Operator-led permanent-capital buyer

The permanent home
for exceptional businesses.

AIAS Acquisition Office acquires profitable small and medium-sized businesses from founders seeking succession, liquidity, or a trusted long-term partner. We combine patient capital, operational expertise, disciplined finance, and AI-enabled improvement to protect what works and build the company's next chapter.

Confidential review. Direct access to the decision-maker. No obligation.
Acquisition pipeline
  1. 01
    Screen
    Mandate fit, financial quality, customer concentration
  2. 02
    Understand
    Owner objectives, management, transition design
  3. 03
    Structure
    Valuation, financing, governance, incentives
  4. 04
    Acquire
    Focused diligence and closing
  5. 05
    Develop
    Operations, technology, long-term ownership
€1M–€5M
Preferred enterprise value
€250K–€1.2M
Normalised EBITDA
70%–100%
Ownership sought
7–15+ yrs
Intended holding period
FR · CA
Initial geographic focus

Larger transactions may be considered alongside selected co-investment partners.

Our acquisition mandate

We buy businesses to build them, not to flip them.

AIAS is an operator-led permanent-capital buyer. We acquire controlling interests in established companies and support them with stronger management systems, financial discipline, technology, automation, and patient investment.

We do not depend on rapid resale or multiple expansion to generate returns. Every acquisition must be supported by existing cash flow, responsible leverage, and a credible long-term operating plan.

01

Control investments

We normally acquire between 70% and 100% of the company while remaining open to founder or management reinvestment.

02

Long-term ownership

Our expected holding period is 7 to 15 years, with the option to own exceptional companies indefinitely.

03

Responsible financing

We use acquisition debt conservatively and require the business to remain resilient under downside scenarios.

04

Operational development

We improve reporting, pricing, procurement, working capital, sales processes, automation, and management capabilities — without damaging the company's core strengths.

What we acquire

Our sector buy box

Priority Sector 01

Accounting, finance and compliance services

  • ·Accounting firms
  • ·Outsourced bookkeeping
  • ·Payroll administration
  • ·Tax-compliance services
  • ·Outsourced finance departments
  • ·Cost-audit and recovery
  • ·Procurement analytics
  • ·Regulatory administration
Recurring demand · High retention · Automation potential
Priority Sector 02

Mission-critical B2B services

  • ·Facility maintenance
  • ·Commercial cleaning
  • ·Refrigeration & kitchen-equipment maintenance
  • ·Fire-safety inspection
  • ·Pest control
  • ·Grease-trap and waste services
  • ·Specialised commercial laundry
  • ·Recurring technical maintenance
Necessary services · Recurring schedules · Fragmented markets
Priority Sector 03

Niche industrial and technical services

  • ·Specialised repair
  • ·Equipment calibration
  • ·Industrial inspection
  • ·Technical maintenance
  • ·Niche fabrication
  • ·Spare-parts distribution
  • ·Aviation and food-production support
Specialised know-how · Defensible customer relationships
Priority Sector 04

B2B information and workflow businesses

  • ·Specialised databases
  • ·Vertical SaaS
  • ·Compliance software
  • ·Subscription intelligence
  • ·Document-processing businesses
  • ·Workflow platforms for regulated niches
Recurring revenue · Data advantage · Scalable delivery
Selective opportunities

Adjacent sectors we will review case by case.

  • Property and facility management
  • Testing, inspection and certification
  • Commercial landscaping
  • Specialist logistics
  • Corporate training
  • Healthcare administration (no clinical liability)
  • B2B food distribution
  • Route-based services
What makes a business attractive

The businesses we value most

  • €1.5M to €15M of revenue
  • €250,000 to €1.2M of normalised EBITDA
  • Recurring or highly repeatable revenue
  • Essential or mission-critical customer demand
  • Strong cash conversion
  • Limited maintenance capital expenditure
  • Stable customer relationships
  • Pricing power
  • Low customer churn
  • Capable management or transferable operating model
  • Limited dependence on the founder
  • Opportunities for automation and professionalisation
  • Fragmented market with bolt-on potential
  • Capable of servicing acquisition debt from existing operations
Situations we support

A flexible partner for business succession

01

Founder retirement

A responsible transition for owners who want to protect their employees, customers, reputation, and legacy.

