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For advisers and introducers
What we buy, and how we pay for it
We buy UK technical businesses in metrology, calibration, energy, data infrastructure and SaaS: companies with £2–5M revenue and positive EBITDA, run by an owner-manager who is planning their succession. Each one is kept for the long term and run by an operator partner who holds meaningful equity, and the founder’s role afterwards is agreed in writing.
Orvane Group · Updated
The criteria
The full list, so you can check fit before you call
If a business meets all six, we want to hear about it. If it misses one, read the line under the table before ruling it out.
| Criterion | What we look for | Why it matters to us |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | £2M–£5M a year | Big enough to have a team and repeat customers; small enough that one operator partner can know every part of it. |
| Profitability | EBITDA positive, on a sustained basis | We add operational depth. We don’t buy turnarounds, and we won’t ask a struggling business to carry an acquisition. |
| Ownership | Owner-managed: founder or family | The knowledge sits with the owner. Our plan is built around transferring it carefully rather than replacing it. |
| Geography | UK-wide | Registered and operating in the United Kingdom. Customers abroad are fine. |
| Sector | Metrology · calibration · energy · data infrastructure · SaaS | Technical businesses where quality, accreditation and uptime are the product. Managed IT services sit under data infrastructure. |
| Founder timeline | Exiting fully over 12 months | Long enough to hand over properly, short enough that the founder can plan the next part of their life. |
The flexibility line. Larger than £5M, or in a technical niche next to our five sectors? If it is profitable and owner-managed, send it anyway. We’ll say within 24 hours whether it is a genuine fit or a polite no, and why.
The comparison
Broker, private equity, trade buyer or us: a fair side-by-side
Your client will meet at least two of these, and each is the right answer for somebody. The last row is the one most buyers leave out.
| Broker | Private equity | Trade buyer | Orvane Group | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who they are working for | The seller, paid on completion | Their own investors | Their own shareholders | Ourselves, as the long-term owner |
| Who runs the business afterwards | Whoever buys it | Usually the existing team, with new reporting and goals set from above | Often absorbed into the buyer’s own management | An operator partner with meaningful equity, in place from week one |
| How long they intend to own it | Not applicable | A planned exit, typically within a set number of years | Indefinitely, as part of a larger group | Could be Indefinitely. No exit clock |
| The name, the team and the premises | Depends on the buyer | Usually kept, then reviewed before the next sale | Frequently merged or rebranded | Flexible, according the seller wishes. |
| The founder’s role afterwards | Ends at completion | Often asked to stay and reinvest | Short handover, then usually out | Whatever the founder chooses, agreed in writing |
| Be aware What we can’t offer | A buyer of their own. They find one; they don’t buy | Permanence. The business will be sold again | Independence. The business usually stops existing as itself | Respect your legacy, adapt the seller requirements. |
This comparison describes how each type of buyer usually operates. Individual firms vary, and your client should ask every buyer the same questions.
Questions advisers ask
Frequently asked questions
Does the seller get all of the price at completion?
Rarely, at this size, from any buyer. Most of the price is paid at completion, with the balance through an earn-out, a seller note or a phased exit. We set out the split and the conditions in writing with our first offer, so your client can compare like with like.
What if the business is larger than £5M revenue?
Send it. The £2–5M band is where our model fits best, not a hard ceiling. We’ll tell you within 24 hours whether a larger business is a realistic fit for us or not.
Do you look at businesses outside the five sectors?
Occasionally, when the business is technical, profitable, owner-managed and close to one of our sectors, such as test and inspection or specialist engineering services. We won’t buy outside our depth just to complete a first acquisition.
Does the founder have to stay on after the sale?
No. Some founders want a clean break; others want a role for two or three years. We plan for either, and write the agreed role into the offer so it isn’t renegotiated later.
Is this private equity under another name?
No. Private equity buys with a planned exit. We buy to keep, and the person running each business owns a meaningful share of it. The difference shows most clearly in what happens three to five years after completion, when private equity is usually preparing to sell.
How is each acquisition financed?
It depends on the business, and we set it out in writing with every offer: where the money comes from and what, if anything, the business itself is asked to carry. We will not load a business with debt it can’t comfortably service. That is one of our published walk-away conditions.
Do you work alongside brokers and M&A advisers?
Yes. If your client has an adviser, we work through them and respect whatever process they are running. We would rather be one of three serious buyers in a well-run process than the only buyer in a poorly run one.
Have a business in mind for us?
Two lines are enough to start: the sector, the approximate revenue, and where the owner is in their thinking. Please don’t send the company’s name until we have spoken.