OUR SERVICES
| > | You want to pass on your life’s work or your investments at an optimal value? |
| > | You want to be independent of individual banks and implement a customized solution for your corporate financing? |
| > | You would like to know the current value of your company and develop a sound M&A strategy? |
Whatever stage you are in, Aquin is your professional partner:
Independent, Transaction experienced, Real industry competence
MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
The initiation and implementation of corporate transactions is our profession. Our focus is on the purchase and sale of mostly owner managed medium-sized companies.
We assist entrepreneurs, international corporations, private equity firms, and family run businesses in the successful implementation of M&A strategies. With unconditional dedication and extensive transaction experience, we assist you in the following events as a proven M&A specialist:
»The sale of a company is often more complex than the original founding. We help you avoid the many pitfalls along the way to realizing a fair value.«
The sale of a life’s work is a unique event and often proves more complex than the founding of the company. In addition to maximizing the sale price, ensuring that the established corporate values and identity are maintained are also priority one.
In the course of handing over the business, we cover the entire process for you. From the initial idea, approaching investors, and the negotiations, rest assured that we’ve got you covered.
At the beginning, we create a substantial value analysis for you. This will provide, apart from an indication on the realizable selling price, valuable arguments for its maximization and the basis for the buyer’s valuation. Based on our international network of industry-specific investors, private equity firms, and family owned businesses, we assess potential buyers based on their strategic fit.
Our highly personalized approach guarantees maximum confidentiality towards customers, suppliers and employees.
You can also trust in our proficient support when it comes to due diligence, negotiations and ultimately closing the contract.
»Free up values for your core business which are now bound in historically grown non-core activities.«
We support you in the sale of interests or business areas, with the objective to realize created or hidden values in your corporate portfolio profitably.
We are your strategic sparring partner when it comes to timing your divestiture. We will give you a detailed assessment of the current M&A landscape of your industry, as well as the current attractiveness of the company or business unit from an investor’s perspective.
Based on our industrial expertise, we specialize in finding the best strategic buyers worldwide and developing customized transaction structures. If financial investors or family owned businesses are deemed to be the most suitable investors, we can address them personally and directly through our expansive network.
When needed, we will be there to help you with the separation of former business segments. It is often necessary to carve out these segments prior to a divestment in order to increase the attractiveness of the transaction for investors. We create the optimal conditions for the independence of the spin-off of the object via an appropriate structuring of the balance sheet and financial engineering.
»To grow organically sounds healthier than it is. To buy the right company sounds more adventurous than it is.«
Together, we will develop a strategy for external growth and define search patterns and evaluation criteria for a specific target approach. Through a proactive acquisition strategy, you will achieve a significant increase in the probability of successfully completing an acquisition.
With a broad purely opportunistic approach, in other words, a passive wait and see attitude with the hope that potential takeover candidates walk in the door, you will most likely come in contact with struggling companies or those who being professionally backed. In contrast, our engagement puts you into the driver’s seat and creates exclusive bargaining situations that minimize the risk of paying an excessive purchase price due to reduced competitive pressure.
We provide you with an objective assessment of the target company and achievable synergies, advise you in choosing the optimal transaction structure and ultimately, the formulation of your offer. Aquin continues to support you through an in depth commercial/financial due diligence process and facilitate the exchange of information with all involved parties (buyer, seller, banks, auditors, tax advisors, lawyers, strategy consultant etc.).
Aquin is committed to ensuring the financing of the acquisition through specialized banks, and where appropriate, equity holders. We will assist you from the negotiations to the closing of the transaction. In short, we will be with you every step of the way.
»The successful sale to the management combines strongly opposed interests.«
In the context of the complex issues of a sale to the management (management-buy-out, MBO) or to external leadership (management-buy-in, MBI), we offer competent and experienced support to both entrepreneurs and the management.
The first question is often whether or not the management can afford to purchase the company.
We develop solutions to close the commonly occurring funding gap of MBO/MBI transactions via external equity and debt investors that meet the personal financial strength of the management as well as the price expectation of the entrepreneur.
