Recarta
Home Contact Us Home-version 2 Service page About Us Office Location Post template Home Contact Us Home-version 2 Service page About Us Office Location Post template Acquisition Acquisition, IT Managed Services, Merger, Technology 2019 Acquisition Analytic Services Business Acquisition Business Aquired Business Sale Buy-Side Case Studies Financial Due Diligence Fundraising and M&A advice IT Managed Services M&A Managed Buy and Build Programme Merger Sell-Side Sell-side M&A Advice Technology Telecoms Background Recarta IT started in 2005 as a spin-off from international technology vendor Power core Holdings. The company specialised in supplying IBMRS 6000 parts in an international brokerage market and, at that time, were the only organisation focusing completely on this area. Recarta, capitalising in this specialised market,established a reputation for trust and expert support within a select group of customers. The market hardened during the financial turmoil of 2008 but came back strongly in 2010, enabling the company to exploit a computer hardware market dominated by IBM and AIX (IBM’s ‘open’ operating system). This dominance enabled Recarta to reinforce its position, providing both system management and infrastructure solutions,for many ERP applications and working alongside ISV’s such as INFOR. Today, Recarta IT supports multi-platform infrastructures,with IBM-based services accounting for up to 50% of their revenues. The company looks to continue its upward growth curve through the provision of managed IT services, specifically remote management, patching, hosting, outsourcing and compliance. The client base consists of over 300 satisfied customers, with approximately two-thirds providing recurring revenues. Daren Bland, MD and founder, says: “We worked hard to establish a reputation for excellence in a crowded market place. We supply vital support services, without which people would be unable to operate their businesses. Recarta are now trusted advisors to a significant number of customers for whom we provide a solid platform for growth, resilience, security and scalability.” The Challenge: Like many successful businesses, Recarta’s management team strive to get a good skills and cultural balance within their organisation.Importantly, they are constantly on the lookout for complementary acquisition targets that will dovetail into the existing operation with the minimum of disruption to their clients. Their acquisition of Signature Consulting in 2017 was a case in point and allowed the company to add new skills to their existing portfolio. It also provided a move into new markets of healthcare and medical protection and importantly provided an additional source of renewable revenue. Bland continues: “We identified another acquisition as long ago as 2016. It was a compelling and complementary fit to our existing portfolio and both parties were keen to move forward to a mutually beneficial conclusion. However, the main challenge was to get to a point where we could both agree on a satisfactory valuation. The seller also needed to be able to convince his own management team and investors that an optimum valuation had been reached. It became obvious that we needed some expert industry advice to get the deal over the line. We were well acquainted with Evolution Capital’s industry reputation and asked them for their input.” Advice, planning and preparation: Recarta IT appointed Evolution Capital in October 2018 to provide some specialist advice and guidance on the proposed deal, including establishing a workable valuation that both buyer and seller could agree with.After an initial review of the business, Evolution provided a detailed plan and risk analysis of the deal and progress was made. This included: 1. A review of relevant financial and management information 2. A detailed risk analysis report 3. The preparation of all appropriate documentation 4. The formula for a valuation Bland adds: “Without Evolution Capital’s input it is fair to say that a conclusion could not have been reached. The company took a very pragmatic approach to the process and set realistic expectations for both parties. Ultimately, they put the deal together for us and given that the hard yards had been done by the time it came to do the due diligence, everything went through very quickly.” A successful outcome: Recarta acquired virtualisation and cloud specialist Möbius Business Technologies in May 2019, creating a £15 million value-added reseller in the process. Evolution Capital’s input was crucial to the deal completing in a timely manner. Bland says: “We were delighted with the successful conclusion of this transaction, which was catalysed by Evolution Capital. The acquisition greatly enhances our IT infrastructure and managed service capability into new IT Vendor areas.” More than 2 results are available in the PRO version (This notice is only visible to admin users) Latest Posts Acquisition Recarta Case Studies Synergy Associates M&A Managed Buy and Build Programme BNS Categories Acquisition Analytic Services Business Acquisition Business Aquired Business Sale Buy-Side Case Studies Financial Due Diligence Fundraising and M&A advice IT Managed Services M&A Managed Buy and Build Programme Merger Sell-Side Sell-side M&A Advice Technology Telecoms Social Media Our Blog Related Case Studies View all Acquisition, Case Studies, IT Managed Services Recarta December 2, 2025 Case Studies, Merger, Technology Synergy Associates December 2, 2025 Business Sale, Case Studies, Technology MSO December 2, 2025 Business Sale, Case Studies, Technology Crompton Technology Group December 2, 2025 Business Acquisition, Case Studies, Telecoms Axis Telecom December 1, 2025 Request a Confidential Consultation Discover Your Business Value Start with a strategic assessment to understand your maximum potential valuation in the current market. 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Synergy Associates
