Cavu Corporate Finance

What Cavu Corporate Finance does

Cavu Corporate Finance is an independent corporate finance advisory boutique founded in 2013 by Shawn Bone in Newcastle upon Tyne, providing senior-led, bespoke advice on mid-market M&A, private equity, development capital, debt advisory and exit planning. The firm operates from a Newcastle headquarters at City Quadrant, 11 Waterloo Square, and a Leeds regional office headed by Stephen Moore, serving private companies, shareholders, management teams, private equity investors and mid-cap listed businesses primarily in the North of England and across the UK, with international project capabilities delivered through alliances with corporate finance houses worldwide. Service delivery is direct: engagements are led by senior dealmakers and scoped per transaction rather than distributed through intermediaries, with fees structured on a project basis against deal complexity and size for transactions with enterprise values between £2m and £100m.\n\nThe firm's core offering spans eight interconnected advisory services — Private Equity (buy-side and sell-side), Development Capital, Company Sales, Company Acquisitions, Buy-outs/buy-ins, M&A Support (valuations, business modelling, carve-outs), Debt Advisory, and Exit Planning and Strategy — delivered by a team of eight named professionals (one Managing Director, three Directors, one Manager, one Executive, one Apprentice, plus an Advisory Board Chairman) with Big 4 and specialist corporate finance pedigrees. The technical core is human advisory craft: deep sector knowledge, transaction structuring, and access to capital provider networks, rather than proprietary software or platform technology. There are no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, software products, APIs, or app offerings; the firm operates a traditional professional services model.\n\nThe revenue model is professional services advisory fees, billed per engagement with multi-year relationship cadences and no publicly disclosed pricing. Go-to-market relies on senior dealmaker reputation, referral networks, and earned media through regional industry awards (six consecutive Insider recognitions from 2017–2024), rather than broad digital marketing. Repeat capital provider relationships (BGF, LDC, Synova, Elysian, Livingbridge, HIG Capital, Alcuin) and a deep contact base developed over 50+ combined years of senior experience drive origination, while named clients span recycling, financial services, support services, e-commerce, technology, TMT and healthcare, supporting a diversified but inherently lumpy, transaction-tied revenue profile.

Name

Cavu Corporate Finance

Legal name

Cavu Corporate Finance Limited

Website

https://cavucf.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cavu Corporate Finance is an independent Newcastle-based boutique founded in 2013 that provides senior-led M&A, private equity, development capital, debt advisory and exit planning services to UK mid-market companies, shareholders, management teams and private equity investors, with transactions typically between £2m and £100m enterprise value.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Finance Advisory

NAICS

Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

SME Business Lending (Term Loans, Lines of Credit, Overdrafts) (FSABABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Middle-Market Lending (FSANADAI), SME Term Loans & Growth Capital (FSAKAGAB)

Keywords

• Corporate finance advisory
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Private equity advisory
• Mid-market advisory
• Debt advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Newcastle

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Corporate Finance Advisory Fees: Advisory fees for corporate acquisitions, corporate disposals, private equity transactions, development capital raises, debt advisory, and strategic advice. Services include M&A support with valuations, business modelling, and carve-outs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Cavu Corporate Finance is an independent mid-market corporate finance advisory boutique providing senior-led advisory on disposals, acquisitions, private equity transactions, and debt funding. The firm specialises in transactions with enterprise values between £2m and £100m, serving private companies, shareholders, management teams, and private equity funds across the UK with offices in Newcastle and Leeds.

Product overview

Cavu Corporate Finance is an independent corporate finance advisory boutique offering a unified portfolio of services rather than a software platform. The core offering spans eight interconnected service areas: Private Equity advisory (buy-side and sell-side), Development Capital raising, Company Sales and Acquisitions, Buy-outs/buy-ins, M&A Support (valuations, business modelling, carve-outs), Debt Advisory, and Exit Planning and Strategy. These services are delivered as bespoke advisory offerings tailored to each client's unique transaction needs, with the firm specializing in mid-market transactions with enterprise values between £2m and £100m.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Private Equity Buy-side and sell-side advisory services for private equity transactions, including part realizations, succession planning, and management buyouts, aimed at private companies, shareholders, and PE investors.
• Development Capital Advisory services for raising external capital, including venture capital, family office, and development capital solutions for growth-stage companies.
• Company Sales Lead advisory services for company disposals to trade acquirers or private equity funds, including strategic positioning, marketing, and negotiations.
• Company Acquisitions Acquisition advisory services including background business research, deal origination, and completion support for buyers.
• Buy-outs/Buy-ins Advisory services for management teams acquiring shares in their current company, including funding partner identification and debt/equity structuring.
• M&A Support Supporting M&A services including independent valuations, business modelling, and carve-outs/separation assistance.
• Debt Advisory Refinancing and debt arrangement advice, connecting clients with corporate banks and alternative finance providers.
• Exit Planning and Strategy Long-term strategic advice for positioning businesses for future sale, including management structure and business model optimization.

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• International Corporate Finance HousesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCavu has alliances with corporate finance houses worldwide to assist with international projects, providing cross-border transaction capabilities for clients.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Clearwater Corporate Finance: UK-headquartered mid-market corporate finance advisory firm providing M&A, PE and debt advisory services across similar enterprise value ranges. Direct competitor on UK mid-market sell-side and buy-side mandates.
• KBS Corporate: UK lower-mid-market corporate finance advisory firm specializing in company sales in the £1m–£50m EV range. Direct competitor in the smaller-end of Cavu's transaction range, particularly for founder-led exits.
• BCMS Corporate Finance: UK mid-market M&A advisory firm handling lower-mid-market transactions. Direct competitor on company sales mandates with similar EV range and senior-led execution model.
• Bluemay Corporate Finance: Independent UK corporate finance boutique focused on lower-mid-market M&A advisory. Direct competitor on sell-side mandates for owner-managed businesses in Cavu's target deal range.
• Hazlewoods Corporate Finance: South West / Wales–based mid-market M&A boutique. Regional peer with similar independent advisory model and mid-market EV focus, though operating in a different UK geography.

Regional players

• RPM Corporate Finance: North of England mid-market advisory firm. Regional peer overlapping with Cavu's North of England focus, comparable deal sizes and similar Big 4-trained dealmaker profile.

Broad incumbents

• Grant Thornton UK: Mid-tier UK advisory firm with established mid-market corporate finance practice. Competes on larger mid-market mandates and offers broader multi-disciplinary services that Cavu explicitly positions against.
• BDO UK Corporate Finance: Top-tier UK advisory firm with significant mid-market deal flow. Competes on mid-market M&A and PE advisory mandates; Thomas Brunsnes's prior employer and a potential recruiting source.
• PwC UK Corporate Finance: Big 4 advisory practice with substantial UK mid-market M&A activity. Competes on larger mid-market and cross-border mandates; former employer of Shawn Bone and Fiona Douglas.
• Deloitte UK Corporate Finance: Big 4 advisory practice covering UK mid-market M&A, PE advisory and debt advisory. Former employer of Shawn Bone, David Wilkinson and Rakib Islam; competes on larger and more complex mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cavu-corporate-finance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cavu Corporate Finance