Sourcing Off-Market Deals for Private Equity, Family Offices & Strategic Buyers
Strategic Exit Advisors connects business owners with vetted, ready-to-move buyers — discreetly, and entirely on the owner’s terms. No cost to business owners.
Strategic Exit Advisors connects business owners with vetted, ready-to-move buyers — discreetly, and entirely on the owner’s terms. No cost to business owners.
For business owners: a straight, confidential read on where things stand and, when you're ready, a discreet introduction to a short list of vetted buyers — plus a free preliminary valuation. No blind auctions, no cost, ever.
For private equity firms, family offices & strategic buyers: thesis-driven target research, direct owner relationships built over time, and buyer-fit evaluation — resulting in direct, informed introductions. Not a blast list, not a broad auction.
This list moves with our buyer network’s mandates — it’s a current snapshot of active searches, not a fixed boundary on what we’ll consider.
A straightforward, transparent process on both sides — whether you're a buyer with a thesis to fill or an owner exploring what's next.
For PE partners, family offices & strategic buyers: tell us your size, geography, sector, and structure, and we source and score targets against it using direct research and industry relationships.
We make the introduction and stay involved through the process. Success fee due only at close — nothing owed upfront.
For business owners: straight talk on what your business is worth today and what would move that number — no pressure, no spin.
At your pace, with no pressure, we introduce you to a short list of buyers who actually fit — not a blind auction. No cost to you, ever.
You've built something real. When you're ready to think about what's next — whether that's next year or five years out — you deserve a conversation that respects that, not a sales pitch. We work quietly, on your timeline, and we never move without your go-ahead.
Before we introduce you to anyone, we take the time to understand what actually matters to you — not just a number.
A free, no-obligation initial valuation — based on real market data on where businesses like yours are trading today. A useful starting point, not a formal appraisal.
Nick Lyons is the Founder & Managing Partner of Strategic Exit Advisors LLC. Before founding SEA, Nick spent 11 years in institutional equities trading in Tokyo with Mitsubishi UFJ and UBS, followed by a role in wealth advisory at Bernstein Private Wealth. That background in institutional markets and client relationships shapes how SEA operates today: rigorous, data-driven, and built on direct relationships rather than mass outreach.
SEA is based in West Palm Beach, FL and works with business owners and private equity partners nationwide, with a specialty in industrial services and deep relationships concentrated in the Gulf Coast, Texas, and Southeast U.S.
Get answers to the most common questions about our marketplace and process.
We're happy to help. Ask us a question — no pitch, just clarity.
We're a buy-side M&A sourcing firm. We find and vet acquisition targets for private equity partners in industrial services, and make direct introductions between qualified business owners and the right buyers.
Typically $5M to $50M in revenue and $1M to $20M in EBITDA, with flexibility for the right strategic fit. From an initial conversation, we can usually bring a live opportunity to a qualified buyer within 30 to 45 days.
No. A broker typically represents a seller and runs a broad, formal sale process. We work primarily on behalf of buyers, identifying and introducing specific opportunities that match a defined thesis — usually a more direct, lower-friction path for both sides.
Not from us. Confidentiality is the foundation of how we work — nothing about your business moves without your explicit sign-off, and we never discuss a live conversation publicly. You control if, when, and how the news gets out.
There is no cost to the business owner at any point. Our fee is paid by the private equity buyer, only if and when a deal closes.
We operate nationwide — geography follows the deal, not the other way around. Our specialty is industrial services, and our active sector searches shift with what our buyer network is looking for; in 2026 that's included coatings and corrosion control, tank and terminal maintenance, pipeline and midstream oil & gas services, electric motor and electrical repair, critical power, and specialty distribution. Our track record runs deepest in the Gulf Coast, Texas, and the Southeast U.S., but we're not limited to those regions or these sectors — we'll evaluate strong opportunities anywhere, based on what our partners are actively looking for.
We only introduce you to buyers we have direct, ongoing relationships with — many under signed engagement agreements — whose investment thesis, size range, and deal structure we've already confirmed fit your business, and who are actively deploying capital right now. You're never the first test of a buyer's interest.
Reach out with your current thesis — size, sector, geography, structure. We'll let you know quickly whether it's something we can actively source against.
A confidential conversation, nothing more. We'll never share your information with a buyer, or anyone else, without your explicit go-ahead.
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