Independent sponsor · UK & Europe

Independent sponsor
UK & Europe

Partnering with SMEs to accelerate growth

We are an independent sponsor acquiring founder-led businesses in the UK and Europe

Get in touch

Investment criteria ↗

01 / Partnering with business owners

A thoughtful transition.
An ambitious next chapter.

We admire founders who have done the hard work of getting businesses off the ground and grown them — we have been there too. We work hand-in-hand with founders following five principles.

We admire founders who have done the hard work of getting

businesses off the ground and grown them — we have been

there too. We work hand-in-hand with founders following

five principles.

01 / Preserving

The legacy that’s made the company successful.

02 / Flexibility

Around the founder’s future role.

03 / Speed & discretion

A straightforward and confidential process.

04 / Strategic support

To management teams.

05 / Growth

Without unnecessary disruption.

02 / Investment criteria

Investing in established European SMEs.

£0.5m–£5.0m

Typical EBITDA

Sakura Partners is looking for majority investments in established businesses in the UK and Western Europe, typically with £0.5m to £5.0m EBITDA. Investment characteristics we like include:

Mission-critical workflows

Products and services embedded in essential customer operations where

failure carries significant financial, operational or regulatory consequences

Structural demand drivers

Exposure to infrastructure investment, ageing assets, regulatory complexity,

labour shortages or increasing operational requirements

High barriers to entry

Specialist technical expertise, proprietary technology, validated workflows,

customer integration and accumulated operational data

Recurring revenues

Software subscription, monitoring contracts, mandatory testing, calibration,

maintenance and recurring compliance activities

Technology-enabled value creation

Clear opportunities to deploy technology to improve unit economics, expand margins, or accelerate top-line growth.

Investment themes

We focus on mission-critical infrastructure & compliance technology.

We focus on three intersecting verticals where defensible software businesses are underserved by mainstream private equity.

Infrastructure & asset intelligence

Infrastructure & asset

intelligence

Infrastructure & asset intelligence

Technologies that monitor, control and

optimise essential infrastructure and

industrial assets

• Energy management & grid software

• Wastewater monitoring & treatment

• Industrial intelligence & asset performance

Technologies that monitor, control and

optimise essential infrastructure and

industrial assets

• Energy management & grid software

• Wastewater monitoring & treatment

• Industrial intelligence & asset performance

Technologies that monitor, control and optimise essential infrastructure and industrial assets

• Energy management & grid software

• Wastewater monitoring & treatment

• Industrial intelligence & asset performance

Safety, testing & compliance

Technologies and services that ensure

safety, regulatory compliance and

operational integrity.

• Facility safety & compliance software

• Technology-enabled TIC services

• Field service & job management software

for specialist trades

Technologies and services that ensure safety, regulatory compliance and operational integrity.

• Facility safety & compliance software

• Technology-enabled TIC services

• Field service & job management software for specialist trades

Regulated industry software

Mission critical software supporting

quality, traceability and compliance in

highly regulated industries

• Laboratory & quality software (LIMS/QMS)

• Fleet & transportation compliance software

• Food safety & traceability software

Mission critical software supporting quality, traceability and compliance in highly regulated industries

• Laboratory & quality software (LIMS/QMS)

• Fleet & transportation compliance software

• Food safety & traceability software

Value creation

Hands-on partnership from close to exit.

We work alongside management to execute on the initiatives that drive the most meaningful improvements in enterprise value.

Operational Strength

Improving performance through

operational excellence,

technology adoption, automation

and AI-enabled productivity

International Expansion

Leveraging our European network to support businesses entering new geographies — identifying partners, structuring market-entry, and de-risking execution.

Add-on Acquisitions

Identifying and executing strategic

acquisitions to expand

capabilities, enter new markets

and achieve scale

Sourcing and executing bolt-on transactions to build scale, expand addressable markets, or add complementary capabilities within the hold period.

ABOUT

Deep experience across private equity, entrepreneurship and technology

15 yrs

Investment & operational experience.

$3.5bn+

Equity deployed across sectors.

UK & Europe

Primary deal focus.

Thomas Herry

FOUNDER & INDEPENDENT SPONSOR

Thomas is an independent sponsor and M&A adviser focused on the acquisition of vertical software and technology-enabled services businesses in the UK and Europe. He has 15 years of experience across private equity, growth equity, M&A advisory and operational leadership — having deployed over $3.5bn of equity at institutions including CDPQ, Ares Management and The Riverside Company.

He founded Sakura Partners to pursue high-conviction opportunities in sectors where he has deep thematic expertise: infrastructure software, safety and compliance technology, and regulated industry SaaS. He works directly with founders and management teams throughout the transaction and hold period, bringing institutional rigour without institutional bureaucracy.

TRACK RECORD

Large-cap direct private equity investing and portfolio value creation