Gerald Edelman celebrates record year at the 2025 Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) Awards

On Wednesday 5 November 2025, Gerald Edelman hosted the annual Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) Awards. This year’s event saw a record turnout, with over 190 searchers and investors in attendance, the largest gathering since the awards’ inception. 

Since its founding in 1946, Gerald Edelman has supported individuals and businesses across generations. Reflecting the rapid rise of ETA activity, the Firm advised on 19 search and ETA transactions in the twelve months to August 2025, more than double the nine deals completed in the previous year. 

The ETA Awards were established to recognise and celebrate the entrepreneurs, investors, and advisors driving the ETA model forward, providing succession solutions and unlocking value for exiting owners. 

All nominees were evaluated through a rigorous judging process led by a distinguished panel of industry experts: Bramley Johnson, Search Fund Investor; Alex Glasner, Search CEO and former ETA Award winner (Workpays, 2021); and Lisa Conmy, Partner at JMW Solicitors. 

2025 ETA award winners

• Deal of the Year Self-Funded: Acquisition of Tollco AB – Black Fox Invest
• Deal of The Year Traditional: Acquisition of a leading SaaS provider – Aqua Capital Partners
• Serial Acquirer of The Year: SK4 Holdings 
• ESG Excellence: Birch Faraday Capital  
• Intern of The Year: Brian Wachira 
• Lender of the Year: Triple Point

A special Community Contribution Award was also presented to Rob Johnson, recognising his outstanding impact on the ETA ecosystem. The award was presented by Carl Lundberg, CEO of Gerald Edelman and Founder of the ETA Awards, who highlighted Rob’s…

All of this year’s winners demonstrated exceptional leadership, integrity, and commitment to creating win–win outcomes for both buyers and sellers, preserving the legacy of the businesses they acquire while driving them forward under new stewardship. 

Carl Lundberg, CEO of Gerald Edelman and Founder of The ETA Awards, commented: “Working with searchers has been one of the most rewarding parts of my career. The ETA community represents ambition, integrity, and entrepreneurship at its best. Evenings like tonight allow us to recognise the individuals who have taken bold steps to turn their dream of business ownership into reality.“ 

Gerald Edelman extends its gratitude to the 2025 event sponsors, including Marriott Harrison, BizCrunch, JMW, Irwin Mitchell, Quastels, Shoosmiths, Ashtons Legal, Altenburg Advisory, Shawbrook, Search Fund News, and The Found & Funded Podcast.

Join us in celebrating this year’s finalists and the continued growth of the ETA movement. 

Find out more about search funds and the ETA model here.