Before you raise: the questions to settle
- The real need: how much, what for, how long it should last, and whether alternatives such as debt or non-dilutive funding are relevant.
- Where the company stands: what your numbers, traction and team can demonstrate today.
- The type of investor: business angels, venture or growth funds, family offices or corporate investors, each with different expectations on horizon, returns and involvement.
- What you are willing to share: dilution, board seats, decisions requiring investor consent.
Finding the right investors
A suitable investor is one whose strategy, stage, sector focus and financial capacity match your transaction. Approaching a long list of funds that do not fit wastes time and can weaken how the opportunity is perceived.
We select counterparties with you and approach them directly. Where the transaction has an international angle, the partnership with GVI, announced by GVI, extends the search to a network present in 30 countries.
Valuation, dilution, governance
Valuation determines how much of the company you give up for a given amount, but it does not sum up an offer. Board composition, reserved matters, share rights, funding conditions and exit provisions weigh just as much on your freedom to run the business and on future rounds. Our article What to negotiate beyond valuation covers these points.
How we work
Four stages, from scoping to closing.
Framing the transaction
Clarifying your financing needs, growth objectives and the terms on which you are prepared to open your capital. Preparing the financial information and materials needed for discussions.
A structured project, ready for investor discussions.
Engaging investors
Selecting investors according to their strategy, sector focus and investment capacity. Approaching them, presenting the opportunity and qualifying their interest, drawing on GVI where relevant.
Targeted discussions with relevant counterparties.
Comparing and negotiating
Organising investor discussions, handling their questions and analysing proposals. Supporting your decisions on valuation, dilution and governance.
A clear reading of the proposals and the terms to negotiate.
Leading to completion
Tracking open points, coordinating due diligence with your advisers and supporting negotiations through to signing and completion.
Ongoing follow-up of commitments and closing conditions.
What the adviser actually does
We prepare the materials and financials with you, run the discussions with investors, handle their questions and help you compare proposals. You stay focused on running the company while keeping control of every decision.
Due diligence and closing
Once the main terms are agreed, investors carry out financial, legal and sometimes technical due diligence. We coordinate this with your lawyer, who drafts and negotiates the legal documentation, and with your accountant, then follow open points until the funds are received.
Sector understanding
Technology, industry, services, healthcare: knowing what investors look at in your sector, such as revenue recurrence, capital intensity or regulatory timelines, helps present the company on the factors that underpin its value.
Confidentiality
Information is shared progressively with investors who have been qualified first. The level of detail, timing and protections, such as a confidentiality agreement where appropriate, are adapted to how sensitive the data is and agreed with you and your advisers.
Questions founders often ask
How much can I raise?
The amount, feasibility and timing depend on your need, the company's maturity and investor appetite. They are reviewed in the first discussion.
Investors are already approaching me. Is an adviser still useful?
It can be, to check whether those investors fit, compare their proposals on all terms and lead the negotiation. The decision remains yours.
Next step
A first confidential conversation lets us review your need, the company's stage and a realistic timetable, with no commitment. If you are considering a sale instead, see Selling your business.