European Operator-Investor Exploring US Search Fund Deals

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March 17, 2026

by an investor from Universiteit Antwerpen in Willebroek, België

Hi all, We’re new here and trying to understand how this ecosystem really works in practice. We’re a Belgium-based investment firm (Haerens & Partners). Over the past years we’ve built and scaled multiple SME businesses, with a strong focus on EBITDA growth, operational improvement and preparing companies for exit. We have a solid track record in doing this hands-on. In our own deals, we typically take control and drive value creation ourselves. That said, we’re now looking at whether it makes sense to also allocate capital into US-based search fund deals as investors. If any searchers are open to having a European partner as a co-investor — feel free to reach out directly. Happy to connect. Friso Haerens Partners
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Reply by a searcher
from University of Pennsylvania in Washington, DC, USA
Thanks for the tag Luke! Friso - appreciate your post! Do you also work with self-funded searchers, or only traditional search funds?
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Reply by a searcher
from Brigham Young University in Rexburg, ID, USA
@redacted‌, I'd love to chat to learn more about what you are looking for. ‌
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