We help exceptional entrepreneurs buy & build great businesses
What We Do
Footbridge Partners invests in exceptional entrepreneurs whose mission is to source, buy and build a market leading company over the long term. We strive to be the capital partner of choice for searchers who desire more collaboration and more alignment with their investors. Having built a big business ourselves through the search fund model, we know what it takes to be successful in search, and we draw upon our experience as both searchers and investors to support the people we partner with. We believe exceptional outcomes are driven by exceptional people working together as a team.
Why Footbridge
For Searchers
We’ve been in your shoes recently -- we searched, acquired, operated and exited successfully. We’ve also mentored dozens of searchers through all phases of the search fund journey and invested in many others. We built Footbridge to be the best possible partner to a select group of top search fund entrepreneurs. We wake up every morning laser focused on how we can serve the searchers with whom we partner. And in order to make good on that promise, we restrict ourselves to working with 3-4 new searchers (or search teams) per year so that we can be endlessly helpful through all aspects of searching for, acquiring, and operating a business.
For Business Owners & Intermediaries
We partner with only the most talented searchers (entrepreneurs), and we work hand-in-hand with each of them in the process of acquiring and operating one single business. Footbridge provides far more than just financial backing to searchers. During the acquisition process, we coach them every step of the way to increase the speed of execution and certainty of closing. Post acquisition, we work closely with searchers to ensure that they properly honor the legacy of what the founder/seller built, and we help them avoid common pitfalls of younger CEOs.
Investment Criteria
In partnership with searchers, we look to acquire great companies in growing industries at a fair price. Unlike a traditional private equity firm, we proactively seek out companies where the owner/operator is looking to transition to retirement, and we provide not only liquidity, but also a succession plan through our talented searchers/entrepreneurs.
Industry
• Growing (not in decline)
• Sleepy, overlooked niches
• Fragmented industries
• Limited risk of technological disruption
• Limited regulatory risk
Company
• Stable, resilient businesses
• Recurring revenue or reoccurring revenue
• Strong second-level management team
• Proven customer acquisition channels
Financials
• Track record of revenue growth & cash flow generation
• Eligible for debt financing
• Sweet spot of $1.5 – 6.0 million of EBITDA