What we look for

Profitable businesses. Fragmented markets. Room to grow.

We partner with founders of profitable, asset-light businesses where recurring customer relationships and strong operational discipline are already in place.

Our typical partner generates £300k–£3M in annual revenue, has demonstrated resilience and customer retention, and operates where technology sophistication is still emerging — creating real opportunity for long-term value creation.

Acquisition criteria

What we buy — by operating characteristics, not industry label.

  • 01

    Asset-light model

    Businesses whose value lies in customer relationships, recurring contracts or intellectual property — not in equipment, fleet or real estate.

  • 02

    Recurring revenue & customer durability

    Strong repeat customer base or multi-year contracts. Low churn. Revenue is predictable, contracted or subscription-based — not project-driven or one-off.

  • 03

    Fragmented market position

    Operators in industries with no dominant player. Local, regional or niche positioning with the opportunity to bring multiple independent businesses under one platform.

  • 04

    Founder-led & operationally stable

    Founded and built by an operator. Already profitable and cash-generative. Doesn't need fixing — needs scaling and infrastructure investment.

  • 05

    Emerging digital opportunity

    Strong operational fundamentals but limited digital presence or marketing sophistication, where technology enablement and scaled customer acquisition can drive material value creation.

  • 06

    Strong financial profile

    £300k–£3M revenue, £150k–£1M EBITDA. Margins of 15%+ with clear runway for expansion. Proven unit economics and stable cash generation.

Founder profile

The founders we partner with.

Operators who have built profitable, stable businesses and want to scale.

Typically founders with 10–20 years in their market, deep customer relationships and a motivation to transition or grow. We look for founders who care about customer satisfaction and operational excellence — and see technology and scale as the next frontier.

Why partner with us

What founders get from working with Forteris.

  • Patient capital

    Long-term ownership model. We don't hunt for quick exits — we invest in building durable platforms. Aligned incentives; no board pressure for short-term returns.

  • Operational infrastructure

    We deploy proven playbooks in technology enablement, customer acquisition, pricing discipline and team building. Not financial engineering — real operational value.

  • Consolidation expertise

    We identify, acquire and integrate bolt-on businesses to your platform. Access to deal pipeline, diligence frameworks and capital structures designed for long-term growth.

  • Hands-on partnership

    Founders can stay involved post-close. We retain operators, respect local customer relationships and blend your expertise with platform-level infrastructure and resources.

Who we don't work with

Where we are not the right partner.

Our sweet spot is stable, profitable, founder-built businesses where we can layer in infrastructure, technology and consolidation opportunities.

  • Asset-heavy — dependent on fleet, equipment or significant real estate
  • Project-driven — one-off contracts with high delivery risk
  • Founder-dependent — business cannot operate if the founder steps back
  • Highly concentrated — one customer more than 30% of revenue
  • Pre-revenue or early-stage ventures
  • Distressed or declining situations requiring operational turnaround

Discuss an opportunity

Conversations are confidential and we reply to every serious enquiry.

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