Business Broker

What Business Broker does

Business Broker AG is a Zurich-headquartered consulting and intermediation firm specializing in the sale, valuation, and succession planning of Swiss small and medium-sized enterprises. Founded in May 2007 by three private individuals who modeled the concept on the Australian SME-brokerage market, the company has executed more than 750 mandates and currently closes 60-80 transactions per year, with deal values ranging from CHF 500,000 to CHF 20 million. Its core service portfolio comprises five interconnected offerings: Firma verkaufen (sell-side advisory), Firma kaufen (buy-side access), Unternehmensbewertung (business valuation using income, substance, and market value approaches), Gewerbeimmobilien (commercial real estate brokerage), and the Online-Marktplatz, a proprietary digital marketplace connecting sellers with a network of over 35,000 registered prospective buyers. The platform combines direct, senior-consultant-led engagement with self-serve marketplace discovery, search subscriptions, and a monthly newsletter, while cross-border partnerships (notably with Covendit in Germany) extend international reach.

The company's go-to-market is sales-led, anchored by multi-year mandate agreements under a transaction-based success fee model (percentage of deal value) supplemented by advisory and valuation professional service fees. Retainer fees are collected at mandate inception, with the balance contingent on deal closing. Following its 2021 acquisition by BDO AG — the sixth-largest Swiss audit and consulting network with approximately 34 branches and 1,600 employees — Business Broker operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary physically integrated into BDO's Schiffbau (Zurich) and Lausanne locations, with unrestricted access to BDO's internal legal, tax, fiduciary, and audit specialist departments. This integration materially expands its distribution, cross-sell, and operational capacity relative to its 15-person core team, supporting transaction pipelines across German-speaking Switzerland and the Romandie region. Its customer base is highly diversified by industry (manufacturing, software, retail, renewables, trading, specialty machinery, and others) and by client profile (strategic buyers, financial investors, MBO teams), and no repeat-revenue dynamic applies since each mandate is a one-off transaction with no recurring SaaS or subscription layer.

Name

Business Broker

Legal name

Business Broker AG

Website

https://businessbroker.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Business Broker AG is a Zurich-based consulting firm specializing in the sale, valuation, and succession planning of Swiss SMEs, executing 60-80 transactions per year (CHF 500K-CHF 20M each) via a proprietary online marketplace of 35,000+ buyers; it operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of BDO AG since 2021.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

M&A Advisory and Business Brokerage Services

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (5312)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Sell-Side Business Brokerage (FSAEAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Main Street Business Brokerage (SMB/Owner-Operated) (FSAEAIAA), Corporate Development & Strategic Partnerships Advisory (JVs, Alliances, Carve-outs) (BPAHAOAG), Commercial Real Estate Brokerage (Leasing & Sales) (FSAEAJAB)

Keywords

• Business brokerage services
• SME M&A advisory
• Business succession planning
• Company valuation services
• Commercial real estate brokerage

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Success Fee / Transaction-based Fees: Business Broker AG charges success fees for completed business sale transactions. The company describes 'honoraires liés au résultat' (success fees) which are calculated as a percentage of the transaction volume or company value. This is a performance-based revenue model where fees are only earned upon successful transaction completion.
2. Professional Services (Advisory Fees): Revenue generated from company valuation services and advisory consulting throughout the M&A process, including preparation, due diligence support, and transaction structuring.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Business Broker AG is a Swiss M&A advisory and business brokerage firm specializing in the sale, purchase, and valuation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with transaction values between CHF 500,000 and CHF 20 million. The firm operates an online marketplace with over 35,000 registered prospective buyers to match SME sellers with qualified acquirers, and provides end-to-end transaction advisory including business valuation, due diligence, and succession planning services. As a subsidiary of BDO AG, it integrates legal, tax, fiduciary, and audit expertise into its service offerings.

