Research support for technology companies that can't afford to guess

In tech, decisions about tooling, competitors, partnerships, and market positioning move fast — and bad research wastes more time than no research at all. Whether you're evaluating a new SaaS stack, sizing a market for a pitch deck, or tracking what competitors just shipped, a Trusty Oak EA can own the research layer so your team stays focused on building. This is structured, documented work — not a Google search handed back in a doc.

Fractional research support for tech companies

How Trusty Oak handles research for tech companies

A Trusty Oak EA assigned to research for a technology client typically works from a brief or standing priorities you define with your Client Success Manager during onboarding. Day-to-day, that might look like monitoring G2, Capterra, and Product Hunt for competitor activity, pulling together feature comparison matrices in Notion or Google Sheets, or sourcing contact lists from LinkedIn Sales Navigator for a GTM push. They'll use tools like Crunchbase for funding and firmographic data, SEMrush or SimilarWeb for traffic and SEO benchmarking, and Perplexity or standard web research for fast-turnaround questions. Your role is to set the research question and review the output — the EA handles the sourcing, synthesis, and formatting so findings are actually usable, not just a pile of links.

What your EA takes off your plate

Before your first research request, write down exactly what decision the research needs to support — not just the topic, but what you'll do with the output. The most common mistake is handing over a vague prompt like 'research our competitors' and expecting a usable deliverable; an EA can do thorough work, but they need to know what 'done' looks like for your context. A one-paragraph brief with the decision, the format you want, and two or three example competitors or sources you already trust will cut revision cycles significantly.

Competitive Feature Matrix

Build and maintain a structured comparison of competitor products using G2, Capterra, and direct product documentation, formatted in Notion or Google Sheets for easy team reference.

Market Sizing & Landscape Research

Pull TAM/SAM/SOM data from industry reports, Crunchbase, and analyst sources to support pitch decks, board updates, or product strategy documents.

Vendor & Tool Evaluation

Research and summarize SaaS vendors, APIs, or infrastructure providers against a defined criteria set — pricing tiers, integration support, reviews, and contract terms.

Competitor Monitoring & Change Tracking

Set up and run regular checks on competitor websites, changelogs, press releases, and social channels to flag product updates, pricing changes, or new feature launches.

Prospect & Account Research

Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator and Crunchbase to build enriched prospect lists with firmographic data, tech stack signals, and recent funding events to support sales or partnership outreach.

Tools our team works with

We adapt to your existing stack — no forced migrations.

SimilarWeb

Apollo.io

LinkedIn Sales Navigator

SEMrush

Statista

...and many more!

Trusted by tech companies

Trusty Oak supports tech companies including Permute AI, Ritual — handling everything from research to broader operational support.

What research support costs for tech companies

Drag the sliders to build a monthly plan that fits your workload.

Executive Assistants

~$35/hour

10 hours $350

Specialists

~$50/hour

20 hours $1,000

Fractional Executives

~$95/hour

0 hours $0

Your monthly budget

$1,350

Starting at $1,000/month. One-time $300 onboarding fee includes your Strategic Delegation Plan.

Book a Discovery Call

Frequently Asked Questions

Can an EA handle technical research, like evaluating APIs or comparing infrastructure tools?

Yes, with the right brief. Trusty Oak EAs are strong generalist researchers — they can evaluate documentation, synthesize G2 reviews, compare pricing pages, and summarize integration support across platforms. For research that requires hands-on testing or deep engineering judgment, the EA handles the structured information-gathering layer and you or your team make the technical call.

How do you handle confidentiality when an EA is researching competitors or internal strategy?

All Trusty Oak talent operates under confidentiality agreements, and your Client Success Manager can walk you through the specifics during onboarding. For sensitive research projects, most clients share context through a dedicated Notion workspace or a shared Google Drive folder with access controls, rather than open email threads.

How many hours does research work typically require each month?

It depends on scope and frequency — a one-time market landscape report might take 6 to 10 hours, while ongoing competitive monitoring with weekly summaries could run 8 to 15 hours per month. Trusty Oak's monthly budget starts at $1,000, and unused hours roll over, so you're not penalized if a lighter research month follows a heavy one.

Start delegating research to a US-based EA

Your onboarding includes a Strategic Delegation Plan built around your specific research needs — so your EA hits the ground with context, not questions. One-time $300 onboarding fee, then $1,000/month to start.