Our Work

At Focused Group Partners we pride ourselves in our ability to help owners, operators and investors in frequently highly confidential assignments. Here we present some cases, illustrating our capabilities, but do so for the most part while maintaining utmost discretion and confidentiality. Our assignments include aspects of private equity deal origination, assessment, diligence, post-acquisition integration, and execution planning. We are all proven operating executives who have worked as partners of, or sellers to private equity funds. Our expertise lies in Digitalization, Globalization and M+A work. Sometimes we work as a personal coach or sounding board to an owner or CEO contemplating their next strategic move with their company. Other times we are asked by PE partners to assess a potential acquisition or work for a board to address a particular strategic question. A key aspect of all our work is the translation to execution and tangible results is an absolute requirement.

While we keep most of our clients confidential, we can share situational successes here:

Owner/CEO support Fundraising – FinTech

Scaling effort of SaaS Fintech company, including succession and restructuring.

CEO of highly successful FinTech company in Europe needed to plan for a change of control and the ability to rapidly scale the company to capture the enormous market demand. The company achieved remarkable success around the world working from 10 local offices in the key markets.

While the CEO had done a really great job building the company, he realized he needed to scale the company and was aiming to recruit a new CEO as well as change the capitalization of the company to allow for fast worldwide growth.

This project is still on-going.

Pre-Acquisition Diligence Private Equity – Software company ($150M)

Strategic Diligence and Value Creation for $150M software company

Confidential Project to provide strategic diligence and value creation guidance on a contemplated Private Equity transaction involving the leading workflow and search software provider in higher education.

The successful acquisition was achieved and advice used for the 90-day execution plan.

Acquisition LawLogix

Private Equity Investment LawLogix

The FGP team successfully executed a complete cycle with the buy out of LawLogix Group, Inc. in Phoenix Arizona.

We sourced the investment opportunity, developed the investment thesis and value creation strategy, identified the right private equity sponsors in Akoya Capital and PNC Roverarch Capital, shepherded the deal to closure and operated the company successfully.

A good example of a deal where all stakeholders won: The original owner-entrepreneurs, the new management, and the private equity investors.

Product Creation Project in E-learning

-BrightStar Learning-

Interim CEO, CFO - Strategy - Fundraising

We provided interim a CEO as well as strategy and implementation services for a VC who had acquired unique patents in e-learning and remediation of Dyslexia.

The startup was founded to bring a new remediation treatment for dyslexia to the market. The product uses brain plasticity in key areas involved with reading to improve that function in dyslexia patients.

We coordinated and managed activities in Jerusalem (where the product development was located) and Brussels, New Delhi, Amsterdam, and Chicago to bring the concept to market. We also helped with fundraising to complete fMRI studies and roll out in the regions.

After the concept was translated into a product on the web, the founder’s team took over again.

Sale SaaS Software company to Strategic buyer

High Valuation Sale of SaaS company

We provided advice and support to the CEO/Owner and his founder’s team in the sales process of his unique SaaS scheduling company for healthcare providers. Both in a hospital and small practice settings.

We were able to realize a great high valuation of 5 times revenue in a sale to a strategic buyer.

Pre-merger scenario development Elsevier – Kluwer merger

Post Merger Scenario development Elsevier - Kluwer

We were asked by top management at Elsevier and Kluwer to develop post acquisition integration Scenarios for the merged company. These two companies both are leading their respective publishing industries. This merger was abandoned.

Value Creation Strategy Advice SWETS

Royal Swets & Zeitlinger

Project on behalf of the new CEO to explore, define and recommend a value creation strategy leveraging content in the STM (Science-Technology-Medical) publishing space.

A key initiative to allow diversification away from just subscription agent activities. The recommendations were accepted but later abandoned in view of other priorities.

Confidential Software Company Sale

Sale of Software company to Private Equity

Completed highly confidential divestiture of an industry-leading software company to private equity.

The software division was owned by a Fortune 500 company but did not fit the new corporate strategy anymore.� Because the company had strategic relevance to the customers of the mother company, and the danger of customer relation disruption was real the sales process needed to stay highly confidential.

We were able to sell the company without any breach of confidentiality, found a really good home for the company and sold significantly above the intended sale price.