I built a European education group without any sponsor through six acquisitions with my own capital at risk, then ran it for thirteen years. That is where I learnt what destroys the most value: the gap between a buyer's expectations and the culture of the company they have just bought, and the failure to bring the founder into the new project.
Three education brands in France and Italy, each with 25 to 30 years of operating history, sending 1,500 young people abroad every year: study abroad, boarding schools, summer camps and university advisory.
I built it by acquisition from 2013, with my own capital and no financial sponsor: six deals, every one opened directly with the founder, none through a competitive process, each closed within twelve months of first contact.
Five founder transitions and cultural integrations, no unplanned departure.
I have now moved to a non-executive chairman position.
apex-education.com →Studies put the share of fund-owned company CEOs replaced before exit at between 50 and 73%. A replacement sets the value creation plan back by roughly two years.
I work on acquisitions of owner-managed companies: approaching the seller, supporting the transaction, running the C3F® diagnostic, and, after closing if both sides want it, helping seller and buyer understand each other, as I did at Alcatel-Lucent twenty years ago.
Four dimensions are scored before the investment committee decides: C1 · Culture: decision style, reporting discipline, conflict tolerance, authority distribution. C2 · Capability: formal delegations, reporting infrastructure, leadership depth. C3 · Control: board architecture, reserved matters, role clarity after the deal. F · Founder: attachment to power, delegation maturity, identity versus role, readiness for transition.
Always happy to talk with investors, founders and boards facing that moment.
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