Being Contacted by PE

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by a searcher from Texas A&M University
in Cedar Park, TX, USA

1yr ago

Being Contacted by PE

I've had several PE firms reach out to me about acquiring my business. I'm not near big enough yet to even have that conversation. Is this normal and just what they do to drag their bait through the water?!

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reply by an investor 1yr ago
from Columbia University in Larchmont, NY, USA

PE is so competitive these days. Whether it's human analysts or AI scouring for opportunities. Their hit ratio is always low. Stay the course....and be ready when you're ready.

reply by a professional 1yr ago
from Cornell University in Toronto, ON, Canada

Very general sizing for a PE firm is $5m EBITDA for a platform (or $5m ARR). Add-ons can be any size, but are often viewed as >$1mm EBITDA. It's hard for an acquirer to know exactly how large your firm is unless something is published, so a PE firm with a platform in the space or an interest to get into the space may blanket outreach to all companies in their selected geography to try and learn more/start a relationship. I'd recommend taking a call to see how it goes and have the experience, understanding what they may ask of you, info they would require, etc.

Keep a record of who reached out to you for your own buyer list when the time to exit!