Thesis
Acquire small UK businesses that run on manual, repetitive knowledge work — typically from retiring owners — and transform them through AI automation. The buyer is a staff-level software engineer (London-based, operating through HM Ltd) who can build custom AI tools rather than buying SaaS, compressing labour costs by 40-70% and improving margins from 15-25% to 40-60%+.
How We Score
Each target is assessed by 5 AI personas (Financial Analyst, Operations Expert, AI Engineer, Risk Manager, Search Fund Veteran) who independently score and then debate. Three dimensions, each 1-10:
Promising (Q≥7, P≥6, I≥6) → proceed to DD · Investigate (Q≥6, P≥5, I≥5) → one broker call resolves it · Pass → do not pursue
Sectors (validated)
0 rejected
0 rejected
0 rejected
6 rejected
2 rejected
Call This Week
Each call is ~15 min. The answers determine whether we proceed to NDA or move on.
MSP — 200+ clients, GBP 825k turnover
GBP 250k profit guaranteed. Highest Q-score MSP (6.2). CGT-deferred seller note gives structural edge over PE roll-ups.
Cambridgeshire MSP — 15+ years, manager-led
GBP 500k-1M turnover. 100% monthly recurring. 70%+ clients retained >3 years. "Best MSP profile for this buyer."
Aylesbury Accounting — 100% GRF, GBP 300k
Perfect 6/6/6 scores. ~400 clients on monthly retainers. "If cloud + ≤1.1x GRF, upgrade to Strong Buy."
Dorset Accounting — capacity-constrained
GBP 250k turnover. Turning away enquiries (rare signal). 10+ year staff tenure. 4 gate questions on one call.
Payroll Bureau — 84% EBITDA margin
GBP 183k turnover, GBP 155k EBITDA. 150 clients, 100% recurring, 20+ year relationships. Retirement sale.
Full Pipeline
| ID | Target | Sector | Q | P | I | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M12 | MSP 200+ clients (Rightbiz) | MSP | 6.2 | 4.6 | 6.6 | Investigate |
| M6 | Cambridgeshire MSP ↗ | MSP | 6.2 | 4.6 | 6.0 | Investigate |
| A9 | Aylesbury ↗ | Accounting | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | Investigate |
| A3 | Dorset ↗ ref 31945 | Accounting | 5.8 | 5.4 | 6.4 | Promising |
| O3 | Payroll Bureau (Daltons DB2431676) | Payroll | 6.0 | 6.2 | 5.8 | Promising |
| A12 | Herts Medical ↗ | Accounting | 6.8 | 4.6 | 5.4 | Investigate |
| A6 | Central London ↗ | Accounting | 6.2 | 5.8 | 4.8 | Investigate |
| M11 | N. England MSP ↗ | MSP | 5.6 | 5.0 | 6.4 | Investigate |
| O6 | Web Dev Oxon (SaaS) ↗ | Web/SaaS | 5.8 | 5.2 | 6.0 | Investigate |
| A2 | West Somerset ↗ ref 240018 | Accounting | 6.0 | 5.6 | 6.4 | Promising |
| A8 | Norfolk ↗ ref 240017 | Accounting | 6.0 | 5.2 | 6.0 | Investigate |
| A4 | WM Accountancy ↗ | Accounting | 5.4 | 4.8 | 5.0 | Investigate |
| M3 | Manchester IT (BFS) | MSP | 5.0 | 7.0 | 5.2 | Investigate |
| A5 | East Kent ↗ ref 31957 | Accounting | 5.4 | 5.4 | 6.0 | Investigate |
| A11 | Guildford ↗ ref 240023 | Accounting | 5.2 | 5.6 | 6.2 | Investigate |
| M5 | IT Support N. England ↗ | MSP | 5.2 | 5.0 | 6.0 | Investigate |
| A14 | Southend ↗ ref 240010 | Accounting | 5.6 | 6.4 | 5.6 | Investigate |
| O2 | WordPress agency (Daltons) | Web | 5.4 | 5.4 | 4.6 | Investigate |
| M7 | Cloud Hosting (BFS #3788254) | MSP | 4.9 | 5.6 | 5.4 | Investigate |
| M10 | Schools IT (Rightbiz) | MSP | 4.8 | 5.4 | 5.0 | Investigate |
| A7 | York ↗ ref 240022 · Under Offer | Accounting | 5.4 | 5.8 | 6.0 | Investigate |
| A15 | Richmond ↗ ref 240013 · SOLD | Accounting | 6.2 | 5.0 | 5.6 | Investigate |
| M1 | B2B IT ↗ SOLD STC | MSP | 6.0 | 6.0 | 7.6 | Promising |
| O1 | SEO Agency ↗ | Marketing | 4.4 | 5.8 | 6.5 | Pass |
| A1 | County Down ↗ ref 240001 | Accounting | 5.4 | 4.0 | 4.6 | Pass |
| O12 | Design Agency ↗ | Design | 4.6 | 3.6 | 4.2 | Pass |
| O11 | Digital Design ↗ | Design | 4.0 | 5.0 | 3.6 | Pass |
| O8 | Scotland Fractional (Daltons DB2458446) | Consultancy | 3.6 | 3.5 | 4.2 | Pass |
| O9 | B2B Messaging (Daltons DB2486073) | Consultancy | 4.2 | 4.6 | 3.6 | Pass |
| O10 | Yorkshire Branding ↗ | Marketing | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.2 | Pass |
| A16 | TaxAssist SE ↗ | Franchise | 5.6 | 4.8 | 5.4 | Pass |
| A17 | TaxAssist East ↗ | Franchise | 5.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | Pass |