Finance partner for founders. Designed for a successful exit. Book Intro Call
The finance partner for founders preparing to sell.
You built this business over years. Selling it to private equity shouldn't cost your any of the value you created. We bring the operating and finance expertise to make sure it doesn't — because most founders don't have the time or team to do it alone
30 minutes. No pitch. Just a straight read on where you stand and where we fit.
Trusted by 500+ companies worldwide
Salesforce
Microsoft
Oracle
ServiceNow
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50+ transactions
Your bookkeeper says the books are fine. A buyer's diligence team will say something else.
Most founders selling for the first time don't have a true finance function — they have a bookkeeper who keeps things reconciled (hopefully). That's not the same thing as being ready for a sale. The gap only becomes visible when someone shows it to you.
Do you know your gross margin by product line?
Do you know your CAC and LTV?
Could you produce a 13-week cash flow forecast today?
What would a buyer's QoE process flag in your books right now?
Most founders can't answer all four. That's not a knock on you — it's just never been anyone's job to show you.
Real transactions, not theoretical advice.
This is not a playbook we read about — it's a track record we've built, deal by deal.
50+
Transactions closed
$
650M+
Total transaction value
Jonathan Tipton
Two decades in the trenches of M&A — sourcing, structuring, diligence, sale, and integration. Jonathan Tipton started at a PE firm that specialized in fixing underperforming companies, then spent his career doing it himself: as an owner-operator and advisor running acquisitions, integrations, and exits.
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The Conflict Nobody Names
Every advisor in this industry earns more when your deal closes. They are incentivized to close as quickly as possible on any terms. We don't.
Bombarded with inbounds calls asking you sell your business? Make sure you understand their incentives. They get their fee when a deal closes at any price, on any terms.
Who
Deal experience
Does the work, Not Just Advice
Fee Aligned With You
Brokers & investment bankers
PE firms & sourcing intermediaries
Fractional CFO / accounting firms
acquireship
We're not consultants who hand you a list and walk away.
A consultant's engagement ends with a recommendation, and you're left to implement it — or go find someone else who can. Acquireship is built differently: the same person who tells you what's missing has already built it before, hands-on, helping founders acquire, finance, and integrate bolt-on businesses ahead of a successful private equity sale.
"We tell you exactly what's missing — and we're the ones who can actually build it, because we've done it ourselves."
Bolt-on Acquisitions: One of the fastest ways to scale.
A small jump in revenue or EBITDA can move you into a completely different pool of PE buyers — and purchase multiples tend to increase with scale. Integrate a smaller business into yours, and you've effectively bought your way into that next tier. PE funds do this constantly inside their own portfolios. There's no reason a founder can't capture that same value first.
Sourcing & diligence
Working with you to find the target, underwriting the numbers, and structuring the deal.
Financing
Arranging capital so you're not funding the acquisition entirely in cash.
Integration
Actually integrating the businesses post-close — where most bolt-ons fail, and where operator experience is the differentiator.
Scale
Best for founders actively sourcing an acquisition, integrating one, or running a live sale process.
$12,000
/month, scoped to the transaction
What's included:
Everything in Accelerate
Buy-side sourcing, underwriting, and diligence on acquisition targets
Financing arranged for bolt-on acquisitions, so it’s not funded entirely in cash
Post-acquisition integration — where most bolt-ons actually fail
Sell-side deal support and PE diligence readiness for a live sale process
Deal-tempo availability, embedded through the process
Accelerate
Best for founders who need a real finance function built for a sale or acquisition in the next 1–2 years.
$4,500–$9,500
/month, by size
What's included:
Everything in Basic
Full finance function: bookkeeping, controller oversight, and CFO-level reporting
Cash-to-accrual conversion, budgeting, and forecasting
KPI dashboards built the way a buyer’s diligence team actually reads them
Weekly strategy call, plus on-demand access between calls
Full HR, payroll, vendor, and customer management
Starter
Best for founders who want an unconflicted read on their finances but aren’t yet close to a sale or acquisition.
$650
/month
What's included:
Monthly review of your existing financials — surfacing what’s missing, not just reconciling
One-hour strategy call each month on financials, priorities, and open items
A standing sounding board for unsolicited PE and broker interest
A running list of the blind spots a buyer’s diligence team would flag first
Priced by the work, aligned with you.
Every tier is a flat fee.
Free resources, for whenever you're ready to look closer.
These are the same questions and tools we use with clients — guides, checklists, and templates you can start using today, whether or not you ever book a call.
"Couldn't have done it without Jonathan and his team. We acquired an add-on business, professionalized our financial reporting and HR systems, and attracted a private equity buyer. Absolutely, essential partner."
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"Couldn't have done it without Jonathan and his team. We acquired an add-on business, professionalized our financial reporting and HR systems, and attracted a private equity buyer. Absolutely, essential partner."
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"Couldn't have done it without Jonathan and his team. We acquired an add-on business, professionalized our financial reporting and HR systems, and attracted a private equity buyer. Absolutely, essential partner."
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"Couldn't have done it without Jonathan and his team. We acquired an add-on business, professionalized our financial reporting and HR systems, and attracted a private equity buyer. Absolutely, essential partner."
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Hear Directly From Founders, CEOs, and Executives
Are you a broker, or do you take a commission on my sale?
No. We're never paid based on whether or how a deal closes. That's a structural choice, not a marketing line.
I'm not ready to sell yet — is this still for me?
Yes. Most of our work happens well before a sale.
Starter is built specifically for founders who aren't close to a transaction but want an unconflicted read on where they stand.
How is this different from a fractional CFO?
A fractional CFO reports on your numbers. We do the same work, but with a buyer's eye — because we've sat on the private equity side and know what they're actually looking for. And we go further: helping founders with add-on acquisitions.
What if I already have an accountant or bookkeeper?
Up to you. We can work alongside them, take over for them — we've done that many times — or sit on top as extra strategic support, handling what they can't: add-on acquisitions and preparing the business for a PE buyer.
Is your business sale-ready? Let's find out.
30 minutes. No pitch. Just a straight read on where your business stands today.