Services
Shearwater provide a range of pre-project funding services to fully evaluate a business opportunity. Recommendations may be made businesses seeking funding to help lead to quicker investment reviews and funding desicions being taken.
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Investment Screening
Our pre-diligence investment screening process is designed to identify potentially viable investment opportunities at a very early stage before referring the case for potential funding. We adopt a systematic approach across a number of pre-defined fields that focuses on the key investment qualification determinants. Project sponsors have the benefit of quick turn-around times and we can make recommendations to proceed based on a sound understanding of the business and other opportunities that may flow from the business.
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Due Diligence
Our approach to due diligence is mainly process driven but does allow for a degree of flexibility and qualitative interpretation of data. The process follows on from pre-diligence screening and extends the level of research and examination of the key investment components. We will call on external expertise with specific business experience where we deem the level of insight necessary for decision making is required.The due diligence process typically takes approximately 20 business days to complete.
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Financial Modelling
Financial modelling and scenario analysis is fundamental to the decision-making process when it comes to determining investment viability and future growth prospects. We look at each facet of the business and analyse earnings and cost projections and how economic events and board level decision making may impact on forecasted performance. Our models are tailored to reflect the intrinsic characteristics our preferred industrial sectors and have been created by financial specialists from each sector. Base models are then nuanced to reflect the financial characteristics of each opportunity being considered.
Strategic Planning
We thoroughly review business plans and where necessary look to strenghten the investment case by adding to or re-working the proposed strategy. We aim to reduce risk and strengthen potential revenue streams to increase the probablity of raising the capital required. We act as advisers to professional investors and are ideally placed to identify the key drivers needed in the business plan. We will seek to focus on these and present a well researched set of facts and reasoned opinions on the attainability of the project's objectives.
Exit Strategy
Start with the end in mind. We will assist project sponsors to identify and tailor the business strategy towards a suitable exit so that debt or equity financing can be repaid to the investor. This is more geared towards investment in businesses that are seeking to build revenues and balance sheets where an exit for the investor may come from a trade sale or IPO.
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Direct investment into real estate construction projects where exit is by unit sale is straight-forward. More creative solutions may be required for investment properties with long-term investment horizons such as establishing a REIT.