Max Ward

Innovative buy-out investor/advisor hybrid; Independence Capital focus on two key markets 1) enabling leaders and management who have previously scaled & exited on behalf of other funds and 2) skilled but transactionally inexperienced management teams within high-performing owner-managed SMEs. Independence is a strategy agnostic, management friendly minority investor, built around bespoke solutions from passive high-net-worth capital and alternative credit funds, engineered solely to create structures where management retain control whilst also maximising their equity award a multiple beyond where traditional private equity would transact. Management teams often value the end-to-end partner support which goes beyond transacting and instead affords them a valued sounding board and resource to take any MBO/MBI (organic or buy-build) strategy forward in a fashion according to management aspirations rather than fund dicta.

The team focuses on supporting buy-out activity in the EV range £2m-50m but has transacted outside of this range by exception and is looking forward to collaborating with IR Global partners around the world to maximise their network effects.

With roots in advisory, financials services, specialty finance and special situations; Independence Capital has a unique team whose skills are honed in "event driven" commercial problem solving. With experience of having operated as advisor, investor, lender & operator the team are able to appreciate the challenges each stakeholder faces and this has served the team and their portfolio clients well in the 3 years since incorporation.

To date, the business has worked with exceptional teams responsible for a £200m secondary exit of an MSP, £400m secondary exit of a business services group, a £300m global exit of a 3PL, blue-chip global leadership of an industrial conglomerate to name but a few. With a singular focus on providing a management-friendly alternative to traditional buy-out financing, Independence are confident that they can further develop a growing niche for exceptional teams and leaders.