Route A
Begin a confidential conversation
Founder to founder. No deck, no pitch.
M&A ADVISORY & EXECUTION
Consulenza M&A per owner-CEO — molto prima dell’operazione.
Ci coinvolgiamo due o più anni prima che la data room si apra. Pre-decisione, valutazione, Readiness, transazione, continuità post-operazione — condotti dall’inizio alla fine da uno di noi. Il transfrontaliero Europa–Asia è la situazione standard, non l’eccezione.
THE MULTI-YEAR ARC
What M&A counsel looks like over time.
- 01Pre-decision
The question gets named. Sometimes one conversation, more often several. Some decisions cannot be rushed.
- 02Valuation
Today's value, and the higher value the right preparation can unlock. The gap is mapped, the path to close it is named.
- 03Readiness
The company shaped for the situation the owner has chosen, not the one inherited. Processes, structures, finances, governance, narrative.
- 04Transaction
Disciplined process, on the owner's side of the table. Buyer selection by strategic fit, not auction theatre. No deal-speed incentive on our side.
- 05Post-deal continuity
The years after, where most firms hand off and most owners discover what they actually built.
Through all of it, the same one of us — the senior who first sat with the question signs the side letters and takes the call two years after closing. Trust intimacy that cannot be delegated.
References
A few of our cases
Healthcare SaaS verticale — anonimizzatoAnonymised
Healthcare SaaS / fatturazione elettronica per ospedali · redditizio, basso churn · 2024–2025
I fondatori avevano costruito un business redditizio, tecnicamente integrato con comprovata rilevanza nel mercato e basso churn. Avevano raggiunto un traguardo personale: la fase successiva avrebbe richiesto capitale significativamente maggiore, più ampia capacità di vendita e prodotto, e possibilmente scaling internazionale. Piuttosto che assorbire quei rischi operativi come proprietari indipendenti, volevano trovare il giusto partner software a lungo termine che comprendesse lo spazio Healthcare SaaS verticale e potesse portare avanti il business consentendo loro di realizzare un’uscita.
Webformat → ImpresoftNamed
Software eCommerce · Magento e Adobe Commerce / Integrazione di sistemi · 2022–2023
L’owner-CEO affrontava sfide strutturali e strategiche convergenti. La transizione della piattaforma da Magento ad Adobe Commerce stava ridefinendo il panorama degli acquirenti — i progetti diventavano più grandi e le aspettative dei clienti si spostavano verso una più ampia capacità di partner IT. La posizione rurale dell’azienda rendeva difficile l’acquisizione di talenti, sebbene il personale esistente fosse straordinariamente fedele.
DiIT → Schleuniger / KomaxNamed
Software industriale / MES · Produzione di cablaggi · 2013–2017
Il CEO fondatore di DiIT si avvicinava alla domanda del pensionamento. Il business era tecnologicamente dominante nella sua nicchia e altamente redditizio, ma la prossima fase strategica richiedeva o capitale indipendente per lo scaling internazionale o la piena integrazione in un gruppo industriale più grande in grado di portare l’azienda a livello globale. Il CEO non voleva rimanere operativamente centrale nei suoi anni più avanzati, ma non riusciva a vedere come fare un passo indietro senza che il business perdesse ciò che lo aveva reso prezioso — la sua piattaforma software aperta e vendor-neutral che funzionava con le macchine di lavorazione dei fili di tutti i principali produttori, non solo Schleuniger.
Before you ask
Frequently asked questions
When should an owner-CEO start thinking about exit?
Earlier than feels natural. Most of the work that determines exit value — founder-dependency reduction, second-management-layer strength, customer concentration, buyer narrative — takes 18 to 36 months. Owners who begin when transaction pressure is already real have weeks, not months, to fix problems that took years to build. The strongest mandates start two to four years before a process.
Will you talk to me even if I'm not sure I want to sell?
Yes. Many of our mandates start there. The first conversation is not a commitment — it is a way for both sides to see whether the situation deserves more attention. Some owners decide not to sell after the first conversation, and that is the right outcome too. The work is to make a decision honestly, not to manufacture one.
What does the multi-year M&A arc actually look like?
Five phases. Pre-decision: the question gets named. Valuation: today's value and the higher value the right preparation can unlock, both honestly assessed. Readiness: the company is shaped for the situation the owner has chosen — processes, structures, finances, governance, narrative. Transaction: a disciplined process, on the owner's side of the table, with buyer selection by strategic fit. Post-deal continuity: the years after, where most firms hand off. Total arc typically 18 months to seven years. The DiIT mandate ran 2013 to 2017 — four years from first conversation to close.
What does Europe–Asia cross-border M&A actually mean?
The default geography of the firm's M&A practice — not a special service. Most mandates touch two or more jurisdictions among Germany, Italy, Poland, and China. The work understands both sides of the table: legal structures, decision-process pacing, tax and regulatory architecture, and a senior practitioner present in either jurisdiction. References from cross-border transactions available on request, in personal capacity.
How is your firm different from an M&A boutique that runs a sell-side process?
Three differences. First, the multi-year arc — M&A boutiques typically engage six to twelve months before a process; we engage two years or more before, when the question is forming. Second, the side of the table — we sit with the owner-CEO; brokers run a process on behalf of a brief. Third, the incentive structure — we are paid for time and judgement, not for closing. The recommendation can be "do not sell." Brokers and bankers are paid on close; their incentive does not include that answer.
Two ways to start
Route B
Ask for a seller-side reference
Released into specific conversations rather than published. DiIT seller-side available; Webformat both-side available.