Buy-Side M&A Advisory
The wrong acquisition is one of the most expensive mistakes a company can make, and it usually looks great in the pitch. We advise corporates, private equity, family offices, and experienced individual acquirers: origination against a clear thesis, diligence that tells the truth, and structures so the value holds.
LePrince Group provides buy-side M&A advisory globally for corporates, private equity and funds, family offices, and experienced individual acquirers: target origination, due diligence, deal structuring, negotiation, and post-deal value realization.
Four kinds of acquirer. One standard of work.
Buy-side mandates differ by who is buying. We run each with the discipline its capital deserves.
Corporates and enterprises
Acquisitions mapped to strategy rather than availability: a clear thesis, targets that fit it, and integration risk priced before signing, not discovered after.
Private equity and funds
Platform origination and add-on programs in our four sectors, with diligence built to protect the investment thesis and structures that keep management aligned.
Family offices
Direct acquisitions of quality companies for long holds: sourced through relationships, vetted to institutional standard, structured for durability rather than exit optics.
Individual acquirers and search funds
For experienced acquirers with committed capital: disciplined search against a defined thesis, honest diligence, and negotiation support against counterparties who do this professionally.
The best companies are not for sale. Yet.
The constraint in mid-market acquisitions is rarely capital; it is access. The strongest businesses transact through relationships before they ever reach a process. We originate against your thesis, approaching the right companies directly, qualifying interest discreetly, and bringing you opportunities that fit, including those not formally on the market.
What we actually verify.
Sellers package. Our job is to find what is true underneath, because we have operated inside businesses and know where the gaps hide.
Commercial due diligence
Demand durability, customer concentration, competitive position, and whether the growth story survives contact with the market.
Financial due diligence
Quality of earnings, revenue recognition, promo- and channel-adjusted margins, working capital reality, and the adjustments a seller's EBITDA quietly absorbed.
Operational due diligence
The team, the systems, the dependencies. Whether the business runs on infrastructure or on the founder's memory.
Structure and protections
Earnouts, escrows, holdbacks, reps and warranties: terms that put risk where it belongs and keep the value you underwrote intact after close.
The deal is the start of the value, not the end of the work.
Most acquisitions underdeliver not at signing but after it. We support post-deal value realization: integration planning, the first hundred days, and making sure the business delivers what the deal was underwritten on.
Frequently asked questions.
What is buy-side M&A advisory?
Buy-side advisory is representing an acquirer through a purchase: defining the acquisition thesis, originating and screening targets, running commercial, financial, and operational due diligence, structuring and negotiating the deal, and supporting the close and integration.
How do you find off-market acquisition targets?
Through direct, discreet origination: identifying companies that fit the thesis, approaching their owners through the right channels, and qualifying genuine interest before any process begins. The best mid-market companies rarely appear on the open market.
What does due diligence cover in a mid-market acquisition?
Commercial diligence on demand and competitive position, financial diligence on earnings quality and working capital, operational diligence on the team and systems, and legal and structural review. The goal is to verify what is actually true about the business, not what has been packaged.
How should an acquirer structure an earnout?
Around metrics the seller can genuinely influence, with clear definitions and audit rights, sized so it bridges a real valuation gap rather than disguising one. A well-structured earnout aligns both sides; a badly structured one buys a dispute.
Do you work with individual buyers?
Yes, with experienced individual acquirers and search funds backed by committed capital, acquiring in our four sectors at mid-market scale. The discipline of the work is the same as for any institutional mandate.
How are buy-side fees structured?
Outcome-based: tied to completing the right acquisition on the right terms, not to hours billed. We have no incentive to push a deal that should not close.
You won't find our deals online. That is the point.
We do not publicise mandates, name clients, or announce transactions. The best outcomes are reached quietly, and confidentiality protects the seller, the process, and the price.
Confidential by default
A sale is the client's business, not our marketing. The market learns only what serves the client.
Selective by mandate
We take a limited number of companies and turn the rest down. Selectivity is the product, not a constraint on it.
Vetted and verified
If we represent a company, it is proven to be one of the best in its category, with a clear opportunity for the right buyer.
Acquiring in our sectors?
Tell us your thesis. We'll give you an honest read on the market, the targets worth your diligence, and whether we're the right firm to run the search.
We take a limited number of mandates. Request a conversation if:
- Your company is in the $10m to $100m+ enterprise value range
- You operate in or adjacent to our four sectors
- You want an honest read, not a flattering one