Most European searcher teams use it daily, and pretending otherwise would not be honest.
It is the default communication channel across much of Europe for quick coordination with trainees, advisors and local contacts, and ignoring this reality would make the directory less useful.
That said, WhatsApp is not a professional tool and has one important limitation that every searcher should be clear on: it should never be used for sensitive deal information.
Owner names, company names, financial details, LOI terms or anything that could constitute material non-public information about an acquisition target has no place in a WhatsApp conversation. These conversations are not auditable, cannot be archived reliably for legal purposes and are accessed on personal devices outside the control of the search fund entity.
Use WhatsApp for what it is good at: quick daily coordination, logistics, sharing non-sensitive links and keeping in touch with advisors informally.
Use Slack, email or Notion for anything that matters.
