Resources
Whether you are new to search funds, looking for trusted resources or interested in keeping up on market trends, we have aggregated some key materials for you to review.
Search Fund Overview
Search Fund Primer
For those contemplating either pursuing a Search Fund or investing in one, Stanford Business CES has created a practical guide to answer the most frequently asked questions.
Learning About Search
Learning about Entrepreneurship through Acquisition (ETA) can be challenging. Jim Stein Sharpe shares his insights on some of the best programs, case studies, events and other resources to consider as you build your knowledge of this strategic approach to becoming a business owner.
How to Prepare for a Search Fund
Yale School of Management developed a paper on actions to consider for successfully launching a search fund after completing your MBA. Focusing on determine whether a search fund is right for you, insights on how to structure the fund and build the connections and infrastructure needed to hit the ground running on your search after graduation.
Understanding Modeling & Valuation Pre-Acquisition
Yale School of Management developed a paper on how the operating model and the financial model help an entrepreneur understand the earnings potential of a transaction, identify potential waterfall returns to capital providers and the entrepreneur, and inform due diligence and operational planning.
IESE Search Fund Center
IESE International Search Fund Center is committed to supporting entrepreneurs and investors from around the world who are involved in search funds. Here you can find a wide array of materials from research reports, upcoming and past event information, and more.
Search Funds: a Niche Within Private Equity
A great primer on the search fund model, covering the lifecycle of a search fund, historical performance of the asset class, and the compelling value proposition for investors.
Articles
How Entrepreneurial MBA Grads Can Benefit from Search Funds
Fortune Education: Search funds enable the next generation of leaders to purchase and operate a company, continuing that business’s success, benefiting from the experience of their investors to grow to new heights.
M.B.A.s’ Latest Pitch to Investors: Skip the Startup, Invest in Me
WSJ explains how MBA students are skipping the startup part and pitching themselves as the investment. Entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA) is an exciting way to create opportunities for new, up and coming leaders to build a career, positively impact lives, and help successful business owners exit by selling and reaping the rewards of their hard work.
Why More Entrepreneurs are Choosing To Build Search Funds over Startups
A growing number of talented entrepreneurs are raising acquisition capital to buy lower middle-market businesses using Search Funds.
Northspring Managing Partner’s ETA Exit
Navegate, a Twin Cities third-party logistics firm that started out hauling equipment for the likes of Control Data and Honeywell in 1969, has been acquired for $35 million by a Washington state company. Radiant Logistics of Renton, Wash., will operate Navegate as a wholly owned subsidiary.
Podcasts
Lessons Learned from a First-Time CEO
Nathan Dey was a first-time CEO for Navegate, a shipping and logistics company, which later got acquired under his guidance. Nathan shares his experiences of what it was like being a first-time CEO, some of the mistakes and challenges he was faced with, and how he adapted based on new market changes. He also offers advice and wisdom to young CEOs, in this week’s episode!
Democratizing the Digital Supply Chain
Booth alum Nathan Dey, discusses how his investment banking experience led him to take the entrepreneurial leap and pursue ETA, eventually stepping into the CEO role of a 50 year old logistics company. In an industry undergoing a huge digital transformation, Nathan discusses how his company is building on its rich history, positioning themselves to be an innovative leader in the shipping and logistics space, and transforming into a tech-forward global supply chain software company.
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