How searchers use Marbles to remember the owners they meet
The short answer. In a search, you may talk to the same owner many times over months before they're ready to sell. Marbles remembers the personal things they tell you on your Granola calls, such as family, hobbies, and why they started the business, and shows you a short brief before the next call. Deal terms stay in your CRM. Marbles keeps the person.
Searchers are one example. Marbles works the same way for founders, sales teams, investors, recruiters, and consultants.
Why it matters in a search
Stanford GSB's 2026 search fund study says a search typically takes around 20 months. When an owner is deciding who to sell to, remembering that their daughter just graduated, or that they want the team taken care of, shows you were listening.
How it works
- Connect. Add your Granola API key, sign in, allow Contacts, and connect your calendar.
- Talk. Record owner, broker, and investor calls in Granola as you already do.
- Marbles remembers. It pulls out personal details, sorts them into 16 categories, and links each to the meeting it came from. Facts it is sure about save automatically. The rest wait for a quick review.
- Before the next call. A Mac notification opens one screen, 10 minutes ahead by default (adjustable from 5 to 120): What to open with, Worth remembering, and Handle with care.
What it keeps and what it leaves out
- Keeps: family, hobbies, life events, their work, and how they think.
- Leaves out: deal terms, pricing, project tasks, action items, and your own to-dos.
- Handle with care: sensitive things, like a health issue or "don't tell the employees yet," are kept separate and never suggested as an opener.
Calls under an NDA
If some calls are covered by an NDA, put them in a Granola folder and exclude that folder in Marbles. Excluded folders are not imported.
Where your data goes
Meeting text is processed by Anthropic through Marbles' servers. The server deletes each transcript once the personal details are saved, and Anthropic may keep requests for up to 30 days. Saved details are encrypted at rest, with sensitive fields encrypted again per account. They are never published or sold.
What it costs
$12/mo or $96/yr. Founding: $6/mo for 12 months. 14-day trial. You also need Granola Business ($14/user/mo as of October 30, 2026) or Enterprise. Full pricing details.
Example
Before you meet
Dana Reyes
Someone you've met · 10 minutes ahead by default
What to open with
How was Maya’s first week of kindergarten?
Q3 planning
Still set on the Chicago run in October?
Last check-in
Worth remembering
Maya starts kindergarten Monday.
Dana, on a Q3 planning call
They closed on the cabin.
Five minutes before the agenda
Handle with care
Kept separate. Never suggested as an opener.
Asked to keep the job search quiet for now.
End of a check-in
A Marbles brief before a follow-up call with a business owner.
Best fit and not the best fit
Best fit: self-funded or investor-backed searchers who record calls in Granola Business on an Apple silicon Mac and talk to the same owners many times.
Not the best fit:
- You need deal tracking, pipelines, or reminders. Use a CRM (see the search fund CRM guide).
- You don't use Granola, or you work on Windows or iPhone.
- You rarely talk to the same person twice.
Related: HelmIQ, an Affinity alternative for self-funded search, and how brokers use Marbles.
FAQ
Will Marbles save deal terms from owner calls?
No. It leaves out deal terms, pricing, tasks, and your own to-dos. Keep those in your CRM.
Can I keep NDA calls out of Marbles?
Yes. Put those calls in a Granola folder and exclude that folder in Marbles. Excluded folders are not imported.
Will sensitive things come up as openers?
No. Sensitive details sit under Handle with care and are never suggested as an opener.
Does it import my past calls?
Yes. Marbles imports your past Granola meetings, apart from excluded folders.
What do I need?
Granola Business or Enterprise, and an Apple silicon Mac on macOS 15 or later.
Requires an Apple silicon Mac on macOS 15 or later.