Search Fund Ventures
Backing the next generation of small business leaders
We partner with entrepreneurs and business owners to guide established companies through their next chapter.
Three ways in
Who we work with
Entrepreneurs
Searchers, independent sponsors and experienced operators buying an established business. We invest when you have a deal under LOI, and we stay close after closing.
For searchers and sponsors →Business owners
Owners who want a partner to keep growing, and owners ready to hand the business to its next leader. We do both.
For business owners →Investors
Family offices and accredited investors who want to own a share of established small businesses, alongside the people who lead them.
For investors →Why we do this
Every established business gets a next chapter
Every year, thousands of good companies reach the same point. The owner who built the business is ready for what comes next. The business needs a capable leader and the capital to keep going. We bring the three together: the leader, the owner and the investors behind them.
We exist to support local businesses, to back the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs, and to give investors a way to do the same.
For business owners
Two ways we partner with owners
For owners who want to keep building
Growth partnership
You keep running the business and keep a stake in it. We come in as a partner with capital, better systems and an acquisition plan, to help you break through the ceiling you have hit on your own.
How growth partnership works →For owners ready to step back
Succession
We buy the business outright and bring in a new leader to take it to its next chapter. You stay on long enough to hand over your customers and your know-how, then go do what you have been waiting to do.
How succession works →After closing
What we bring besides capital
We are not in the business day to day. We help with three things most small businesses have never had the people for.
1
Governance & systems
The foundation first: clean financials, a finance function the business can rely on, and an operating rhythm of leadership meetings, scorecards and board oversight. The goal is a business that no longer depends on one person.
2
M&A
Add-on acquisitions when the business is ready for them. We source the deals, help with diligence and structure, and help close them. Think of it as a corporate development team the business could not afford on its own.
3
Tech enablement
The right software, rolled out well. Usually that starts with the basics, like a job management system, a CRM or better reporting, so the team spends less time on paperwork and more time with customers.
What we look for
The businesses we back
We are selective, and we will tell you plainly whether it is a fit.
Essential work
Services and products that customers need in good years and bad.
A long record
Ten or more years of profit, through more than one economic cycle.
The right leader
Someone with the skills to run this business, whose interests line up with the investors’.
Sensible debt
A capital structure the business can carry if a year goes badly.
For investors
Invest alongside the people who lead these businesses
Fund I is closed to new investors. Family offices and accredited investors can co-invest next to the fund, deal by deal.
- You deal with the partners directly
- Regular portfolio reports
- A full deal memo on every co-investment
$500K–$5M
EBITDA of the businesses we back
11
Companies Since 2024
250+
Deals Reviewed
10+ yrs
Of Profit Required
N. America
Where We Invest
Team
Who you will work with
A small team with backgrounds in investment banking, M&A and running companies.
Sean Smith
Managing Partner
Leads SFV’s investments. Before SFV he was in investment banking at CIBC, where he was involved in $11B+ of transactions, and in M&A advisory at Applico Capital.
View Full Bio →
Matt Silva
Head of SFV Proprietaries
Leads our direct work with business owners. Former investment banker at Citi and Credit Suisse, and CEO of a family business he grew and systematized.
View Full Bio →Newsletter & podcast
From SMB Investor Network
Our co-investment platform publishes a newsletter, a podcast and guides on small-business acquisitions.
Podcast
The SMB Investor Show
Conversations with operators, investors and dealmakers.
Follow on SpotifyStart a conversation
Buying a business, thinking about what is next for yours, or looking to invest? Tell us where you are.