Seeking $1–5M EBITDA Businesses in the Tri-State Area (NY / NJ / CT)

searcher profile

March 03, 2026

by a searcher from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor in New York, NY, USA

Hi Everyone, My brother Ryan and I are actively seeking to acquire a business in the Tri-State area with $1–5M of EBITDA. We are industry agnostic and have an open mind, but are generally drawn to businesses with recurring or highly repeatable revenue, strong cash flow generation, and opportunities for operational improvement or consolidation. We both graduated from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. Ryan began his career in M&A investment banking at Rothschild & Co and later worked at KPS Capital Partners. I began my career in investment banking at Solomon Partners in New York. We are long-term, operator-minded buyers and intend to be actively involved in building the business over time. We are fully funded through family capital and can move quickly and decisively. In addition, our cousin, who most recently served as CEO of a New Jersey-based manufacturing business, is interested in joining us full-time in an operating role. With his involvement, we have the capacity to pursue transactions up to $25M. If you are aware of businesses that may fit this profile or have any insights, introductions, or suggestions, we would sincerely appreciate connecting. Additional background can be found at: https://zeplinholdings.com/ Thank you and looking forward to engaging with the community. Feel free to message me here or email me redacted or Ryan redacted Ethan Zeplin
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Reply by a lender
from Cornell University in Los Angeles, CA, USA
Hi @redacted‌ - nice to meet you. Always happy to talk about the financing piece with the SBA. We have a lot experience financing various companies via the SBA. If you ever need help reviewing a deal, I am happy to help. We work with all the major SBA lenders. The bank pay us after your loan closes, so this is a 100% free service for you. You can email me directly at redacted or schedule a meeting with me: https://cal.com/francodeguzman/30min. Look forward to chatting!
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Reply by a professional
from Duke University in New York, NY, USA
@redacted‌, great background -- congrats to you & your brother. Happy to intro you to intermediaries in the tristate area that could help you. Also, was there a specific industry you're looking to drill into? Here's an example of search all HVAC in NJ, but could definitely do a search of something else: https://app.dealdogs.ai/search?share=m9JIIuA5Zi3LotQ1nAYSqod1YjjKonrD Let me know if this is helpful!
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