At Ashridge Partners, we specialise in finding and qualifying founder-led businesses that aren’t publicly for sale. Our role is simple: to introduce you to companies that match your strategic and financial criteria — before they enter a competitive process.

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We’re not generalists. We focus exclusively on off-market, profitable, founder-owned businesses, sourced through a combination of research, relationships, and technology.
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Our Approach to Sourcing

We don’t wait for deals to be listed. We go and find them — quietly, and intentionally.

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Our sourcing model combines targeted data, technology, and personal relationships to uncover founder-led businesses that are not actively for sale, but may be open to the right conversation.

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We use platforms like ZoomInfo, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, and Apollo.io to identify companies that match a PE firm’s specific thesis — by size, sector, geography, and performance signals. But sourcing is only the first layer.

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We also build and maintain trust-based relationships with key founder-facing professionals:
accountants, lawyers, bankers, shareholders, and advisors — the people most likely to know when a business might be ready for succession, growth, or exit.

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Every introduction is qualified, timed, and intentional — not mass outreach, and not guesswork.

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What We Typically Look For
We work with privately held businesses that are performing well and led by founders, families, or closely held shareholder groups. These are businesses that aren’t actively for sale but may be open to exploring a future partnership under the right conditions.
 

The companies we typically work with have:
 

• £1M–£10M+ in EBITDA

• A 5+ year trading history with stable performance

• A founder or family-led ownership structure

• Suitable for platform or bolt-on acquisitions

• No active broker mandate or formal sale process

• Operations in sectors such as B2B services, tech-enabled services, manufacturing, healthcare, infrastructure, and niche industrials

• A willingness to consider strategic investment, succession, or gradual transition
   

We're not looking for businesses in distress or chasing growth at all costs. We're looking for well-run companies with strong fundamentals and thoughtful leadership.

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Why Private Equity Firms Work With Us

​Private equity firms engage us to access qualified, off-market opportunities that align with their investment criteria but fall outside conventional deal channels.

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Our approach is thesis-driven and selective. We take time to understand each firm's mandate — including sector focus, target size, geography, and acquisition strategy — and we source accordingly.

 

Every opportunity is vetted for relevance, ownership structure, and intent before an introduction is made.

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We focus exclusively on founder-led businesses not currently in a sale process. There is no competitive auction, no broad marketing, and no unnecessary exposure. Each introduction is direct, discreet, and based on clear strategic fit.

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We do not manage transactions. Our role is limited to origination, allowing your team to engage directly with the business and advance the conversation on your terms.

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