M&A CONSULTING FOR ENTREPRENEURS
Advisors on an equal footing
M&A processes of owner-managed businesses are more than just a change in shareholders. For the sellers, it is an incisive period in the company's history. For the buyer, it constitutes the responsible acquisition of an asset in transition.
Thanks to operational experience as founders and managing directors of digital companies as well as consultants from renowned private equity companies, our clients benefit from the lessons learned by our own transactions and the close support of our clients. Merging Partners knows how important it is to have the right communication with buyers or sellers, which arguments are expedient and how they should be presented.
We stay calm when everyone is in a hurry. We are quick to recognize opportunities and at the same time prudent enough to advise against it where appropriate.
In order to achieve the ultimate goal – the merger of companies and entrepreneurs who have a common goal and the way to get there in mind.
Services
M&A SELLER MANDATES
Sell-side M&A advice
M&A PURCHASE MANDATES
Buy-side advice with a focus on private equity
BUY & BUILD CONCEPTS
Advice on merging companies
Identification of companies and development of profound post-merger integration concepts.
MBI / MBO
Management buy-in and management buy-out support
EXPERIENCE
We ask for your understanding that, for reasons of discretion, we do not mention any clients by name on our website. We are happy to explain the projects to you in detail in a personal meeting and, after consultation, establish reference contacts with clients.
2021 -MBI
Advising a management team in the IT sector
(Basel, CH)
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Creation of a business plan
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Development of an optimal investment structure
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Training of management with regard to a result-maximizing negotiation
2021 - MBI
Advising a management team in the industrial sector
(Cologne)
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Identification of a suitable investor
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Introduction of the team to private equity investors
2021 - BUY-SIDE
Advice a
private equity firm
(Hamburg)
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Examination of investment opportunities in digital marketing
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Concept validation
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Business plan validation
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Management interviews
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Support in commercial due diligence
2020 - BUY-SIDE
Advice a
private equity firm
(Hanover)
Strategic advice in the field of digital marketing
Identification of suitable investments
Contact initiation
Conducting management meetings
Concept validation
2020 -SELL-SIDE
M&A sell-side mandate of
a leading regional craft business
(Cologne area)
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Development of a M&A story
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Creation of a management presentation / information memorandum
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Identification of suitable investors
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Conception and accompaniment of management meetings
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active management of due diligence
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parallel negotiations with several potential buyers
2019 - SELL-SIDE
International M&A sales mandate an owner-managed full-service digital agency
(Cologne)
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Development of a M&A story
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Creation of a management presentation / information memorandum
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Identification and addressing of suitable investors at home and abroad
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Conception and accompaniment of management meetings
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Moderation within the group of shareholders
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active management of due diligence
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Parallel negotiations with several potential buyers
2019 - SELL-SIDE
Advice to an IT agency
(Cologne)
Development of a sales story
Accompanying the negotiation with a private equity investor
Training of the management with regard to a result-maximizing negotiation
2019 - SELL-SIDE
VC-Funding / M&A
advice of a
digital Start-up
(Munich)
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Development of a funding / M&A story
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Mediation of the team to suitable VC investors
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Accompanying the negotiation with a strategic buyer
2019 - MBO
Advising the management of a subsidiary of a public listed tourism group
(Cologne)
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Development of an optimal investment structure
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Training of the management with regard to a result-maximizing negotiation
2018 - BUY AND BUILD
Conception of a buy and build platform in the IT / managed service market as managing partner of Buy and Build Investments SA
(Frankfurt)
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Identification of suitable companies in the field of managed hosting, cloud, software development, IT consulting
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Sell-side mandating by all members of the platform
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Development of a joint growth and investment story as well as a post-merger integration concept
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Creation of an aggregated business plan and information memorandum
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Approaching suitable private equity investors
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Conception and implementation of management meetings
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Negotiations
2018 - SELL-SIDE
Advice to a provider
of marketing software
(Munich)
Development of a sales concept and an information memorandum
Identification and addressing of suitable investors at home and abroad
Structuring and accompanying the management meetings
Negotiations with several prospective buyers
2018 - SELL-SIDE
Sales mandate for an owner-managed performance marketing agency
(Munich)
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Preparation of an information memorandum
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Identification and approach of suitable strategic investors
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Active management of due diligence
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Conducting negotiations with several prospective buyers
2017 - BUY AND BUILD
Conception of a merger in the field of marketing technology as Managing Partner of Buy and Build Investments SA
(Frankfurt)
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Identification of suitable platform companies
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Sell-side mandating by all members of the platform
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Development of a joint growth and investment story as well as a post-merger integration concept
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Creation of an aggregated business plan and information memorandum
-
Approaching suitable private equity investors
-
Conception and implementation of management meetings
-
Negotiation
2017 - SELL-SIDE
Exit of a VC-financed travel portal
(Cologne)
Development of a sales concept
Identification and approach of suitable investors
Moderation within the group of shareholders
Parallel negotiations with several potential buyers
2017 - BUY SIDE
Advising a private equity fund
(Munich)
Expansion of the service portfolio of an existing investment (add-on acquisition)
Identification of suitable investments in the area of performance marketing
Contact initiation
Conducting management meetings
professional support for commercial due diligence
2017 - SELL-SIDE
Buy-back advice to a minority shareholder in a market-leading eCommerce platform
(Munich)
Identification and approach of suitable private equity investors
Development of an optimal investment structure
Training of the client regarding a result-maximizing negotiation
2016 - SELL-SIDE
Advising a provider of marketing software
(Munich)
Development of a sales concept and an information memorandum
Identification of suitable investors at home and abroad
Structuring and accompanying the management meetings
Moderation within the group of shareholders
Negotiations with several prospective buyers
CONTACT PERSON
PHILIPP VON STUELPNAGEL
Founder and Managing Partner
Philipp von Stülpnagel has more than 20 years of experience in the field of digital marketing.
After completing a bank apprenticeship and an economics degree (including a focus on corporate finance), he founded an online marketing agency in 2001, which he sold to a private equity company in 2011 as part of a buy and build approach. In 2014, he made an MBI investment in a VC-funded software company, which he sold to a US provider in 2016.
Subsequently, he founded Merging Partners GmbH in order to provide companies in the small and midsize segment with practical advice combined with a high level of professional expertise through the M&A processes he experienced himself. Further since its foundation, Merging Partners has regularly advised private equity companies on the optimization of existing investments (i.e. add-on acquisitions) or the conception of platforms due to diverse buy-and-build experiences.
Since 2017, he has also been managing partner of the consulting boutique Buy and Build Investments GmbH (formerly Buy and Build Investments SA), a boutique consultancy specialising in buy and build concepts. It was named M&A Consulting Firm of the Year by M&A Advisor (world’s premier leadership organization for M&A, restructuring and financing professionals ) in 2018.