Sell-Side Advisory
We guide clients through every step of the sale process, creating customized solutions that result in maximising value to the seller. Our approach results in marketing materials richer in strategic content and better tailored to potential buyers, both of which drive higher valuations.
Typical activities acquired during the process include:
• Strategic Alternatives Analysis. From the outset, we invest a significant amount of time with our clients developing a deep understanding of their goals in exiting investment and exploring exit strategies.
• Pre-launch. Our team conducts extensive company and industry due diligence to understand the business ’strengths and weaknesses, opportunities, competitive climate and macro industry trends. We then work with the client to prepare comprehensive marketing materials, tailor an appropriate sale process (ranging from very targeted to relatively broad) and identify the most appropriate financial and strategic buyers.
• Transaction Execution. Our team supports the entire process, including contacting potential buyers, distributing marketing materials, managing due diligence for short-listed bidders, advising on the final selection process and advising on a term sheet.
• Closing. We work closely with our clients to manage lawyers, accountants and all other parties who are involved in the final stages of closing the transaction.
Buy-Side Advisory
Our team leverages our extensive transaction experience to develop and execute our clients ’M&A strategies. We take a highly customized approach for each individual client, carefully understanding their needs before finding and approaching acquisition targets that fit their vision.
• Strategy. Leveraging off the experience of our team with backgrounds in corporate finance, we work with client management teams to develop a comprehensive M&A strategy prior to launching any acquisition efforts.
Target Identification. Our team identifies specific acquisition candidates that fit our clients’ strategies, preparing pre-bid screening memos through the extensive use of internal and external resources.
• Transaction Execution. Once suitable targets have been agreed, we support the entire bid process, from initial contacts with the acquisition candidate and/or its shareholders, advising on a term sheet, managing the due diligence process (including financial, tax and legal advisors) before advising on definitive closing documents and completion. Ultimately, we seek to advise transactions on terms that fit both the client’s and the target’s financial and strategic objectives.
• Integration Planning. Finally, we work alongside client executives to evaluate the required management and infrastructure to successfully integrate acquisitions.
Capital Raising
Our team at Platform3 have helped clients raise capital in markets that are both favourable and difficult. Our well-developed network of institutional investors can provide both capital and industry expertise, which enables us to help find the optimal investor and capital structure for each client.
At the outset, we gain an understanding of the optimal capital needs for the business or project. This lays the foundation for the type, source and amount of funding most suitable in the circumstance, including the appropriate structure.
We then perform Pre-Launch, Transaction Execution and Closing activities using a similar approach as explained for our Sell-Side Advisory services.
Transaction Support
We help clients to meet their strategic goals and improve deal outcomes through our transaction support services:
Financial Due Diligence. We assist in analysing and validating all the critical financial issues and risks of a transaction, including industry and deal-specific risks, historical and forecast financial performance, financial position, indebtedness, identifying hidden costs, the quality of financial information and sustainable earnings.
• Operational Due Diligence. We also analyse the key operational drivers of a business, including the current operating performance of the target, peer review against industry standards, evaluation of key operational risks and assessment of potential upsides i.e. synergies such as opportunities for cost reduction.
• Financial Modelling. We assist clients in building robust, integrated, reliable, tailor-made and logically structured financial models for multiple purposes including determining the most efficient capital structure, capital raisings and refinancing and the assessment of proposed investments and acquisitions.
• Valuation. We provide independent valuation advice to clients by developing a deep understanding of the business, industry dynamics, and key-value drivers. We apply the most relevant valuation methodologies as well as other benchmarking tools by using our extensive industry knowledge and experience.