We came to Bean Partners initially for support with a capital raise and subsequently with the execution of a business sale.

We needed to understand the valuation potential of the Company and this was critical to both attracting external investors and galvanising existing investors to support the business.

Once we had raised the capital we needed, Bean Partners provided advice to the Executive Team and Board around deployment of that capital, to ensure that our business was ready for a sales process, and attractive to potential buyers.

One main reason for choosing to work with Bean Partners was that their process and advice is underpinned by data and intelligence. For example, their in-depth market and organisational analysis helped us to determine a sensible valuation for our capital raise as well as identifying the right strategic buyers for our sale process. We were also confident in the Bean Partners Team’s 15+ years’ experience and capability to execute the transactions for us.

The Business was sold to YouGov, which provided a very good outcome for both investors and the Executive Team of Founders.

One of the most challenging parts of a process like this is managing different stakeholder needs and expectations. As Chair - this is the role; to deal with competing stakeholder priorities, and the buck ultimately stops with you.

Bean Partners helped me personally to be a better diplomat, and more broadly really guided our team through the process. We were able to pin every decision back to the evidence provided by the intelligence, giving us confidence and clarity in our decisions and stakeholder communications.

Following the successful sale of our business, we’ve witnessed a seamless integration of our business into the acquiring company, which feels great. All that work was worthwhile, and we can continue to observe those efforts from afar.

My personal journey post-sale has been fantastic. I have found energy to start a number of new projects; investments, NED positions, establishing an incubator and writing a book!

Our experience working with Bean Partners I would describe in three ways:
1. They gave me and my peers confidence in our decision making through their accurate analysis - this is really powerful
2. They delivered insightful, knowledge – based perspectives which challenged us to a better outcome
3. The environment was a great balance of professional and creative, making the process enjoyable

Having been so impressed with the way Bean Partners work, and with the team, I have since decided to become a part of the Bean Partners Advisory Board. This is a team doing things differently and with purpose – that’s something I want to be a part of.