Buy-Side M&A Advisory
We work with select entrepreneurs, family offices, and business owners to systematically identify, evaluate, and acquire companies — from first screen to closing.
About the Firm
Privilege Partners is an independent M&A advisory firm located in Zurich, Switzerland. We advise entrepreneurs, family offices, and business owners on the buy side — helping them grow through acquisitions rather than organic expansion alone.
We work with clients over the long term. Rather than supporting a single transaction in isolation, we partner with select clients over months and years to build a systematic acquisition programme — identifying targets continuously through proprietary screening, evaluating each opportunity with rigorous bottom-up analysis, and executing transactions as they mature. Every decision is grounded in data and factual assessment, not assumption.
We have built particular depth in IT services, manufacturing & recycling, and renewable energy — and bring broad analytical experience across a wider range of sectors and geographies. The process is the same regardless of industry; what changes is the market knowledge we bring to it.
Our ServicesLong-Term Partnerships
We build acquisition pipelines over time, not single transactions
Systematic Process
Proprietary target identification methodology, not opportunistic outreach
Exclusively Buy-Side
We represent buyers only — no conflicting sell-side mandates
Sector-Informed
Deep familiarity across industries — applied with rigorous analytical discipline
What We Do
We cover every stage of the acquisition process — from the first target screen through closing and into post-acquisition value delivery. One advisor. One mandate. Full continuity.
We represent your interests exclusively. Starting from a clearly defined acquisition thesis, we build and execute a systematic search process to identify companies that match your strategic, operational, and financial criteria.
Proprietary deal flow through direct market outreach, sector-specific networks, and database-driven screening. We approach owners directly, often before a company is formally on the market.
Full deal process management: first approach, NDA, management presentations, valuation, LOI, SPA negotiation, and closing. We carry the process end to end so you remain focused on your business.
Where acquisitions require debt financing, we support the full process — structuring the financial case, refining the business plan, identifying suitable lenders, and managing the bank process through to credit commitment and drawdown.
Comprehensive assessment of targets covering financial performance, commercial positioning, customer concentration, operational quality, and key-person risk. We identify deal-breakers early and quantify value adjustments with bottom-up financial analysis.
Value is created after closing, not at signing. We define the integration roadmap and establish a targeted KPI framework tied directly to the original acquisition thesis — so management and ownership share a common standard for measuring success. Where appropriate, we serve in an independent oversight capacity to ensure accountability between the operating team and the ownership level.
Sector Experience
Our buy-side methodology is designed to work across industries. The sectors below represent areas of particular depth — built through active mandates, financial modelling work, and direct transaction experience. We evaluate opportunities in other sectors on a selective basis, wherever we can bring rigorous analysis and genuine market access.
The European IT services market is consolidating steadily. Demand for software development, managed services, and nearshore delivery is structural and durable, while the provider landscape remains highly fragmented — a combination that consistently favours well-prepared strategic buyers.
Acquiring an established IT services firm gives technology businesses immediate access to delivery capacity, certified talent, and embedded client relationships. Recurring revenue profiles and scalable operating models make well-run firms in this space particularly attractive targets.
The European mid-market manufacturing sector carries a sustained volume of succession-driven opportunities. Owner-operated businesses with strong operational credentials but limited succession planning remain compelling targets — including in the fast-growing recycling and circular economy space, where regulation is creating structural demand.
Acquirers gain immediate access to production capacity, established customer relationships, and operational expertise that would take years to replicate organically. The most attractive situations combine stable revenue, identifiable margin improvement, and a motivated seller with a clear succession horizon.
Driven by policy tailwinds, energy price volatility, and corporate decarbonisation commitments, the European solar and renewable energy mid-market is one of the most active M&A landscapes today. Established operators, EPC contractors, and asset portfolios are in high demand from strategic and financial buyers alike.
Acquiring an operating solar or renewable energy business compresses the timeline to revenue and removes development risk entirely. Established permit portfolios, grid connections, O&M contracts, and experienced project teams are the scarcest — and most valuable — assets in the sector.
These three sectors represent areas of particular depth. We evaluate mandates in other industries on a selective basis — the deciding factor is always the quality of the opportunity and our ability to bring rigorous analysis and genuine market access.
How We Work
We start by building a precise acquisition mandate together: sector, company size, geography, financial thresholds, integration capacity, and strategic fit. Not a generic brief — a working document we refine until every parameter is defensible.
