502 Partners

New York, NY

502 Partners

For rollup & opportunistic add-on searches

We fill the room. You close the deal.

We map the full universe of businesses that fit your criteria, reach owners across every channel available, and prepare them for a real conversation with you. You focus on what you do best: converting owners to LOIs, running diligence, closing and operating the platform.

Economics
Nearly 100% of compensation paid at close
Scope
Blank slate to qualified introductions
Visibility
Weekly update calls

Why acquirers use us

No stone unturned, and aligned entirely with closing a transaction.

Business owners are overwhelmed with outreach from acquirers, advisors and lenders. Exporting a list from a data aggregator and running an email campaign is no longer enough. Methodical, deliberate outreach is required to resonate with owners and start a genuine conversation.

Most deal teams don't have the bandwidth to do this well, so outreach gets rushed and owners tune it out. This is all we do. We handle the preliminary work of filling the room with potential targets, so your team's time is concentrated on pre-qualified opportunities with owners ready to have the conversation.

And because nearly 100% of what we earn is paid at close, we're rewarded for transactions, not activity.

What's included

One partner, the whole top of the funnel.

You give us the thesis. We handle everything from finding the companies to putting an interested owner on your calendar.

  1. Target sourcing

    We build the universe from your criteria: geography, service lines, size and ownership.

  2. Owner identification

    We identify the actual decision-maker behind every business.

  3. Ongoing outreach

    Extensive, multi-medium outreach to every target until the owner is reached.

  4. Qualify & prepare

    We screen each owner against your criteria and prepare them for a first conversation with you.

  5. Warm introduction

    With your approval, we introduce you directly, with our notes attached.

As you advance or pass on prospects, we keep sourcing so the pipeline stays full.

For Private Equity Firms, Independent Sponsors, and Search Funds

Proprietary deal flow, for companies you're already interested in.

The traditional methods of generating off-market deal flow have changed. Email and LinkedIn response rates have plummeted with the advent of automated outreach and the proliferation of intermediaries, unqualified acquirers and service providers. One medium has withstood the test of time, yet most firms are reluctant to pursue it: Cold Calling.

Who calls
A 502 Principal
Cadence
Twice a week, every week
Reporting
Shared tracker, full transparency
Economics
Nearly 100% paid at close

The problem

Cold Calling is the best form of cold outreach, but time-consuming and uncomfortable.

A precise, well-delivered cold call is one of the last forms of genuine cold outreach that owners are receptive to, and it gives you the chance to address objections in real time. An email gets marked as spam and is never considered again.

The bandwidth and resources spent identifying and pre-qualifying potential targets go entirely to waste if the owner is never contacted. We handle the dialing so your team can pursue every open opportunity.

There is no delegation of the calling responsibility at 502. If an owner answers, they speak directly with a 502 Principal, to ensure the highest-quality conversation possible.

Campaign averages

30%+Owner response rate
7.5%+Yes rate

How it works

From list to yes

  1. Send your list

    Share your list of targets. Only company names and websites are required, and your list remains exclusive to your firm.

  2. Data enrichment

    We identify the owner and their potential mobile phone numbers across three databases.

  3. We call, twice weekly

    Your list is called on a fixed schedule, always within the owner's local business hours, twice a week until every number answers or is attempted 10 times.

  4. Indications of interest

    You receive a notification and follow-up request the second we identify an interested owner.

  5. Ad-hoc re-engagements

    If an owner does not respond to your follow-up email, we re-engage and book a meeting directly on your calendar.

Principal-led, not a call center

Every call is made by a 502 Principal. Owners can tell the difference, and it's the main reason searchers choose us.

A schedule you can count on

Your list is called twice a week, every week. Calls go out between 9am and 6pm in each owner's own time zone.

Aligned economics

A modest per-company fee covers outreach. The large majority of what we earn is a success fee paid when you close.

Built by referral

Most of our clients come to us from other searchers and sponsors we already work with.

For business owners

What is 502 Partners?

502 Partners is a buy-side advisor. Our clients are family-owned businesses, entrepreneurs and Private Equity firms seeking to acquire. We handle the process of identifying potential acquisition targets based on our clients' criteria and reaching out to start the conversation. That is why we reached out to you.

Whether you ultimately move forward with our client or not, there will never be any cost to you.

Cost to you
Nothing
Binding Agreements
None

Our commitments

What you can expect from us

We work on behalf of buyers, so they pay us. You never do.

No fees

You will never be asked to pay us anything, whether or not you move forward.

No contracts

Talking to us doesn't commit you to anything. There is nothing to sign to hear more.

Confidential

Your conversations with us stay between you, us and the buyer you choose to meet.

Your timeline

Not ready? Tell us when to check back. Not interested? Say so once and we stop calling.

If you're open to it

What happens next

You stay in control at every step and can stop at any point.

  1. A short call

    We learn a little about your business and what you'd want from a sale, if anything.

  2. We explain the buyer

    We tell you who the buyer is and why your business fits what they're looking for.

  3. An introduction

    If you want to meet them, we introduce you directly. You talk to the buyer, not a middleman.

  4. You decide

    Every next step is your call. Plenty of owners take a first conversation just to learn their options.

The buyers

Who we represent

Our clients are family-owned businesses, individual buyers and private equity–backed companies, not large faceless corporations. Many plan to keep your name, your team and your customers.

Family-owned businesses

Established family-owned companies growing by acquiring businesses that complement their own, with a long-term view of ownership.

PE-backed companies

Established companies in your industry, backed by private equity, that are growing by bringing like-minded businesses together.

Independent sponsors

Deal professionals who raise capital for each acquisition and partner with owners and management to grow the business.

Search funds

Experienced operators, backed by investors, looking to buy one business and run it themselves for the long term.

A note from our founder

"All outreach from 502 comes directly from me. I know an unexpected call about selling your business can feel like a lot. My job is to give you straight answers and respect your time, whatever you decide."

Jake Vall-Llobera
Managing Partner, 502 Partners

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