Selling or acquiring an impact company, without sacrificing what you have built
Impact M&A advisory for the founders and owners of companies with a social or environmental mission: sell-side advisory and buy-side mandates. Valuation, competitive process, negotiation, closing: we run the deal from start to finish. Deals from €2m, with no upper limit.
Two mandates, one standard
Whether we are helping you sell or buy, the method is the same: thorough preparation, competitive tension, and your interests defended right up to signing.
Selling (sell-side)
You are thinking of selling all or part of your company: succession, a sale to a trade buyer, bringing in a fund, selling a minority stake.
- Valuation and positioning of the company
- Information memorandum and data room
- Identifying counterparties and approaching them in confidence
- Competitive bidding, negotiating the offers, closing
Acquiring (buy-side)
You want to grow faster through acquisitions: we identify the targets, approach them and negotiate for you, on the right terms.
- Setting the criteria and screening the market
- Direct approach to targets, including off-market ones
- Valuation, structuring the offer, letter of intent (LOI)
- Coordinating due diligence and the final negotiation
The process, step by step
A well-run sale process takes between 6 and 10 months. Here is how we break it down:
Preparation and valuation 4 to 6 weeks
We build the equity story, the information memorandum and the data room. Together we set a realistic valuation range: neither too low nor too high.
Market test 2 to 4 months
A confidential approach to 30 to 60 qualified counterparties: trade buyers, funds, family offices. Every name is cleared with you before we make contact.
Expressions of interest and NDAs
Around half of the counterparties reply, and about ten sign an NDA and get access to the file. We organise the management presentations.
Offers and negotiation
Usually 1 to 3 firm offers. We play the offers off against each other and negotiate the price, along with the structure, the warranties and the place of impact in the buyer's plans.
Due diligence and closing 3 to 6 months
We coordinate the due diligence workstreams, settle the legal documentation with your lawyers and keep the timetable on track until signing.
Why Prouesse
100% independent
No cross-mandates, no conflicts of interest. We work for you alone, and our fees depend on your deal succeeding.
Impact defended at the table
Mission, governance, teams, local roots: we rule out purely opportunistic counterparties, in agreement with you. No greenwashing.
Boutique-level attention
5 to 7 deals a year, no more. A partner leads your deal from the first meeting to closing. It is never handed down to a junior.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to sell a company?
Allow 6 to 10 months from the start of the mandate to closing: 2 to 4 months to test market value, then 3 to 6 months of negotiation, due diligence and legal documentation.
How are you paid?
A low monthly retainer that covers the preparation work, and a success fee paid only if the deal signs. Most of our fee depends on the outcome: our interests are aligned with yours.
How do you protect confidentiality?
A no-name approach to begin with, an NDA every time before anyone sees the file, and each counterparty cleared with you before we approach it. Nothing goes out without your approval.
What deal size do you work on?
From €2m of enterprise value, with no upper limit. Below that threshold, an adviser-led process rarely makes economic sense: we will tell you so frankly.
Shall we talk?
A first 30-minute call, confidential and with no strings attached. We look at your situation and tell you frankly what we think.
Book a call → Write to us