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We have a wide range of services to support entrepreneurship through acquisition and search funds. Our team, led by Carl Lundberg, has built a reputation in the search fund space for delivering exceptional results at high speed and always providing straightforward advice, no matter how complex a deal may be.
In support of the UK search fund community we founded the Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Awards, with the primary objective of celebrating promising and established searchers and providing an opportunity to bring the community together in an enjoyable setting. We also sponsor the IESE International Search Fund Center, which is committed to supporting entrepreneurs and investors from around the world who are involved in search funds.
We help to identify and analyse potential targets, in the UK and internationally, to support your acquisition strategy.
We approach targets on your behalf, vetting initial interest and facilitating the flow of information.
We help you to identify the best potential funders for your specific transaction. Leveraging our network, we manage the debt process, including contacting funders, managing information flow and negotiating offers.
We deliver tailored due diligence services providing clear insights into key risks and value drivers, helping you make informed investment decisions with confidence.
We advise on strategy and tactics, including valuation and deal structuring, and act as lead negotiator. We project manage the transaction, as well as support with external funding and tax advice.
We work with private businesses for up to three years in advance of a transaction to ensure saleability is enhanced and value maximised.
We help to prepare for sale (including preparation of all of the relevant documentation), support through the process, identify prospective buyers, manage the due diligence process, support with contractual negotiation, as well as providing tax and valuation advice – all to maximise the return from the exit.
We can advise on the optimal acquisition vehicle structure, balancing commercial and tax considerations to meet the objectives of all stakeholders.
We can prepare or review completion accounts to ensure accuracy and alignment with the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement.
If you’re an experienced search fund investor or an entrepreneur with aspirations to become a CEO, speak to our team today to arrange a free initial consultation.
Our Corporate Finance team offers total transparency to determine the best approach for your next transaction.
To get in touch simply complete the form or call us on the number below.
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I would like to thank Carl, Will and the team for their proactive engagement in completing the acquisition of The Combined Services Provider Ltd in August 2023. GE team helped Norland Equity Partners with the FDD, Financial Modelling and Negotiations. It was a protracted transaction and the GE team demonstrated professionalism and built a win-win relationship with me as a client and the vendor’s team as well. In some very difficult negotiations, Carl and Will contributed to a very successful and fair outcome for all stakeholders – they fought hard for me as a client and established a trusted relationship with the vendor’s team by their transparency, openness and empathy at every interaction. This made a significant difference at these key points of negotiation and helped to secure the deal.
Managing Partner, Norland Equity Partners
We are extremely proud to have acquired Workpays and the Gerald Edelman Transaction team played a pivotal role not only in ensuring that this deal went through but that it went through smoothly. Their expert strategic advice was key in ensuring all investors and lenders were satisfied with all aspects of the deal – the accounts, the share purchase agreement, and the diligence. At all stages of the transaction, I was fortunate to be able to rely on their experience and knowledge to negotiate the transaction and structure the deal in a way that worked for everyone. It goes without saying that I recommend the team at Gerald Edelman to anyone who needs M&A and business advisory services and I’m looking forward to working with them again soon.
Managing Partner, Coniston Peak
The Gerald Edelman team were instrumental at helping close Redpath Capital’s acquisition of Just Loos in June 2023. They provided reliable and consistent advice and were always available on a moment’s notice. They went above and beyond by helping with negotiation strategies (regardless of day and time) and by providing in-depth feedback on our financial model over its construction. It was a pleasure to work with them and would happily recommend them to our peers.
Managing Director, Redpath Capital
Our team have developed a leading reputation in the Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (“ETA”) community, having supported many searchers with transactions and structuring matters over the past few years. Our CEO, Carl Lundberg, founded and hosts The Found & Funded Podcast, a podcast for searchers, by search experts, where they explore the route to business ownership without having that million dollar idea.
We are also founders of the ETA Awards, the primary objective of which is to celebrate promising and established searchers and provide an opportunity to bring the community together in an enjoyable setting.
Our Corporate Finance team has the expertise and experience to support you through the entire transaction process to ensure you come away with the best possible outcome. We also assist searchers with the structuring of their search vehicle and acquisition ‘bidco’, advising on matters such as overall group structure, share capital structure (including ‘vesting’ or searcher shares), preference share mechanics and much more. We are deeply rooted in the search community in the UK and if we can’t help you ourselves, we know someone who can!
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Being specialists in the Search Fund space, we can help you identify opportunities, assess the viability of deals and filter out unsuitable options. Firstly, we will work closely with you to define the search criteria, which will include clarifying target industries, size range, financial metrics and operational characteristics, which will help us narrow down a pool of potential companies to explore.
Next, we will screen and filter relevant businesses, which we do through our online databases as well as through our own networks and industry knowledge. Our team of experts will directly contact companies. Direct outreach yields some great results and often we find hidden gems by contacting companies that are not actively seeking buyers.
Finally, once potential targets are identified, we carry out due diligence to ensure they are the correct fit. This not only includes analysing financial metrics, but can also include qualitative factors, such as company culture, team strength and market position.
Overall it can take anything from three to twelve months, depending on the complexity and size of the acquisition.
Pre-deal stage (one to three months) During this stage we will work closely with you to identify potential targets and begin reaching out to potential businesses.
Due Diligence (one to three months) Once we have identified potential targets, we will undertake due diligence to ensure they are the right match for you.
Negotiation and signing (one to three months) During the negotiation phase we will support you in finalising the terms of the deal. Lawyers for both parties during this phase will need to draft and finalise the definitive purchase agreement and other related documents. Extra time may be needed if the deal requires regulatory approvals.
Closing (one to two months) During the final stages you will need to ensure the necessary financing is in place to complete the transaction. The transaction then officially closes and ownership of the target company is transferred to you.
In situations where a target has already been identified, we can mobilise a team quickly to get you through the next stages as fast as possible to meet exclusivity deadlines or other seller-set timelines.
That depends on the scope of our engagement but we are very competitively priced and provide the best value in the market.
We understand the importance of de-risking our clients from dead deal fees and offer attractive terms to help to share that risk.
To find out more, contact us at hello@geraldedelman.com.
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