Using proprietary databases, sector research, and direct outreach, we build and maintain a pipeline of qualified acquisition candidates. Each target is assessed through a structured, data-driven scoring framework — financial profile, strategic fit, ownership situation, and deal readiness — before we invest time in a conversation.
We manage the full deal process — initial approach, NDA, management meetings, due diligence, LOI, SPA negotiation, and closing. Valuation is conducted on a rigorous bottom-up basis, with financial models built from first principles to establish a defensible position at the table. We carry the process so you carry the business.
After closing, we support the development of a structured integration plan covering leadership, operations, systems, and customer management. This includes a KPI framework and ongoing performance tracking to measure progress against the investment case. Where it adds value, Cyrill is available to serve as an independent board member — providing continuity, strategic oversight, and accountability through the critical post-acquisition period.
Track Record
Over a decade of M&A advisory experience across buy-side mandates, corporate development programs, and cross-border transactions. A representative selection of engagements is shown below. Client names are not disclosed.
2025 – Present · IT Services
Buy-side advisor in a corporate development role for a leading IT outsourcing service provider — systematic identification, screening, and execution of acquisition targets to expand the client's service offering and geographic footprint.
2024 · IT Services
Buy-side advisor on the acquisition of an IT outsourcing service provider — target assessment, commercial and financial evaluation, deal structuring, and transaction management through to closing.
2023 · IT Services
Buy-side advisor on the acquisition of an IT outsourcing service provider — mandate scoping, target identification, valuation, and full transaction support through signing and closing.
2020 · IT Services
Buy-side advisor on the acquisition of an IT outsourcing service provider — proprietary target screening, direct outreach to owners, financial due diligence support, and negotiation through to closing.
2017 – 2018 · Real Estate
Capital raising advisory for a real estate investment team — structured fundraising process, investor targeting, and preparation of investment documentation for a portfolio of commercial real estate assets.
2014 – 2019 · Manufacturing
Buy-side advisor in a long-term corporate development role for a strategic buyer focused on plastic injection moulding and rubber component businesses in the European automotive supply chain — systematic target screening, direct owner outreach, and acquisition evaluation over five years.
2014 – 2017 · Technology Infrastructure
Sell-side advisor on the divestiture of a Swiss data centre operator — preparation of the sale process, vendor due diligence support, identification of strategic and financial buyers, and negotiation through to closing.
2013 · Manufacturing
Sell-side advisor on the divestiture of a plastic injection moulding company on behalf of a leading Private Equity fund in Central Europe — preparation of the sale process, buyer outreach, and transaction management through to closing.
2013 · Technology
Capital raising advisory for an IT startup active in the augmented reality space — investor positioning, preparation of fundraising materials, and outreach to strategic and financial investors.
2011 – 2013 · Solar Energy
Debt financing advisory for a leading Swiss solar module manufacturing company — structuring of the financing solution, preparation of lender documentation, and coordination of the bank process through to commitment.
Additional transaction experience includes: buy-side advisory on the acquisition of a leading lubricant manufacturer; advisory on an international joint venture in the flexible packaging sector; capital raising and advisory on a large-scale real estate development project in the Middle East; and preparation of a data room for a major logistics company in connection with a planned IPO. Business valuation experience spans multiple sectors and includes a fairness opinion for a publicly listed company, valuations of distressed assets, and independent valuations across a range of industries.
The Firm
We work with a small number of clients at any one time. That is a deliberate choice — not a constraint.
Founder & Managing Partner
Cyrill Haenni has spent his career advising entrepreneurs and business owners on M&A transactions and strategic financing across Europe, Switzerland, and international markets. He founded Privilege Partners to provide institutional-quality buy-side advisory to growth-oriented businesses that need a committed, experienced partner — not a generalist intermediary.
He takes on a limited number of mandates at any one time, working with clients over extended periods to build systematic acquisition programmes rather than support isolated transactions. His experience spans IT services, manufacturing, capital markets, and cross-border M&A across multiple sectors and geographies. He brings rigorous financial modelling discipline to every engagement — from target valuation to debt structuring — applying the same analytical standards institutional buyers apply to large-cap transactions.
Contact
If you are an entrepreneur or business owner with a clear growth agenda and an interest in acquisitions, we are open to a first conversation. We are selective about the mandates we take on — which means that if we engage, we are fully committed.