For business owners
A buyer is not hard to find. The right one is.
If one of us has written to you, this page explains who we are and why.If you would rather simply ask us directly, that is welcome too.
Why you heard from us
Our genuine interest in your business
If we reach out, it’s because we’ve taken the time to understand what you’ve built.
We research the business, understand its history and position in the market, and believe there may be a meaningful fit with an investor we represent.
You’re hearing from us because we chose your company, not because your name appeared on a list.
Most owners we speak to are not selling and have no plans to. That is completely normal.
How we work with owners
Respectful, confidential, and entirely on your terms.
- 01
We listen first
The first conversation is about your business and what matters to you in it. No pitch, no pressure, and no assumptions about what you want.
- 02
We give you context, not a sales pitch
What we are seeing in your market, how investors are currently looking at businesses like yours, and what a good outcome tends to involve. Useful whether or not you ever sell.
- 03
We introduce only when it genuinely fits
If there is a real match, we will say so and explain why. If there is not, we will tell you that just as plainly.
There is no cost to you
Not now, and not later. We are paid by the investor who retained us.There is nothing for you to sign in order to talk to us, and you will never receive an invoice from Stride.
If you are reading this, it is most likely because one of us wrote to you about a possible interest in your company.
Stride is retained by established investors and acquirers to help them find businesses worth backing for the long term.Before anyone here makes contact, the business has been researched properly and that interest has been confirmed as real and specific.
That contact was deliberate. It was not a mailing list and it was not speculative.
Most owners we speak with are not actively looking to sell, and we do not expect them to be.
The firms we work with ask us to identify privately held businesses that fit their strategy and the way they operate.We do that research ourselves, and we only make contact where there is a genuine reason to.
The purpose is simply to open a private, informed conversation, while respecting the work you have put into building your business.
Stride is a two partner advisory firm, based in London and San Francisco.
We are retained by investors and acquirers to help them understand a market and to make an introduction where there is a real fit.The owners we speak with are usually founders, families, long standing management teams and employee owned businesses.Many have never taken outside investment and are, entirely reasonably, cautious when a stranger gets in touch.
We do not run auctions and we do not market companies for sale.
An initial conversation is exploratory, and there is no pressure in it anywhere.
Speaking with us does not mean you are selling your business, and nothing is set in motion by it.These conversations exist to give both sides context and perspective.We usually cover:
- Why the investor is interested in a business like yours, specifically
- How they think about growth, culture, and continuity for the people already there
- What we are seeing across comparable businesses and transactions
- Where owners should be deliberate when weighing up different kinds of buyer
- Your own priorities, concerns and longer term plans
There is no cost to you at any stage, and nothing to sign.
That is the answer we hear most often, and it is a perfectly good one.
Tell us when, if ever, you would like to hear from us again and we will follow it. If you would prefer we held nothing on file at all, let us know and we can confirm that it is done.
We would rather be someone worth a call in three years than someone who did not listen the first time.
Anything you tell us stays between the two of us, and reaches the investor only with your agreement.Nothing about your business is passed on, circulated or shared without you knowing first.
Talk to us whenever you are ready.
You will hear back from Joon or Caleb, usually the same day. There is never any obligation, and you are welcome to ask us anything at all.