Within a complete M&A process, the search for investors is the phase in which a company goes from “being ready to grow” to having real alternatives on the table: industrial partners, funds, family offices or strategic investors. Well managed, it is not just about raising interest, but creating a competitive process that allows choosing the right investor and negotiating favorable conditions (valuation, structure, governance and future commitments). Here martinsdelima acts as the “architect of the process”: it organizes the story, controls the pace and protects the company so that the market competes for it, not the other way around.

The first (and most undervalued) job is the “pre-market”: defining the investment thesis and preparing the asset to be understandable and defensible. This implies translating the company’s strategy into a clear equity story (what problem it solves, why it wins, how it grows, what risks it has and how they are mitigated) and supporting it with materials that support tough questions: teaser, executive information, financial package and a coherent narrative of drivers. In parallel, martinsdelima helps to set the rules of the game from minute zero: confidentiality, information circuit, unique and controlled messages, and a Q&A script to avoid contradictions.

With that base, the “market” is designed: identification and segmentation of investors according to strategic fit, risk appetite, ticket size, governance style and decision speed. martinsdelima is not looking for “many names”, it is looking for the right list: a balanced mix of profiles that allows competitive tension without triggering noise. Then the contact process is organized: discreet approaches, filtering by real interest, and gradual access to information (first teaser, then expanded package under NDA, and finally data room).

The central phase is funnel management: converting interest into proposals. Here martinsdelima makes the operational difference: it coordinates the calendar, organizes the information, prepares management for presentations and controls the narrative so that the investor evaluates what is important. A circuit is created that drives decisions: management presentations, question sessions, access to documentation, and receipt of indicative offers (IOI) to move to a short list. At all times, the objective is to avoid the classic “eternal interest” without commitment, and to bring candidates to comparable positions.

martinsdelima’s negotiation methodology is based on three levers:

(i) well-managed competition, so that there is an alternative and no dependence;

(ii) comparability of offers, to negotiate on terms and not on confusion; and

(iii) value protection and control, so that the final agreement is good in price and in conditions (payment structure, governance, restrictions, commitments, exit and alignment of incentives).

In practice, we work with a matrix of terms to quickly detect “traps” (excessive conditions, vetoes, ambiguities, poorly defined earn-outs) and redirect to a defensible term sheet.

The excellent resolution comes when the client gets not only an investor, but the right investor with a closable proposal: clear terms, limited risks, a path to due diligence without surprises and a solid basis for the final LOI/term sheet. That is the hallmark of martinsdelima in investor search: order + narrative + competitive process + technical negotiation. The result is that the client gains negotiating power, reduces uncertainty and reaches an agreement that protects the value created… and the value yet to be created.