Smart421 (Smart Solutions for the 21st Century) is a managed services and integration specialist, providing outsourced IT services for mid-market and enterprise organisations.

When founder and CEO Julian Harris decided to sell the company, he ran a competitive selection process involving more than six advisory firms. FirstCapital won the mandate because of its proven ability to customise the positioning of the company to suit specific potential buyers, demonstrating how a strategic premium would be achieved.

In the preparation phase, FirstCapital worked closely with senior management at Smart421 to identify the buyer long list within the defined selection criteria. This included non-obvious players, to include companies that would benefit from a move into this space.
Utilising its strong existing contacts within buyer organisations as well as its extensive research and analysis, FirstCapital ran the marketing roadshow focusing on those potential buyers with the strongest strategic fit. Offers were generated from buyers in North America, India and Europe, ensuring a competitive process.

FirstCapital’s tight project management led to the sale being completed within just four weeks of signing the Heads of Terms. Smart421 was successfully acquired in September 2006 by Kingston Communications, a leading provider of communications solutions, for a cash consideration of £24.2 million.

www.smart421.com | View case study

Testimonials

"I am delighted with the service delivered by the team at First Capital. They worked with us to position Smart421 as a key strategic asset in the marketplace. They leveraged their trusted and deep relationships inside target acquirers on a global basis. They were totally committed, ran the whole process with the utmost attention to detail and delivered an excellent result for the shareholders, management and the company."
Julian Harris, Chairman, Smart421