About | Guidesource

About

Origination is our focus

The best acquisition strategies deserve dedicated origination.

Traditional M&A processes show buyers the businesses already for sale. We focus on everything outside that process.

Our team combines corporate finance origination, market intelligence, direct business development and senior executive networks to help clients systematically identify and engage the businesses they want to acquire.

An extension of your team, not another adviser

We work as an extension of corporate development teams, PE-backed management teams and investment professionals, providing the dedicated resource and market coverage required to build proprietary deal flow.

That means working to your thesis, under your standards of discretion, and reporting on market coverage as rigorously as on outcomes.

Specialist, not generalist

Healthcare services and business & professional services are where our intelligence is deepest.

Buy-side only

We act for acquirers and investors. We do not run sale processes.

Discreet by default

Client identity and intent are protected until the client decides otherwise.

Compounding intelligence

Every mandate improves our view of ownership, operators and buyer activity in a market.

Team

David Kola

David Kola

Managing Director

David leads Guidesource's buy-side origination and client delivery. Prior to founding Guidesource, he worked in Corporate Finance Deal Origination at FRP Advisory and earlier in a specialist origination environment supporting buy-and-build strategies for mid- and large-cap private equity-backed businesses.

Across these roles, David successfully sourced and developed bolt-on acquisition opportunities for portfolio companies backed by leading global investors, including CVC, Cinven and Apax.

At Guidesource, he works with PE-backed platforms, corporate acquirers and investors to map fragmented markets, identify acquisition targets and create proprietary shareholder conversations, with a particular focus on healthcare and business & professional services.

James Walker

James Walker

Managing Director

James leads Guidesource's executive network and senior-level access capability. With a background spanning executive search and deal origination, James has developed relationships with founders, CEOs, Chairs, NEDs and senior executives across a range of sectors.

He works alongside the Guidesource origination team to provide clients with additional sector intelligence, senior introductions and routes into difficult-to-access acquisition targets.

Tell us what you want to acquire. We'll help you find it

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