We partner with founder led businesses who have the ambition to accelerate growth through M&A to become a premium platform that attracts the biggest and best investment vehicles.
Our approach→Approach
We are the best at what we do and we are laser focused on only doing that.
We don't have dozens of portfolio businesses with board seats given to salaried mid-level managers in the firm, with little to no 'skin in the game'.
We have a very limited number of businesses and founders that we work with at any one time, which allows us to do so in a true partnership fashion. Fewer partnerships means greater importance, focus and better outcomes.
This is especially the case when it comes to integration, which is where most M&A strategies flounder. Most investors are not set up to dedicate highly experienced integration specialists to work alongside their portfolio companies deeply and for long periods of time. We do and it makes the difference, ensuring that each acquisition is fully integrated: one business, one brand, one team.
Our team are all personally financially invested (in some cases providing all of the equity financing) in the companies we partner with so that we are fully aligned with the founder. We are free from corporate bureaucracy and we are fiercely protective of our team size and flat structure so founders have full access to everyone at anytime. No egos, no politics, just aligned interests. This is how we work and we are proud of it.
Where we manage external capital, the investors that back us are family offices that we consider friends. They are focused on protecting and growing wealth generationally, so their timelines are also flexible. This means together with our partners, we can make the right decisions, at the right time without being boxed into the rigid timelines of the fund model. Any incentives we receive from these family offices are totally time independent. Whether the founder wants to carry on for 30 days or 30 years, our incentives remain aligned.
Partnerships
We are privileged to be in the position where we limit our partnerships to a maximum of 3-5 businesses at any one time, which allows us to dedicate all our resources to helping those few founders achieve their business' maximum potential.
With more time and resources to dedicate, we develop a fundamentally deeper understanding of our partner businesses and maintain close relationships with the founders leading them. Ultimately the focus on quality over quantity results in outsized returns for both founders and investors.
Investment criteria
£750k – £3m
EBITDA
>15%
Growth, looking to grow rapidly
Founding team
Hungry to grow through M&A
40%+
Equity stake
This profile of business is in our sweet spot and we understand them exceptionally well. We get that this size of business can be a bit messy underneath. We get that there is no desire for a 6+ month transaction process with detailed due diligence, requesting data that doesn't exist. We get that certain support functions like IT or HR might be underdeveloped and the business may reflect the quirks of the founder. We are used to this, and we would be worried if it wasn't the case!
These are all things we can help with. What we are interested in is a business that knows how to grow organically in a defensible market with founders and management who are hungry to move things to the next level.
Accounting & corporate finance
ExitedWilson Partners offers high quality accounting and corporate finance advice to a range of customers across the South East. It is the trusted financial advisor to its clients and is building a differentiated accounting, tax and corporate finance offering by focusing on using cutting edge technology and fostering an outstanding team culture.
IT services & digital transformation
ExitedZenzero is an IT services and digital transformation partner for a number of preeminent organisations in the UK. It is the trusted technology partner for its clients, and focusses on supporting a broad range of technology solutions as well as providing strategic insights and transformation implementation across its client base. We have passed the baton onto Macquarie for the next phase of Zenzero's growth.
Environmental consultancy
ExitedAtmos and Thomson are specialist environmental consulting firms with expertise across ecology, EIAs, hydrology, habitats, town planning and other disciplines. They work with clients to solve environmental and planning hurdles to maximise outcomes, minimise risk and maintain regulatory compliance. We invested in Atmos and Thomson alongside Mornington Partners in 2023/4.
Telephone answering & virtual assistance
Cymphony is a leading UK telephone answering, managed web chat and virtual assistant business, focusing on building a great team culture and an impeccable service for its customers. Cymphony has scaled quickly through a combination of acquisitive and organic growth and has ambitious plans to be a truly differentiated market leader.
Team
Freddie co-founded Fordhouse and focuses on platform and bolt-on origination, along with wider strategy for Fordhouse.
Nicholas co-founded Fordhouse and focuses on technology, both with tech sector partners and helping non-tech sector partners tech-enable their businesses.
James manages the integration of our portfolio businesses and their acquisitions, working closely with founders to drive value.
Marcin is part of the Deals team at Fordhouse, supporting the M&A process from origination to completion at portfolio businesses.
Delia supports the investment team as well as managing the back-office functions, keeping Fordhouse efficient, organised and ensuring timely execution of key tasks.
Insights
Contact
We enjoy chatting with founders who have the ambition to take their business to the next level with an M&A strategy. We are different to other investors, so you need to understand if the fit is right between us. Whether you want to explore what a partnership might look like right here, right now or three years down the line, let's meet up.
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