ETYCapital Partners
Investment criteria

What we look for

We invest in profitable, founder-built UK businesses with management in place, recurring demand, durable relevance and strong cash conversion. We can take a controlling or significant stake, depending on what works for the founder.

Our decision lens

A few principles guide every decision

Cash flow over story
Repeat demand over one-off projects
Operational continuity over founder heroics
Simple, explainable businesses over complexity
Downside protection first, operational upside second
Core criteria

The qualities we look for

01

Profitable today

Already profitable and cash-generative, where operational improvement is upside rather than a requirement for survival.

02

Recurring demand

Revenue from repeat, maintenance, compliance-driven or consumable demand, not one-off projects that must be recreated each month.

03

Management in place

A credible leadership layer or second-in-command able to run day-to-day operations through a structured founder transition.

04

Beyond the founder

The business can operate without the founder as its daily operating system, with customer goodwill that belongs to the company.

05

Durable, essential sectors

Boring, useful sectors likely to remain relevant over the next five to ten years, linked to maintenance, compliance or production.

06

Diversified customers

Recurring customers and long-standing relationships, with no single client representing a critical share of revenue.

07

Simple operations

A clear model from enquiry to quote to delivery to cash that can be understood quickly and explained in a sentence.

08

Strong cash conversion

Accounting profit that translates reliably into operating cash flow, with manageable capex and working capital.

09

Low liability risk

Limited legal, environmental and regulatory exposure, with appropriate insurance and a clean health and safety record.

On manufacturing. We consider manufacturing where it behaves like a repeat-order, cash-generative B2B business: niche, essential products for a diversified customer base, with manageable capex and a technical lead in place below the founder.
Size & geography

Where we focus

Target EBITDA
£250k–£1.5m
Geography
United Kingdom
Founder or intermediary?

If this sounds like your business, let’s talk

Initial conversations are always confidential and obligation-free. We work with founders and intermediaries across the United Kingdom.

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