How UK advisers can refer US companies and what to check first

Where do UK advisers meet eligible US companies?

UK advisers meet eligible US companies in four places: the US parents of UK subsidiaries they already serve, transatlantic acquisitions they work on, US clients of their own consultancy, and the US portfolio of a sponsor or lender they advise. Any of these can produce an introduction to a US business that holds years of operational records. The business must be US-based, with 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded).

Partners can join from any supported country, so a London, Manchester or Edinburgh practice can participate. What changes for a UK partner is not the product but the paperwork and the professional rules around it, which this guide covers in order.

Which UK relationships produce the best introductions?

The best introductions come from relationships where you already speak to a US decision-maker about the business as a whole, not only about one function. Four patterns recur in UK practices.

The company still has to meet the baseline in who qualifies: several years of documented operations, rights to license the data, and an authorized sponsor such as the owner, CEO, CFO or an authorized representative.

The UK screen: four questions before you raise it

Use this short screen before you mention the program to anyone. It takes one call, and it keeps your reputation with the client intact.

• Is the business a US company, not a UK entity with a US trading name?
• Does it have 50+ full-time employees at peak, with contractors excluded?
• Can the owner or an authorized executive decide on a license, and does the company own the records rather than hold them for its own clients?
• Do records exist across many systems, ideally with five or more years of history, including archived tools?

If the first two answers are yes, the company fit checker gives a preliminary, non-binding screen that needs no contact details. Passing it is not approval.

When in the UK adviser calendar should you raise it?

Raise it at moments when records are already being discussed. Timing matters more than polish.

How does the introduction work without you handling data?

You make the introduction; SourceX handles the rest. You never export, upload or describe confidential records.

1. You register as a partner and either share your referral link or submit the company through the referral form.
2. SourceX qualifies the company on size, history, data breadth and rights.
3. The company completes a data inventory listing its systems and what can be exported.
4. Price and terms are agreed with the company. Nothing is binding until it agrees and signs.
5. AI labs and data buyers review the opportunity.
6. The deal closes, data is delivered under the agreed redaction rules, and the company is paid.
7. Your reward is paid after SourceX receives payment.

Companies keep ownership of their data; it is licensed, not sold. If you would rather the company applies itself, your referral link sends it to sourcex.si/apply with your code attached.

What to say to a US decision-maker

Keep it short, factual and free of promises. Do not name a figure.

The introduction email builder can draft a longer version.

What UK-specific checks come before your first introduction?

Four checks belong on your list. None of them can be answered by this site, so treat each as a question for the right professional.

• Professional body rules. If you are a chartered accountant, solicitor, regulated financial adviser or other member of a regulated profession, your body may restrict or require disclosure of referral rewards. Read your body's current guidance and ask its ethics helpline if unsure. Our sibling pages cover Ireland, Canada and the Nordics for comparison, but they do not substitute for UK guidance.
• Tax on the reward. Ask a UK tax adviser how HMRC treats referral income for you or your firm, including Self Assessment or corporation tax treatment and whether VAT registration questions arise.
• US tax paperwork. A non-US payee is generally asked for a Form W-8BEN (individuals) or W-8BEN-E (entities), which goes to the payer, not the IRS. See the IRS pages on Form W-8BEN and Form W-8BEN-E, and our guide to filling out a W-8BEN-E for a consulting firm.
• Privacy. You share only the company's name and basic fit information, but a contact person's name and email are still personal data. Ask your data protection lead how your firm should handle passing them on, and tell the contact before you do.
• Anti-bribery policy. If your firm has an anti-corruption policy, a reward from a third party for an introduction may need to be declared internally. See our page on the UK Bribery Act and referral fees.

This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm with your own counsel, tax adviser or professional body before acting.

How do rewards work for a UK partner?

Partners earn 25% of the eligible platform fees SourceX actually collects from the referred company's licensing deals, capped at $100,000 cumulative per referred company. Rewards become payable only after the buyer pays and SourceX receives its fee. A lead, a meeting or a signed agreement alone does not trigger payment, and no reward is guaranteed.

The reward is a share of SourceX's fee and is never deducted from what the company receives. Credit goes to the first valid referrer whose introduction leads to a verified company application within the attribution window. Payout methods, currency and tier details are set by the signed agreement and the program terms. The referral earnings calculator shows how the reward formula works.

When should a UK adviser not bother?

Skip it when the relationship is thin, when you cannot reach the owner or CFO, or when a conflict exists. Specific stop signs:

• The client is a UK company with only a US mailing address.
• Your engagement letter or firm policy prohibits referral rewards from third parties.
• The data mainly belongs to the client's own customers without consent.
• You would be pressing a client to sell something they have not asked about.

For other markets, the guide for Singapore advisers, the guide for UAE advisers and the overview for international partners follow the same structure.

Next step

Run one US client through the four-question screen this week. If it passes, register as a partner and make the introduction, or have the owner apply directly at sourcex.si/apply with your referral link.