Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Awards (ETA Awards)

On Thursday 2 November 2023 at the Nobu Hotel London Shoreditch, Gerald Edelman will be hosting the Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Awards (ETA Awards). The first awards ceremony of its kind in the corporate finance industry, recognising searchers and entrepreneurs and celebrating their achievements and acquisitions over the last year.

The popularity of Search Funds is growing in the UK. Gerald Edelman regularly works with acquisition entrepreneurs to help them through their transactions. “Through doing this we realise that the passion for entrepreneurship and the tenacity to get the deal done is something that really makes these entrepreneurs successful.” Said Carl Lundberg, Partner at Gerald Edelman. “Consequently, we want to celebrate these people and celebrate this industry, and the value that is unlocked for business sellers and owners of SMEs that might otherwise have not been there if it wasn’t for this acquisition model.”

The awards ceremony will feature compere Dominic Holland, an opening speech by Carl Lundberg, Partner at Gerald Edelman, and John Hunter, Director at Shawbrook. Followed by the awards ceremony and a networking reception where attendees can meet and connect with other entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders.

Sponsoring the event are Shawbrook, JMW Solicitors, Marriott Harrison, Buy and Build and Irwin Mitchell.

Oli Wilson, managing director, Commercial Loans at Shawbrook commented ‘the increasing popularity of search funds, or entrepreneurship through acquisition, has breathed new life into the lower mid-market M&A space. This unique and growing ecosystem within UK market is uniting high calibre talent with a vision of entrepreneurship, with successful SMEs to provide an alternative option to traditional succession routes.

Shawbrook has supported a significant volume of Search Fund transactions over the course of the past 24 months and our partnership with the Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Awards gives us the opportunity to shine a light on the innovation and ambition that searchers are bringing to the lower mid-market space.’

The shortlist for the ETA Awards is as follows:

Deal of the year <£10m (self-funded)

• Redpath Capital’s acquisition of Just Loos
• Continuance Capital’s acquisition of a label printing company in Corby
• Advanced Equity Partners’ acquisition of Out n About
• Coniston Peak’s acquisition of Workpays

Deal of the year >£10m (self-funded)
Head-to-head

• Norland Equity Partners’ acquisition of The Combined Service Provider Ltd
• Jim Ward/Euston Ventures’ acquisition of Hammond Chemicals Ltd

Deal of the year (traditional)

• Galanthus Partners’ acquisition of Corum
• Soris Capital Partners’ acquisition of Water Direct
• Lexana Capital’s acquisition of Jaama

 Intern of the year

• Ben Corkin
• Vignesh Kamath
• Samay Patel

Lender of the year

• Shawbrook
• ThinCats
• SME Capital

ESG Excellence

• Euston Ventures’ acquisition of Safe Spaces
• Coniston Peak’s acquisition of Workpays
• Citium Capital’s acquisition of Amber Home Improvements

Investor of the year
Head-to-head

• Euston Ventures
• Ethos Partners

To find out more visit the Gerald Edelman website: awards.geraldedelman.com