Meet the CapEQ team – your partner-led M&A advisors

Whether you are a client, a partner, or a supplier, you should know exactly who you are dealing with. So here is our team.

CapEQ is a partner-led M&A advisory boutique. M&A stands for mergers and acquisitions — the buying and selling of companies; a boutique is a small, specialist firm rather than a large multi-service bank. What that means for you is simple: the senior advisers you meet are the same people who run your deal, from the first conversation to completion. No handover to a junior team once the work is won.

We advise founder-led UK businesses, most often on the sell-side — guiding an owner through the sale of their company.

Our focus is deals with an enterprise value (the total value of a business to a buyer) in the £5m–£100m range.

Book a discovery call directly with one of our Partners
CapEQ partner Douglas Edmunds with CapEQ M&A team

The gist

  • CapEQ is a partner-led M&A advisory boutique: the senior advisers you meet run your deal from first call to completion.
  • We advise founder-led UK businesses, focused on deals with an enterprise value of £5m–£100m.
  • CapEQ is Europe's first certified B Corp M&A boutique, certified in 2021.
  • The firm was co-founded in 2020 by James Pugh and Mark Sapsford, with Douglas Edmunds as partner — and every engagement is led by a partner who has started and grown or sold their own businesses.
  • The team's completed transactions span software, healthcare, business services, manufacturing, and professional services, with 100+ transactions behind the firm's advice.
  • We will advise a founder not to sell when the timing or terms are wrong — our fee-aligned model is built to put your outcome ahead of our fee.
capeq-meet-the-team-experts-02
capeq-meet-the-team-experts-01

Why the people matter when you choose an adviser

Selling a business you built over 20 or 30 years is a life event, not simply a transaction. The adviser you choose is, for a while, an extension of you – representing you in the room with buyers. So the honest question to ask any firm is not "how good is the pitch?" but "who actually does the work, and are they still here at completion?"

At CapEQ, the answer does not change between the pitch and the deal. Every engagement is partner-led. The senior people who win the work do the work, and you will recognise everyone in the room.

Frequently asked questions

Who will handle my business sale at CapEQ?

A partner. Every CapEQ engagement is partner-led, which means the senior adviser you meet is the person who runs your deal from the first conversation to completion. There is no handover to a junior team once the mandate is won, and the same faces stay with you throughout.

What size of business does CapEQ advise?

CapEQ advises founder-led UK businesses, focused on deals with an enterprise value of £5m–£100m — enterprise value being the total value of the business to a buyer.

Is CapEQ a B Corp?

Yes. CapEQ is Europe's first certified B Corp M&A boutique, certified in 2021. A B Corp (Certified B Corporation) is a business independently assessed against social, environmental, and governance standards. For a founder selling a business, that certification is a client protection: it signals an adviser structured to put your outcome ahead of its own fee.

What sectors does the CapEQ team cover?

The team's completed transactions span software, healthcare, business services, manufacturing, and professional services. James Pugh leads consumer, retail, leisure, healthcare, and professional-services mandates; Douglas Edmunds leads technology, SaaS, digital, and fintech; and Mark Sapsford advises across energy, business services, and the wider mid-market.

Where is CapEQ based, and do you work outside the UK?

CapEQ is a UK firm advising UK founders, with senior team members covering the Nordic and Baltic markets through Audrius Sankalas. Most engagements involve face-to-face time with the founder, wherever they are based.

How do I speak to a CapEQ adviser?

You can book a confidential, no-obligation conversation with any of our partners directly from this page, or contact the team on +44 (0)20 8004 4422 or at info@capeq.com. There is no cost and no commitment to a first conversation.

Join our team of ethical M&A advisors

Join our team of ethical M&A advisors

We are a close-knit team of experienced M&A professionals — partner-led, and small enough that you will recognise everyone in the room. If you operate with integrity, enjoy building real relationships with clients, and have experience in the M&A industry, we would like to hear from you.

Working with us