We can manage a structured transfer process for the parties involved, whereby the entrepreneur sees their life’s work adequately protected and compensated for. At the same time, an attractive participation model is developed for the management. As a neutral moderator, any emotional conflicts of interest are objectified by us and steered into solution-oriented tracks.
»Finding an investor to save you in the 11th hour.«
During challenging times, such as tough economic situations, many firms with an otherwise healthy core find themselves in difficult situations which they cannot get out of on their own accord.
If the company approaches a cash flow problem and banks remain inflexible, M&A can do something exceptional for you.
Taking on an investor is often the last alternative, but can be, based upon the circumstances, a quite attractive way to avert insolvency, secure jobs and prevent any imminent personal bankruptcy.
We swiftly search for a suitable investor, negotiate with your banks and convert the transaction through the course of a rigidly structured process. By virtue of our direct access to investors and our experience in a rapid build-up of competitive pressure among interested parties, we are able to sure up a transaction package that will successfully avert bankruptcy while giving you the chance to secure a fair selling price.
CORPORATE FINANCE
As an independent advisor, we design tailor-made financing solutions which optimize your business and growth strategies. We focus on strategic financing solutions, such as equity participation (e.g. silent participation), debt capital instruments for financial leverage and hybrid financing solutions (e.g. mezzanine).
We specifically focus on and have extensive expertise in:
»We ensure that financing issues do not put brakes on your expansion plans.«
You want to expand your business further? Enter new markets? Extend your value creation or product portfolio?
We support you regarding these issues and other growth plans through the design and arrangement of a viable long-term financial solution.
To successfully secure growth capital, we offer the following services:
> Determination of your strategic goals
> In-depth analysis of your capital structure
> Determination of an optimal capital structure and suitable financing instruments
> Structured approach to finding the right financing partners and determining the best conditions
> A proficient support staff to assist you in the negotiation and documentation preparation
> As your bank-independent advisor, we can develop alternative financing options and show you exactly those financing instruments that best meet your strategic objectives.
Having a well-considered image of your strategy in financing, especially when working with capital-intensive growth plans, is an essential factor for success.
»We seek out the perfect partner to increase your maneuverability and reduce risk.«
Are you looking for the right partner to further expand your business? Do you want to transform fascinating ideas into great products ready to be launched? Is your aim to unlock company liquidity for personal use?
Do you want to transform fascinating ideas into great products ready to be launched?
Is your aim to unlock company liquidity for personal use?
Equity Capital can be a very attractive solution for such strategic intentions. In respect thereof, we offer the following services:
> Determination of strategic goals and funding requirements
> In-depth company valuation to determine the right partner and appropriate transaction structure
> Organization of a structured approach to finding suitable investors (e.g. institutional investors, family owned businesses)
> Ensuring competitive pressure among the interested investors and negotiation of an attractive valuation
Equity financing enables you to build up a solid financial base, giving you the possibility to realize major growth plans, which are sometimes difficult to realize with local banks. At the same time, it allows you to continue to conduct the affairs of the company yourself. In this case, silent partners or minority shareholders are favorable, who in addition to contributing capital, bring their own network and if structured correctly, can even be bought out after a certain time. Furthermore, you can of course always bring in a permanently committed investor, to, for example, buy out an existing shareholder.
We support you in identifying the right investors, determining their suitability through a structured selection process, and contractually binding them to your business as part of an appropriate participation model.
»Values have their price. We help you fund it.«
We support you in financing intended acquisitions with a minimum commitment of your own capital, while minimizing risk.
Our consultancy as it relates to acquisition financing includes the following services:
> Precise capture of the incurred debt capacity of the takeover candidates
> Derivation of the optimal debt structure and appropriate instruments
> Organize a structured approach to finding suitable investors to evaluate the best conditions
> Giving comprehensive assistance in the negotiation and the documentation process up to completion
As a completely independent advisor, we can show you a wide-ranging variety of tailor-made financing options. In short, we compile the optimal financing package for your individual acquisition plan.
