Searching in the Carolinas?

May 19, 2026

by Luke Tatone from Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT Sloan School of Management in Portland, OR, USA

We're working hard to grow the Searchfunder community in the Carolinas. Please take a moment to introduce yourself below. Some questions to consider answering: Where are you based? What is your background? What's your buy box? Have you acquired yet? Where do you need the most help right now? Where can you provide help to others? Anything else on your mind? We'll be able to have much deeper discussions if you can provide as much detail as possible. A paragraph or two is perfect. Be sure to tag (@) when replying to comments to make sure your sub-comments are read.

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Reply by a professional
from College of William and Mary in Wilmington, NC, USA

Hi everyone — I’m a commercial litigator based in North Carolina. I work with business owners, entrepreneurs, and investors when deals go sideways after closing, particularly in ETA, search fund, and lower‑middle‑market transactions. A significant part of my practice involves representing searchers and first‑time operators who have acquired a business and then discover post‑close issues that couldn't be fully modeled — things like earn‑out disputes, seller financing issues, indemnity claims, or misrepresentations in financials. I occasionally work with sellers defending those same claims. In short, I see both sides of how these deals can break down once theory meets reality. Happy to be part of the community and to connect. Hope to talk to many of you soon!

Reply by a searcher
from University of Virginia in Raleigh, NC, USA

I live in the Raleigh area. My background is in construction/engineering and my buy box is any specialty construction/industrial service business. I currently own a business that does apartment turnovers (cleaning, carpets, painting, handyman, etc). However, I am doing a deep dive into the disaster restoration industry right now and am excited about it because it is fairly adjacent to my current business. I need the most help sourcing deals! I have worked with some brokers and done some proprietary outreach. I also appreciate feedback on deals or business plans. Happy to be a sounding board on deals, business plans, or anything else you are looking at.

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