Conduit Acquistions
Buy-side M&A advisory for owner managers growing by acquisition.
Conduit Acquisitions is for owner-managers who want to grow their business by buying another one, and want experienced advisors in their corner to run the process properly. We act exclusively for the acquirer — identifying targets, making the approach, leading the valuation and negotiation, and managing the deal through to completion. You provide the capital and the commercial judgement; we run the process and make sure you pay the right price on the right terms.
Who this is for
We work with owner-managers of established UK businesses who see acquisition as the next step in their growth — whether that's buying a direct competitor, a complementary business that extends the offer, a regional player to open up a new geography, or a smaller bolt-on that adds a capability or a customer base. Some clients come to us with a specific target already in mind. Others know they want to acquire but haven't yet worked out who
What we do
Target identification.
We build a proper shortlist of businesses worth approaching, grounded in what you're actually trying to achieve. That usually includes off-market opportunities — businesses not formally for sale, where the right approach can open a conversation that wouldn't otherwise exist.
Approach and engagement.
Making first contact with a potential target is where a lot of buy-side processes go wrong. We handle the approach discreetly, frame the conversation in a way the seller can engage with, and manage the psychology of an owner who may not have decided they want to sell yet.
Valuation and deal structure.
We work out what the target is genuinely worth to you — not the headline multiple the seller has in mind. From there, we help you structure the offer: price, payment mechanism, earn-outs, warranties, and the conditions that protect you once the deal is done.
Negotiation, due diligence and completion.
We lead the negotiation on your behalf, coordinate the legal and financial due diligence, manage the workstreams, and run the process through to signing and completion. You stay focused on the business you already own while we keep the deal moving.
Why use Conduit
We've bought businesses ourselves. That means we've sat where you're sitting — weighing the numbers, testing the seller's story, and living with the decision afterwards — and we advise with that in mind.
We have the relationships and the patience to open off-market conversations. The best acquisitions are often not the businesses that are formally on sale; they're the ones where the right approach, at the right time, to the right owner, gets a conversation started.
We work with a small number of clients at a time, and every engagement is led by a partner from first conversation to completion. You won't be handed to a junior team once the mandate is signed, and you won't be one of thirty active files.