Euston Ventures is an investment company focusing on acquiring specialty manufacturing, engineering and technical service businesses in the UK. They were supported in this acquisition by Shawbrook Bank with whom they have a pre-existing partnership with making them the best option for a financial partner.
This was a seven-figure acquisition of Silex. Silex offer a unique market position and heritage as a silicone manufacturer with a strong reputation.
Entrepreneurs Hub supported Silex throughout this acquisition.
Q&A with Mike O’Connor, Director at Entrepreneurs Hub
Mike, can you outline your role and the work you did for Silex for this acquisition?
My role as Lead Advisor was to work closely with the shareholders of Silex in order to understand their business and establish what were their objectives and goals in pursuing a sale. I then work with the rest of the team at Entrepreneurs Hub to address any areas that need attention before taking them to market and helping them achieve those goals. As Lead Advisor, I essentially stand in the gap, providing expertise and advice to the shareholders, and sometimes a buffer between seller and buyer when required.
Who was part of your team for this project and what strategies were set up to tackle this acquisition?
Selling businesses is very much a team effort here at Entrepreneurs Hub. We are fortunate to have visionary founders in Malcolm Murray and Andrew Shepperd who have built an incredibly skilled and experienced team. I had the full support of my colleagues through the process including a Project Manager, a CFO-level colleague acting as Finance Lead, an Approach Consultant, a Document Writer and of course our superb team of Researchers.
Why was Entrepreneurs Hub the right fit for Silex and their needs, is having a positive relationship with the client important for you to work effectively?
For all of us at EH the goal is the same – we want to achieve the best outcome for our client which involves providing them with a choice of acquirers and thereby a mix of deal structures. To achieve the success we desire, we need to build a rapport with the client and a level of trust such that they always know we are on their side. Ensuring that we have regular contact with the shareholders is vital even when that means we might be sharing news they don’t want to hear. In the case of Silex this was rare given the strength of the business and the level of interest that we were able to identify across acquirers in the UK, Europe, Canada and New Zealand.
How do you think that Silex will benefit from this deal, and why was this acquisition important for them as a business?
The acquisition of Silex by Euston Ventures will enable Silex to build on the strong levels of client relationship and loyalty they have enjoyed over many years but also provide a new injection of ideas and sales focus. The acquisition will also provide opportunities for key members of the Silex team to advance within the business. Having worked closely with the team at Euston Ventures I know that they have already identified a number of key areas within the business that will benefit from fresh investment which include strengthening their finance team within their German subsidiary NVQ and introducing new process improvement within the UK factory.