Based on an in-depth financial analysis of the target company, we first examine the debt capacity of the takeover object. Afterwards, we develop a tailored financing structure, optimized not only in terms of interest, repayment and covenants, but we also consider leaving enough space for future investments.
»Gain freedom. Transfer new ventures into a solid capital structure.«
Entrepreneurs or managers, who are strongly involved in the daily operations, often face difficulties when it comes to keeping an eye on the capital structure. In order to meet short-, medium-, and long-term capital requirements and strategic growth plans, we will show you suitable financing solutions.
With regards to optimizing your capital structure we offer the following services:
> Determination of your strategic goals
> Creation of a detailed business plan
> Derivation of an optimal capital structure
> A structured approach to finding existing capital providers (e.g. banks) and potential new funding partners
> Giving comprehensive assistance in the negotiation and the documentation process up to completion
Top priority is always given to optimizing financing costs while increasing your entrepreneurial independence. We will not only assist you in communicating with existing local banks, but also set up, if needed, alternative capital providers, to replace current loans with more favorable ones.
In many cases, this opportunity can be used to restructure your balance sheet liabilities and should the need arise, replace existing banks that are hesitant towards financing your future plans with new suitable ones.
In addition to the preparation of professional documents, we take over the usually time-consuming and laborious financing negotiations. Through a simultaneous approach, we aim to increase competition among potential capital providers, and therefore decrease price and negotiation power of individual banks. The focus of our activities is to provide you with enough space to allow you to concentrate on what’s important, your business.
VALUATION & STRATEGY
M&A is considered the supreme discipline of strategy. The correct assessment of the performance of one’s own company, as well as the continuous monitoring of changes in market and competitive structures of their own industry, form the central basis for the direction of the company: organic growth, purchase or sale.
Aquin has, like all major international investment banks, the necessary tools and databases, but, above all, highly qualified analysts to provide the necessary information required for a thorough discussion.
You can expect substantial market feedback and valuable insight from us regarding:
Company valuations (discounted cash flow analysis, value multiples of comparable transactions and listed companies, LBO modelling, quantification of synergy potentials)
M&A strategy (business model development with M&A, best buy and sell points in time, M&A benchmark analysis)
»Value is in the eye of the beholder. What makes your company attractive to investors?«
We provide you with a detailed assessment of the value of your business in whole.
We evaluate your business with the help of all common valuation methods, such as DCF analysis (discounted cash flow), the value multiples from past transactions and listed companies (CTA/CCA), and Leveraged Buy Out analysis (LBO-model).
The result is not, as with appraisals created for tax purposes, a purely theoretical value, but rather a real market value which we believe to be realizable in the context of our transaction experience.
Based on the valuation, we can set realistic price expectations, explore action items or judge the fairness of a takeover bid. This valuation is the basis for deciding when and how a possible sales process should be initiated. Moreover, any critical areas in a later M&A process can be identified.
Based on our extrapolated scenarios, you will also receive leverage points of how to add even more value to your business.
By the way, we are often engaged by large banks or auditors, as we, in contrast to their own experts, determine the real market value and not a purely theoretical one.
»M&A – a strategic response to accelerating industrial cycles.«
We support your decisions regarding the direction of your company through M&A specific analysis of market and competition structures and unique background information that we gain through our network and mandates.
Who buys who, for how much, and why? Can I stay successful within my niche segment? Can I still grow organically at a sufficient rate? When is the optimal time for acquisition or sale?
These are just a few of the many essential questions which play a crucial role in the creation of a company specific M&A strategy.
Through Aquin and its industry experts you will find appropriate discussion and sparring partners, who are not only sound financial experts, but have also made or prepared long-standing strategic decisions, whether as former entrepreneurs or as top executives.
We identify the »window of opportunity« from the industrial and financial perspective and show you which buyers are particularly active and what they are »hungry« for.
Based on a sound data base and industry analyses, and particularly our discussions, we mutually develop a strategic direction you are 100% comfortable