02

Partial liquidity

Sell a controlling interest while retaining minority ownership and participating in future value creation.

03

Management transition

Support an existing management team with capital, governance, financial expertise, and operational tools.

04

Corporate carve-out

Acquire non-core divisions with established teams, customers, assets, and identifiable financial performance.

05

Buy-and-build platform

Support strong local companies capable of becoming a regional or national consolidation platform.

Our investment discipline

Every acquisition must survive the downside.

AIAS applies a standardised underwriting framework to every opportunity. Each case is tested independently before capital is committed.

Survival

Downside case

  • ·Revenue decline
  • ·Loss of a significant customer
  • ·Margin compression
  • ·Delayed improvement plan
  • ·Higher interest expense
  • ·Increased working-capital requirements

The company must remain capable of servicing its obligations.

Decision

Base case

  • ·Existing customer relationships
  • ·Modest pricing
  • ·Conservative growth
  • ·Documented operating improvements
  • ·Realistic management and capex costs

Built from the company as it stands today.

Optionality

Upside case

  • ·Pricing optimisation
  • ·Commercial development
  • ·Automation
  • ·Cross-selling
  • ·Operational improvement
  • ·Selective bolt-on acquisitions

Earned, not assumed.

The downside determines survival. The base case determines whether we invest. The upside creates optionality.

Investment criteria dashboard

AIAS Acquisition Score

Business quality— / 20 pts
Financial quality— / 20 pts
Market durability— / 15 pts
Customer quality— / 10 pts
Management independence— / 15 pts
Deal economics— / 15 pts
AIAS value-creation fit— / 5 pts
Thresholds
  • 80–100Priority target
  • 70–79Advance to full diligence
  • 60–69Watchlist or restructure
  • Below 60Do not proceed

A legal, ethical, financial-integrity, or management-transferability issue overrides the numerical score.

What we will not acquire

Clear principles. No forced transactions.

  • Pre-revenue or early-stage companies
  • Structurally loss-making businesses
  • Speculative technology companies
  • Businesses requiring continuous external funding
  • Restaurants, bars, or nightlife businesses
  • Trend-dependent consumer brands
  • Commodity trading businesses
  • Highly cyclical project-based construction
  • Single-customer dependence without contractual protection
  • Material tax, payroll, legal, environmental, or ethical issues
  • Reliance on undocumented cash transactions
  • Economics dependent on non-compliant labour practices
  • Businesses that cannot function without the seller
  • Acquisitions requiring aggressive revenue growth to repay debt
Management philosophy

Strong businesses require strong operators.

Before acquiring a company, AIAS identifies who will operate it after closing. This may be an existing general manager, the founder during a structured transition, or an AIAS-appointed operating partner.

Existing management

Support and incentivise a capable management team already operating the business.

Founder transition

Create a documented 6-to-24-month transition covering customers, employees, suppliers, pricing, and operational knowledge.

AIAS operating partner

Install an identified CEO or general manager when leadership succession requires an external operator.

Operator characteristics we look for
  • Integrity
  • Clear and factual communication
  • Cash discipline
  • Customer focus
  • Ability to develop people
  • Willingness to document processes
  • Comfort with performance indicators
  • Openness to automation
The AIAS acquisition process

A clear and confidential process

  1. Step 01

    Confidential introduction

    The owner, advisor, or manager submits basic company information.

  2. Step 02

    48-hour screening

    AIAS evaluates strategic fit, financial quality, management dependence, customer concentration, and preliminary transaction economics.

  3. Step 03

    Management conversation

    We discuss the business, the owner's objectives, the team, the transition, and the desired transaction structure.

  4. Step 04

    Indicative proposal

    A non-binding proposal explaining valuation, financing, ownership, and transition principles.

