Solution: A free lookup tool: enter any HVAC company name and zip code. The platform shows: (1) Ownership status — independent, PE-owned (with parent company named), corporate franchise; (2) Acquisition date and what changed since; (3) Pricing reputation score based on user-submitted quotes and review sentiment analysis; (4) A directory of verified-independent local HVAC companies in your zip code; (5) Browser extension that flags PE-owned companies on Yelp, Google Maps, and Angi listings. The PE ownership database is the proprietary data asset — sourced from SEC filings, business broker announcements, news, and crowdsourced reports. ICP: Homeowners aged 35–70 who've noticed HVAC prices skyrocketing and figured out that many 'local' HVAC brands are now owned by private equity firms. They want to support genuinely small, independent contractors but can't tell from a Google search which companies are which. The PE rollup strategy involves buying small HVAC companies, keeping the original brand name, but consolidating pricing and aggressively pushing replacements.

The PE ownership database is the entire moat — building and maintaining it requires significant research effort that aggregator platforms have zero incentive to do. The browser extension that flags PE-owned listings on Yelp and Google in real-time is the distribution wedge. Expanding from HVAC to plumbing, electrical, and roofing creates a horizontal home services transparency platform.

“Similar to how Fakespot built a business analyzing fake Amazon reviews — exposing a systemic consumer harm that Amazon had no incentive to address. This is Fakespot for HVAC: exposing the PE consolidation that contractor review platforms won't surface because PE companies are their best ad buyers.”