Committed to your success
Even for very well qualified entrepreneurs, acquiring and running a business is a challenging path. Whether you are raising a search fund, have a deal in hand, or are considering establishing a committed capital vehicle, we serve as active partners at each stage of the journey. We continually improve our own resources, processes, and team expertise to help you focus on finding, acquiring, and operating a great business.
01 Raising your fund
Key Activities
- Thesis Development
- Private Placement Memorandum (PPM)
- Investor Alignment
For entrepreneurs raising traditional search funds, we help develop and refine theses, provide early PPM feedback, and discuss fundraising strategy and investor alignment.
Searchers often continue refining their strategy while fundraising. We help by providing access to industry-leading research at no cost via the Trilogy/Grata ‘PPM builder’ partnership, which gives prospective searchers guided access to Grata to assist in completing a private placement memorandum. We believe that deep industry thesis work is core to a successful search, even though entrepreneurs may move into adjacent or entirely new industries during the search process.
We also help prospective searchers connect with other Searchers, Operators, and industry experts to build their network in preparation for their sourcing efforts.
Finally, we can share our perspective on how to assemble an investor group aligned with each entrepreneur’s objectives, maximizing support through all phases of searching and operating.
I had enough flexibility to forego fundraising at the beginning of my search and focus initially on finding the right business. As I got closer to a deal, it became clear that the right capital partners could provide more than money—they could validate and push my thinking, and provide resources for diligence and operations. Choosing to partner with Trilogy was an investment in running my search—and ultimately my business—the right way.
Leyla Sudbury
CEO, BSU Electronics
02 Launching your search
Key Activities
- Tech Stack
- LLC Setup
- Initial Outreach
Our one‑stop resource for financial, legal, and software resources streamlines the setup process.
Getting started involves dozens of tasks you probably haven’t done before; let us help you get going quickly. Our Quick Start guide answers the nitty gritty questions, and gets you to your first seller conversation, quicker. We have also negotiated preferred pricing with the most popular tools.
Finally, we’ll work with you on industry-specific outreach strategies to start your proprietary sourcing process.
03 Sourcing
Key Activities
- Building a Pipeline
- Outreach Approach & Cadence
- Establish Pattern Recognition
Finding a great business to buy is hard. We support your sourcing effort with consistent industry and company research and feedback, to remove obstacles and prioritize the highest‑potential acquisitions.
Many Searchers say the first 90 days of their search are the most challenging, as they work to get their sourcing function running and to build a pipeline of opportunities. We advise on all aspects of the process, and tailor feedback to your industry focus area. Our Searcher Slack community is a tool for sharing tips and tricks and for "learning in public" with other entrepreneurs.
When you have your sourcing engine running, the most important thing we provide is fast, detailed feedback that helps you prioritize your time and focus on the best opportunities.
04 Diligence & Acquisition
Key Activities
- Valuation & Letters of Intent
- Diligence Timeline & Key Bets
- Owner & Deal Dynamics
- Forming a Board
- Transition Planning
From valuation to deal structure to industry-specific diligence, we stand shoulder to shoulder with you on every step of the negotiation and diligence process.
When you’re ready to submit a letter of intent, our role as a lead or co-lead partner ramps up even more. We’ll help with valuation and the structure of your offer. When you and the business owner have signed an LOI, we’ll help identify key bets to answer during diligence, often bringing in our Operating Executives and other industry experts to vet specific aspects of the business. We’ll help you negotiate a credit facility, as needed, and provide input into the investment memo you present to your investors. We also work alongside you with the business owner to help establish trust and confidence in the acquisition and in you as the future CEO.
As you move towards close, we’ll help you negotiate you operating agreement, form a board, and plan for closing and your transition into leading the business.
Trilogy partnered closely with us throughout our search and were instrumental in helping us navigate opportunities. Their team and operating partners brought a depth of experience and expertise that compounded our efforts and gave us confidence to move forward with clarity. As board members, they continue to be a trusted partner, shaping how we think about building the business for today and the future.
Jordan Huibers and Alvin Wong
Co-CEOs, Advanced Aircrew Academy
05 Operating and Value Creation
Key Activities
- First 100 Days
- Budgeting, Strategy & Risk Management
- Board Activation & Engagement
- Growth Strategy & Capital Allocation
We help ensure operators are backed by a diverse and supportive board and strategic advisors as they step into the CEO role.
After the transaction has closed, we become active partners in your success as board members and/or strategic advisors. While we often form close working relationships with operators, we also strive to ensure that the company can benefit from our team’s collective expertise. Additionally, our Operating Executives have extensive experience helping CEOs overcome specific strategic and operational challenges across all aspects of business management and execution.
Our capital is patient and our outlook is long term. We support organic growth, M&A, committed capital, and long-term hold strategies.
Trilogy’s support didn’t end when the transaction closed. I relied heavily on them as we built FSI into the premier provider of healthcare CMMS software. Trilogy has helped me recruit key leaders to the company, and their operating executives played critical roles in accelerating product and sales growth.
Zachary Seely
CEO, FSI
Interested in learning more?
