Business Acquisitions & M&A · South Africa

Finance to acquire,
structure and close your deal.

Leveraged buyouts, management buyouts, cross-border M&A and vendor finance structuring for business acquisitions across South Africa. We design the capital stack and manage the process to close.

R5M+
Minimum deal size
20%
Typical minimum equity contribution
4
Acquisition structures available
0
Upfront fees. Ever.
Discuss your acquisition View all solutions
Acquisition structures

Every deal is different.
We structure accordingly.

From straightforward leveraged acquisitions to complex cross-border transactions and management buyouts — we design the right structure and source the right capital for your specific deal.

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Leveraged Buyouts (LBO)
Use the target business's own cash flows and assets to fund the majority of the acquisition — minimising your equity requirement.
R10M – R500M+
Deal size
R10M – R500M+
Equity required
Typically 20% – 40%
Structure
Senior debt + mezz + equity
Repayment
From target business cash flows
What makes a strong LBO target
  • Strong, recurring and defensible cash flows — EBITDA of R5M+ preferred
  • Clear management team or succession plan post-acquisition
  • Motivated seller with clean, audited financial records
  • Asset-light or moderate capex requirements
  • Defensible market position or competitive advantage
Our role
  • Capital stack design and optimisation
  • Funder sourcing and term sheet negotiation
  • Coordination with legal and due diligence teams
  • Management through to financial close
Discuss your LBO
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Management Buyouts (MBO)
Finance for management teams acquiring the business they run — structured to minimise personal capital requirement.
R5M – R250M
Deal size
R5M – R250M
Management equity
Typically 10% – 30%
Term
3 – 7 years
Seller involvement
Clean exit or retained stake
How we structure an MBO
  • Minimise management equity requirement through optimal leverage
  • Source institutional debt and PE co-investment where required
  • Negotiate vendor loan or deferred consideration with the seller
  • Structure any seller retained stake and exit mechanism
  • Manage the full process alongside your legal team
Discuss your MBO
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Cross-Border M&A
Capital structuring for acquisitions involving South African businesses and international targets.
R20M – R1bn+
Deal size
R20M – R1bn+
Currencies
ZAR + international
Markets
SA + international targets
Funders
Global capital network
What we handle
  • SA businesses acquiring international targets
  • International businesses acquiring SA operations
  • Currency structuring and FX risk mitigation
  • Multi-jurisdictional capital stack design
  • Regulatory and SARB compliance considerations
Discuss your transaction
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Vendor Finance & Earn-outs
Structuring deferred consideration and seller loans to bridge valuation gaps and reduce upfront capital requirements.
Deal-specific
How it works
  • The seller agrees to defer a portion of the purchase price
  • The deferred amount is treated as a loan from seller to buyer
  • Reduces upfront cash or third-party debt required from the buyer
  • Aligns seller incentives with business performance post-sale
  • Can include earn-out provisions tied to future revenue or EBITDA targets
When it's most useful
  • Valuation gap between buyer and seller expectations
  • Buyer has strong cash flow but limited upfront equity
  • Seller wants ongoing involvement or confidence in future performance
  • Complementing senior debt in a wider LBO capital structure
Discuss your structure
Our process

From mandate to close.

Acquisition transactions are complex. We manage every stage — so you can focus on the business, not the financing.

1
Deal assessment
We assess the target, the proposed structure and the capital requirement — identifying the optimal approach before any external engagement.
2
Capital stack design
We design the full capital structure — senior debt, mezzanine, vendor finance and equity in the right proportions to close the deal efficiently.
3
Funder sourcing
We approach the right funders for each layer of the structure simultaneously — managing relationships and negotiating terms in parallel.
4
Close
We coordinate with legal, due diligence and other advisors through to financial close — and earn our fee only when the deal is done.
Eligibility

What makes a fundable acquisition.

Not every deal is financeable on leverage alone. Here's what funders look for — and how we help you present your transaction most effectively.

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Cash flow quality
Recurring, defensible cash flows are the foundation of any leveraged deal. Funders want to see consistent EBITDA, low customer concentration and a resilient revenue model.
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Clean financials
Audited or reviewed financial statements for the past 2–3 years are typically required. Management accounts help where year-end accounts are dated. We help you prepare your financial pack.
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Management continuity
Funders need confidence that the business will continue to perform post-acquisition. A clear management retention or succession plan is critical — especially in owner-managed businesses.
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Equity contribution
Most acquisition funders require 20–40% equity. Vendor finance, earn-outs and mezzanine can reduce the pure cash equity needed — we structure this wherever possible to maximise leverage.
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Legal documentation
A signed LOI or heads of terms significantly strengthens an application. We can work with you before an LOI is in place, but funding will only commit once terms are agreed with the seller.
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Business quality
Defensible market position, diversified customer base, IP or brand value and barriers to entry all contribute to a more fundable deal. We assess this as part of our initial review.
Who we work with

We advise buyers.
We also help sellers structure clean exits.

Our experience on both sides of the table means we understand what each party needs — and how to structure deals that work for everyone.

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Buying a business
Whether you're a first-time acquirer or an experienced operator building a portfolio, we help you structure the deal to maximise leverage, minimise equity and close efficiently.
  • Capital stack design and funder sourcing
  • Leveraged and management buyout structuring
  • Vendor finance and earn-out negotiation support
  • Cross-border acquisition finance
  • Due diligence coordination and process management
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Selling a business
We work with sellers who want to structure a clean, fundable exit — ensuring the buyer has the right capital in place and the deal doesn't fall over at the funding stage.
  • Buyer funding facilitation to protect deal certainty
  • Vendor finance structuring and documentation
  • Earn-out design and protection mechanisms
  • Retained equity and rollover structuring
  • Exit timeline and process management
Ready to discuss your acquisition?
Submit an application and one of our M&A specialists will be in touch within 1 business day. No upfront fees. Success-fee only.
Discuss your deal View all solutions