Seed Holdings · Acquisition Criteria
A long-term home for durable businesses.
We acquire and operate founder- and family-owned companies for the long term—protecting what works while building the leadership, systems and capacity for the next chapter.
What we look for
Our criteria are a guide, not a mechanical checklist. The strongest fit is a durable, understandable business with repeat demand, sound culture and a realistic path to operate beyond its current owner.
Ownership
Founder- or family-owned businesses whose owners care about continuity, employees, customers and reputation.
Size
Approximately $500,000 to $2 million in normalized EBITDA. Revenue is flexible when cash flow and operating fundamentals are clear.
Geography
Primary focus in the St. Louis region, with selective opportunities around Fort Myers when operationally manageable.
Business types
Light and contract manufacturing, industrial or commercial field services, facility and infrastructure maintenance, and repeat-demand construction trades.
Demand
Essential, repeat or recurring customer needs with a defensible reputation and understandable economics.
Leadership
An existing management team, an identified successor or a practical transition plan that reduces dependence on one individual.
Transaction
A control acquisition at close, with flexible transition support and aligned structures such as seller financing or earn-outs when appropriate.
Value creation
Opportunity to strengthen leadership clarity, operating discipline, people, process and innovation—not a thesis dependent on a turnaround.
A simple test
Could this business be stronger five years from now?
We are most interested in companies where patient ownership and practical operating support can compound what already makes the business valuable.
Signals we like
- Loyal customers and a strong local or niche reputation
- Essential, repeat or recurring work
- Employees and leaders who know how the work gets done
- Clean financial records and visible operating drivers
- An owner seeking the right long-term steward, not only the highest price
Areas to de-risk
- Immediate turnaround needs or declining end-market demand
- Indefinite owner dependence without a workable transition
- Unmitigated customer concentration
- Heavy capital requirements that overwhelm cash generation
- Poor books, hostile culture or a thesis based mainly on financial engineering
Every opportunity is assessed on its full context. A single factor does not automatically determine fit.
A thoughtful next chapter
Start with a confidential conversation.
If you are considering a transition—now or in the future—we would be glad to learn about your company, your priorities and what a good outcome means to you.