Home Contact Us Home-version 2 Service page About Us Office Location Post template Home Contact Us Home-version 2 Service page About Us Office Location Post template Merger Merger, Technology 2020 <lidata-term-id=”10″> Analytic Services <lidata-term-id=”58″> Business Acquisition <lidata-term-id=”56″> Business Aquired <lidata-term-id=”6″> Business Sale <lidata-term-id=”11″> Buy-Side <lidata-term-id=”28″> Case Studies <lidata-term-id=”8″> Financial Due Diligence <lidata-term-id=”75″> Fundraising and M&A advice <lidata-term-id=”62″> IT Managed Services <lidata-term-id=”60″> M&A Managed Buy and Build Programme <lidata-term-id=”59″> Merger <lidata-term-id=”12″> Sell-Side <lidata-term-id=”51″> Sell-side M&A Advice <lidata-term-id=”57″> Technology <lidata-term-id=”7″> Telecoms Background Synergy Associates is an international Managed Services Provider, specialising in IT for the commercial art sphere, investment firms and family offices. The company was founded in 2006 by Alexander Caplan who was, at the time, managing international IT infrastructure for the investment bank Lehman Brothers. Caplan saw a gap in the market for the provision of enterprise-class IT for smaller businesses. “I was looking after vast server farms, sprawled across multiple geographies and time zones,” he says. “Driven by a trend of globalisation, the burgeoning SME market was becoming increasingly international, creating similar challenges to those faced by larger enterprises. Against a backdrop of IT commodification, I set about addressing these challenges through the delivery of scalable, competitively-priced solutions for the SMB market.” In January 2008, Caplan left Lehman Brothers to focus full-time on Synergy. Following early successes in the international fine art market, the company supplies IT services to a number of the world’s leading commercial galleries, alongside several other sectors. Synergy has offices in London, Hong Kong (2009), New York (2017) and Washington (2019), and manages IT operations for its clients around the world. Synergy’s mission of providing world-class technology that is sensitive to aesthetic principles has established the firm as the ‘go-to’ IT provider for many creative industries. Caplan says: “Every market has a position for at least two operators: the cheapest and the best. We are never going to be the cheapest, but our focus on delivering superlative service aims to make us one of the best. Our attention to detail, combined with a decade’s worth of experience in this sphere, has paid dividends.” The Challenge Synergy was first approached by Evolution Capital in 2015, leading to an ongoing engagement to support the business’s growth. Synergy had acquired an impressive, entrepreneurial reputation and enviable customer retention record, but equally recognised the need for an expanded management team and a strategy for growth. Caplan continues: “We wanted to understand the genuine potential of the business. Having grown Synergy from scratch, I saw the need for expert financial and commercial advice in order take the business to the next level, and work towards an ambitious future valuation.” Advice, planning and preparation Synergy and Evolution embarked on a highly collaborative process, which put a good deal of focus on financial, budgetary, and sales processes. An in-depth business review included an indicative valuation and an assessment of the strategic options open to the company. Caplan says: “We needed to understand the addressable areas of our business and take affirmative action. Our market was continuing to grow and acquisition opportunities were starting to present themselves, but we needed to understand how best to capitalise on them. We required both a strategy and some fundamental business changes. Evolution Capital helped us to focus on these areas, providing us with: 1. A detailed list of recommendations and proposed changes to many of the ‘business fundamentals’. 2. An anticipated valuation after implementing the recommendations. 3. An M&A strategy and plan.” Maximising the value through business change On completion of the strategic review, the company was presented with its findings and analysis during a series of face-to-face presentations. One aspect of the ‘deliverables’ was a document detailing and analysing each of the fundamental components of the business, and identifying where change was necessary. Several tangible benefits were delivered, including: • An increased valuation multiple of between 3-4 times on an adjusted EBITDA (up from 1 -1.5 multiple). • A full board complemented by Evolution Capital providing an FD and Sales Director. • An M&A plan and introductions to suitable acquisition prospects. • The creation and delivery of a bespoke digital dashboard, providing dynamic management and financial information. • An ongoing business model based on recurring revenues. “From the time that the strategic review was delivered, through continuing implementation, we have been given excellent support by the Evolution team,” Caplan says. “The expertise provided by our new board members afforded numerous benefits, among them a wealth of expert advice and guidance. We have a clear plan going forward and are excited about the combined company’s potential in the years ahead.” A successful outcome After delivering the review and helping to implement its recommendations, Evolution Capital delivered on the M&A strategy. Following an introduction to London-based IT provider Fresh Tech in 2017, Synergy completed its first major acquisition in April 2020. Caplan concludes: “We are delighted with the outcome of our collaboration with Evolution Capital, which has seen Synergy join forces with a prestigious partner. The combined organisation gives us increased scope to support new customers with a talented and dedicated team. More than 2 results are available in the PRO version (This notice is only visible to admin users) Latest Posts Merger Synergy Associates M&A Managed Buy and Build Programme BNS Business Sale Virtue Broadcasting Categories <lidata-term-id=”10″> Analytic Services <lidata-term-id=”58″> Business Acquisition <lidata-term-id=”56″> Business Aquired <lidata-term-id=”6″> Business Sale <lidata-term-id=”11″> Buy-Side <lidata-term-id=”28″> Case Studies <lidata-term-id=”8″> Financial Due Diligence <lidata-term-id=”75″> Fundraising and M&A advice <lidata-term-id=”62″> IT Managed Services <lidata-term-id=”60″> M&A Managed Buy and Build Programme <lidata-term-id=”59″> Merger <lidata-term-id=”12″> Sell-Side <lidata-term-id=”51″> Sell-side M&A Advice <lidata-term-id=”57″> Technology <lidata-term-id=”7″> Telecoms Social Media Our Blog Related Case Studies View all Business Sale, Case Studies, Technology MSO December 2, 2025 Business Sale, Case Studies, Technology Crompton Technology Group December 2, 2025 Business Acquisition, Case Studies, Telecoms Axis Telecom December 1, 2025 Business Sale, Case Studies, Telecoms Tdotcom December 1, 2025 Business Sale, Case Studies Net:Telecom December 1, 2025 Request a Confidential Consultation Discover Your Business Value Start with a strategic assessment to