Sector: SaaS (Workplace Productivity)
Transaction Type: Strategic majority acquisition by global software firm
Location:

Client Profile

A fast-growing B2B SaaS provider delivering workplace collaboration and task automation tools to mid-sized professional services firms. The platform had strong product-market fit, recurring revenue growth of 50% year-on-year, and a loyal enterprise client base. The founders were seeking partial liquidity and a strategic partner to support international expansion.

Challenge

Despite strong growth metrics, the company faced challenges translating product traction into a premium valuation. Key concerns included:

  • Inconsistent revenue categorisation (mix of MRR, annual prepay, and usage-based billing)
  • No prior transaction experience within the founding team
  • Uncertainty around how to position a niche platform to global buyers
  • Risk of valuation compression due to lack of scale

Cavari’s Role

Cavari acted as full-spectrum sell-side advisor. Our responsibilities included:

  • Strategic positioning and growth narrative development
  • ARR-based financial model build and SaaS valuation benchmarking
  • Global buyer mapping across productivity and vertical SaaS segments
  • End-to-end process design, execution, and negotiation

Strategic Approach

We led a full SaaS diagnostics process, including churn cohort analysis, LTV/CAC ratios, and expansion revenue forecasting. Cavari developed a dynamic model that allowed buyers to simulate revenue growth scenarios under different assumptions.

Our AI-driven buyer engine shortlisted 40+ global SaaS acquirers. We prioritised those actively acquiring in APAC or seeking mid-market platforms with vertical entry potential. The company was positioned as a strategic foothold into the APAC mid-market.

We secured multiple offers and negotiated a structured deal with a European software group, including a significant earn-out and defined post-deal roadmap for product integration.

Outcome

  • Strategic acquisition at 10.4x ARR valuation
  • Founders retained a 22% stake with performance incentives
  • Global rollout resources committed post-acquisition
  • No discounting applied for small scale or geography
  • Transaction closed in under 16 weeks

Strategic Insight

In SaaS, valuation depends as much on strategic relevance as on raw metrics. By reframing scale limitations as a strategic entry point, Cavari unlocked a premium outcome that traditional brokers could not. Narrative, data, and buyer intelligence drove the result.