We finance the acquisition,
you run the SME
You want to run your own company without committing all your savings to it. We identify profitable SMEs, we pay the price to the seller, and you take the helm while gradually building up your stake.
We provide
The opportunities and the capital
Our engine scans the market continuously. You get access to deals that are often off-market, and we finance the transaction.
You take
Operational leadership
You become the CEO from closing. We sit on the board, never in day-to-day operations.
It's your project, your SME.
You become
A growing shareholder
Your stake grows year after year, financed by the company's performance, not by your savings.
Financing
How much equity do you need to
take over an SME ?
It is the first question every external buyer asks, and the answer shapes everything else.
We provide most of the capital: your contribution is never the price of the company.
We bring in our own equity, that of our co-investors and acquisition debt that we structure. The seller is paid at closing, and you do not have to raise several million euros.
A personal contribution is required: it is the mark of your commitment to the project. Its amount is set during the qualification interview, based on the size of the deal and your situation.
Create my buyer profileEvery deal is different: these principles stay the same, the amounts are set deal by deal.
Misconceptions
What makes a good buyer, according to us
Four misconceptions we hear from external takeover candidates.
You need to know the industry
Not necessarily. The technical know-how stays in the company, carried by the teams. What we look for is your ability to make decisions, bring a team along and hold the course through the first year.
You need to have been a boss before
No. Many of our buyers ran a business unit or a subsidiary in a large group. Operational experience matters more than the title.
You need a large personal contribution
A contribution is required, but it has nothing to do with the price of the company. If you could pay for an SME in cash, you would not need us.
Good SMEs are rare
A large share of our deals come from brokers but are hand-picked; others come from our proprietary sourcing.
Does this sound like you?
Create your profile in two minutes: industry, size, budget, region. We match your criteria against our deal flow.
Our role
From your profile to your first day in charge
From your sign-up to your first day as CEO, here is exactly where we step in.
Before
We source and qualify
You create your profile, we match your criteria against our deal flow and we size your financing capacity.
- Buyer profile in two minutes
- Qualification interview
- Presentation of targeted opportunities
Buyer profile in two minutesDuring
We validate and finance
We screen the opportunities, value the company and put together the financing.
- Valuation and deal analysis
- Negotiation and due diligence
- Payment of the price to the seller
After
We support you
You lead. We bring governance, tools and network, and your stake in the company grows.
- Board of directors and reporting
- PurpleShares management tools
- Gradual increase in ownership
Testimonial
From senior executive to CEO of an
SME in manufacturing
Former operations director in manufacturing
Now CEO of a 45-employee SME
- The situation
- Forty-seven, operations director in a large group, keen to run his own SME outside the capital, with limited personal funds.
- Our role
- Three off-market targets identified in four months, deal structured and financed by PurpleShares and its co-investors.
- Today
- He now runs an SME with 45 employees and €8m in revenue, and increases his stake every year.
Your questions
Questions from prospective buyers
How much personal contribution is needed to take over an SME with you?
It is set during qualification, based on the size of the deal and your situation. It marks your commitment; it does not finance the acquisition: we bring in our own equity, that of our co-investors and acquisition debt carried by the acquisition vehicle.
Do I have to personally guarantee the acquisition debt?
No. No personal guarantee or security over your assets is required. The debt is carried by the acquisition vehicle and repaid from the company's earnings.
Do I need to know the industry of the company I take over?
Not necessarily. The technical know-how stays in the company, carried by the teams. What we look for is your ability to make decisions, bring a team along and hold the course through the first year.
How do you find companies to take over?
Through our proprietary sourcing: direct outreach to owners, a network of intermediaries and referrers, continuous market analysis. A large share of our deals has never been put on the market and bypasses competitive processes.
How much of the company can I own?
Your stake starts as a minority at closing and grows year after year, financed by the company's performance. The horizon is long term, with no imposed exit date.
How long between signing up and a takeover?
The profile takes two minutes to create and the qualification interview follows quickly. The actual timeline then depends on a matching target coming up: expect most often six to eighteen months between qualification and taking charge.
Two minutes, no commitment
Create your profile and access our
opportunities
Define your criteria (industry, size, budget, region) and we match your project against our flow of companies for sale.
01 84 80 00 71
Free · confidential · you choose which deals are presented to you
Other situations
You already have a connection to a
company ?
Financing and support differ depending on where you start from.