  5. Step 05

    Focused due diligence

    Financial, tax, legal, commercial, operational, technology, HR, and insurance diligence.

  6. Step 06

    Closing and transition

    Finalise financing, contractual protections, management incentives, and the first 100-day plan.

  7. Step 07

    Long-term development

    Invest in people, processes, technology, customer relationships, and selected growth initiatives.

We prefer focused, transparent processes over prolonged auctions and unnecessary complexity.

First 100 days

Protect the company first. Improve it second.

01

Continuity

  • ·Retain key employees
  • ·Communicate with important customers
  • ·Secure supplier continuity
  • ·Preserve day-to-day operations
02

Control

  • ·Establish cash visibility
  • ·Update banking authorities
  • ·Implement payment controls
  • ·Review insurance and compliance
  • ·Launch reliable reporting
03

Understanding

  • ·Assess customer profitability
  • ·Review pricing
  • ·Map operational processes
  • ·Identify working-capital opportunities
  • ·Validate maintenance requirements
04

Improvement

  • ·Prioritise procurement savings
  • ·Automate repetitive processes
  • ·Strengthen forecasting
  • ·Improve sales discipline
  • ·Build long-term management plan

AIAS does not impose change for the appearance of activity. Improvements must protect service quality, employees, customers, and cash flow.

For business owners

You built more than a company.

Selling a business is not only a financial transaction. It affects employees, customers, suppliers, family members, and the owner's personal legacy.

AIAS provides a direct, confidential, and flexible alternative to a purely financial buyer. We can structure a complete sale, a majority sale, founder reinvestment, seller financing, an earn-out, a phased transition, continued founder involvement, or management equity participation.

What owners can expect
  • Direct communication
  • Confidentiality
  • A clear decision process
  • Respect for the company's history
  • Realistic valuation
  • Flexible transaction structures
  • Attention to employees and customers
  • Documented transition plan
What AIAS expects
  • Honest financial disclosure
  • Transparent communication
  • Access to key information
  • Willingness to plan succession
  • Cooperation during due diligence
  • Commitment to an orderly transfer
Preliminary fit indicator

Does your business fit the AIAS mandate?

Six questions, one minute. This tool provides an initial indication only and is not a valuation, offer, or investment decision.

01Is annual revenue between €1.5M and €15M?
02Is normalized EBITDA above €250,000?
03Is the company profitable and cash-generative?
04Is the largest customer below 30% of revenue?
05Can the business operate without the owner for at least 30 days?
06Is the owner seeking a majority or full sale?
Submit a business for confidential review

A direct path to the decision-maker.

Complete this initial form to determine whether the opportunity fits the AIAS acquisition mandate. Information will be treated as confidential and used only for preliminary evaluation.

1
Contact
2
Company
3
Financials
4
Transaction
5
Documents
For brokers and advisors

A responsive buyer for qualified opportunities.

AIAS works with M&A advisors, accountants, lawyers, bankers, and business brokers seeking a credible buyer for profitable founder-owned businesses.

Direct access

Speak directly with the decision-maker. No layered processes.

Clear criteria

A published acquisition mandate so you know what fits — and what does not.

Rapid screening

48-hour preliminary feedback on qualified opportunities.

Flexible structures

Equity, debt, seller financing, earn-outs, reinvestment — structured to the situation.

For operating partners

Lead the next chapter of an acquired business.

AIAS is building a network of experienced operators capable of managing acquired companies over the long term.

We are interested in leaders with experience in
  • ·B2B services
  • ·Accounting and finance
  • ·Industrial operations
  • ·Technical maintenance
  • ·Facility services
  • ·SaaS and information
  • ·Procurement
  • ·Operational transformation

Join the operator network

Contact AIAS

The right owner can protect what you built — and expand what it can become.

Whether you are planning retirement, exploring partial liquidity, seeking a management transition, or advising a business owner, AIAS offers a confidential and disciplined path forward.

Confidential · Direct · Long-term