About Cook M&A

Established in 1996, Cook M&A offers over twenty years of creating value through successful transactions. Our proprietary process and level of personal service is proven to get deals done.

WHO WE ARE

Cook M&A is recognized as one of the leading buy-side M&A advisory firms in the industry. Our M&A advisory team delivers transaction focused strategic advice to private equity investors, family offices, corporations, executives and owners in buy-side transactions. We work with businesses across all industry sectors and sizes to understand the market, identify potential acquisition targets, assist in due diligence and resolve transaction issues throughout the process. Whether your business is investigating a platform or add-on acquisition, our research-driven methodology has been proven to execute the best deals.

Sourcing deals through investment banking auctions is both inefficient and unsatisfying. We look for companies that create the right fit, rather than “just what’s on the market”.

We have developed proprietary tools, including FocusFirst® and CEOVisions®, to source proprietary deals that meet your investment goals.

FocusFirst® is a strategic process through which we align a search process with the buyer’s investment goals to identify and develop prospective acquisition targets. CEOVisions® is a strategic process through which we partner with exceptional executives who have an investment thesis with private equity backing to acquire industry leading companies.

Our company culture is characterized by transparency, flexibility and personal relationships, which has resulted in over 150 successful transactions, with enterprise values ranging from $5 million to $5 billion.

HOW WE WORK

As your exclusive partner, we prepare macroeconomic industry research and make recommendations tailored to your industry that are specific to your goals. None of our target lists is ever the same.

We follow established research-driven processes that deliver streamlined solutions from the initial research phase all the way through to a signed LOI.

With Private Equity, Family Office & Corporate Buyers

Our FocusFirst® service is a strategic process through which we align a search process with the buyer’s investment thesis to identify and develop prospective acquisition targets. Our end goal with FocusFirst® is to have a closed deal – or line of sight on a closed deal – within a 6-12 month time frame.

With Executives – CEOVisions®

Sometimes the right platform for creating growth through acquisition comes in the form of a person. CEOVisions® is designed to give private equity investors access to the leadership that will attract investment opportunities. These executives all have the demonstrated ability to acquire, build and grow companies, thereby creating wealth for shareholders.

With Privately Held Businesses

We offer streamlined processes for business owners seeking strategic solutions in the form of transition or growth equity capital. Our years of experience reflect the importance of making sure the acquired party is satisfied with both the process and the end result. These situations often involve partnerships or families with strong emotional ties to their businesses. We pride ourselves on representing the views of both buyers and sellers.

WHY WE’RE DIFFERENT

While no two deals are the same, the level of discipline we bring never varies. We have developed proprietary products, such as FocusFirst® and CEOVisions® to help establish clear goals for the acquisition process, identify viable prospects, enable a dynamic exchange of information and provide the right tools to systematically complete each step along the way.

Our clients find that outsourcing direct deal sourcing results in an increased flow of actionable opportunities at a lower origination cost.

Unlike other advisory service firms, we position ourselves as an extension of your company rather than a third party, with full transparency and in-house-like service.

Our own Sven Kins was featured in episode 30 of Northstar’s Private Equity Fast Pitch” podcast where he discusses CEOVisions® and FocusFirst® strategies.