Product overview

Business Broker AG operates as a unified service offering rather than a modular software platform. The core portfolio consists of five integrated service lines: (1) Firma verkaufen for selling businesses, (2) Firma kaufen for acquiring businesses, (3) Unternehmensbewertung for business valuation, (4) Gewerbeimmobilien for commercial real estate sales, and (5) an Online-Marktplatz digital marketplace. These services are interconnected—valuation feeds into sale preparation, the marketplace enables buyer-seller matching, and real estate services often accompany business sales. The company primarily serves Swiss SMEs with transaction values between CHF 500,000 and CHF 20 million.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Firma verkaufen (Business Sale Services)
• Firma kaufen (Business Acquisition Services)
• Unternehmensbewertung (Business Valuation)
• Gewerbeimmobilien (Commercial Real Estate Services)
• Online-Marktplatz (Online Marketplace)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 750 successful business sale mandates completed since 2007
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BDO AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021BDO AG acquired Business Broker AG in 2021 after Raiffeisen-Gruppe ownership (2014-2021). Business Broker is fully integrated into BDO's Schiffbau and Lausanne locations with unrestricted access to BDO's internal specialized departments in law, taxes, fiduciary services, and auditing. With 34 BDO branches and approximately 1,600 employees, Business Broker benefits from national coverage and relationships with Swiss SMEs.
• SwisspeersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwisspeers is a platform for SME financing. Partnership provides Business Broker clients with access to financing solutions for business acquisitions and transactions.
• Heresta GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeresta GmbH specializes in inheritance consulting and estate settlement, providing complementary services for business succession planning.
• Covendit GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCovendit specializes in company sales in Germany, enabling cross-border transaction support for clients seeking international opportunities.
• Gima Service GmbHminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTrust company providing fiduciary services that complement Business Broker's transaction advisory offerings.
• Berntor Beratung GmbHminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTrust and tax advisory firm partner providing specialized consulting for business transactions.
• excent AGminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTrust and tax advisory firm partner supporting transaction-related consulting.
• DCL Concept GmbHminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTrust company providing accounting and advisory services for transaction support.
• Elsasser & Partner AGminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFamily Office Services provider for high-net-worth clients involved in business succession.
• promoveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEconomic development agency for the Riviera-Lavaux region, providing local business connections.
• Gaapex SàrlminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTrust and audit firm serving Western Switzerland with transaction support services.
• M&BD ConsultingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBusiness consulting firm serving Western Switzerland market.
• Kontomed Treuhand AGminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTrust and tax advisory firm providing transaction-related services.
• Aegerter und Brändle AGminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTax and business advisory firm partner.
• Treuhandbüro Graf AGminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTrust and consulting firm providing advisory services for transactions.
• Maehr TreuhandminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTrust and consulting firm partner.
• Argo Consilium AGminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTrust and tax advisory firm providing transaction support.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• IMAP: International M&A advisory organization with mid-market focus across 40+ countries. Competes in Swiss SME and mid-market transactions with similar buyer-matching capabilities and transaction-based fee structures.
• Translink International: Global M&A advisory network with member firms covering mid-market transactions across Europe, including Switzerland. Competes for SME succession mandates with a similar sell-side advisory model and access to international buyer networks.
• Helbling Gruppe: Swiss M&A and corporate finance advisory with dedicated SME practice covering business sales, succession, and valuations in Switzerland. Direct competitor for the same client base of SME owners and the same transaction-value bracket.

Broad incumbents

• EY-Parthenon Switzerland: EY's strategy and M&A advisory practice in Switzerland serving corporate transactions across multiple segments. Competes with Business Broker for SME and mid-market mandates while offering broader transaction services.
• BizBuySell: Largest US online business-for-sale marketplace with hundreds of thousands of listings. While focused on US SMBs, it represents the digital marketplace model that could eventually pressure traditional broker intermediaries like Business Broker.
• Deloitte Switzerland (M&A): Big Four firm with dedicated M&A practice covering Swiss mid-market and large-cap transactions. Competitor for SME succession mandates with significantly greater resources but less specialized focus on the CHF 500K-20M segment.
• PwC Switzerland (Deals & M&A): Big Four firm with broad M&A advisory across Switzerland. Serves the SME and mid-market segments that overlap with Business Broker's deal-size range, though typically focusing on larger and more complex transactions.
• KPMG Switzerland (Deal Advisory): Big Four professional services firm in Switzerland with M&A advisory practice serving mid-market and large-cap clients. Increasingly targets the lower mid-market that Business Broker serves, offering deeper resources but a less specialized SME-only focus.

Regional players

• Acquisitions Direct: UK-based business brokerage operating in the same lower mid-market segment with an online marketplace plus advisory model. Geographically distinct but structurally comparable to Business Broker in serving owner-operators seeking succession.

Others

• BDO AG: Parent company of Business Broker AG and one of Switzerland's largest audit, tax, fiduciary, and consulting firms with 34 offices and 1,600 employees. The relationship provides Business Broker with distribution, cross-sell, and embedded professional services capacity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/business-broker-ag
• Xx.com/broker_ag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Business Broker