that needs proper reporting structure, or a leadership change that opens the door to switching providers.
The search:
Why this works: all three signals point to the same underlying trigger — financial complexity increasing faster than their current setup can handle.
The General Sales Rep — finding leads across any product
Not every sales rep sells something tied to one department. Sometimes the most useful signal is simply "this company is clearly active and changing" — because active companies are more open to conversations than stagnant ones.
The search:
Why this works: stacking a general activity signal with a confirming signal means you're not wasting time on companies that posted one job ad six months ago and haven't grown since.
Professional Services (agencies, advisors, freelancers) — finding companies interested in your kind of service
Whether you're a marketing agency, a design studio, or an HR consultancy, the pattern is the same: find companies signalling that they're about to invest in exactly the kind of work you do.
The search:
Why this works: you're matching your exact service to the exact moment a company needs it — not sending generic outreach and hoping it lands.
The common thread across all seven examples:nobody searches on just one signal. The strongest lists come from combining a signal that shows something is changing (hiring, funding, M&A, leadership change) with a signal that confirms it's real and sustained (revenue growth, employee growth), then narrowing with Industry and Location to match your actual target market.
