The Service
Deal sourcing for lower middle market buyers.
Stratus builds and operates an owner direct origination channel around your mandate, generating qualified off market business owner conversations before intermediaries are involved.
What Stratus Does
Owner initiated deal flow, built around your mandate.
Stratus is a proprietary acquisition origination company. We translate your investment criteria into targeted, professional owner facing campaigns that surface business owners who are thinking about a sale, succession, or transition, before they've engaged a broker or entered a process.
It flips the usual dynamic: owners reach out to you. They initiate the contact, which changes the footing of every conversation that follows.
Every inbound conversation is qualified against your mandate. What reaches your desk is a warm introduction with context. Not a list, not a cold contact, not a name to chase.
Who It's For
Buyers with conviction and a clear thesis.
The service works best when you know what you're looking for. Stratus works with:
- 01Private equity firms sourcing platforms and add ons
- 02Independent sponsors building owner direct pipelines
- 03Family offices acquiring founder led businesses
- 04Strategic acquirers expanding in defined sectors
- 05M&A advisors with buy side mandates
Mandate Fit
What types of mandates work best.
Owner direct origination performs best when the mandate is specific. Strong mandates typically include:
A defined sector
A clear industry or set of related verticals. Most of our work has been in B2B service businesses.
A geography
National, regional, or local. Targeting sharpens with focus.
A size range
Revenue and EBITDA parameters. Much of our client work sits in the $1M to $5M EBITDA range.
An owner profile
For example: retirement stage owner operators, or founders planning a transition.
An acquisition thesis
A platform, an add on, or a roll up: a point of view on why you're buying.
If your mandate is still taking shape, that's a fine starting point for a conversation. The clearer the thesis, the stronger the pipeline.
The Process
Step by step, from mandate to introduction.
Six stages, one system. Every engagement runs through the same disciplined path, from your buy box to a warm, qualified owner conversation in your pipeline.
Step 01 / 06
Mandate Intake
We define the target sector, geography, revenue range, EBITDA range, owner profile, deal type, and buyer fit criteria. This becomes the filter every future conversation is screened against.
Buy box translated into live targeting filters
Step 02 / 06
Market Mapping
We identify the business categories, local markets, owner segments, and messaging angles most likely to match the mandate.
Auto repairCommercial cleaningAccountingB2B services
Step 03 / 06
Owner Facing Campaign
We create sector specific outreach and targeted digital campaigns built around timing, succession, confidentiality, legacy, and transition planning. Everything routes to custom built landing pages that convert interest into qualified, actionable opportunities.
To business owners: fleet services, Southeast
Thinking about the next chapter for your business?
- Confidential
- No brokers or listings
- A direct conversation
Routed to a custom landing page and qualification form
Step 04 / 06
Qualification
Every inbound owner conversation is filtered against the buyer's mandate before being routed forward. Unqualified inquiries never reach your desk.
- Sector fitPass
- EBITDA rangePass
- GeographyPass
- Owner timeline6 to 12 mo
- Transaction contextPending
Screened against the mandate before routing
Step 05 / 06
Warm Introduction
Qualified opportunities are introduced with context: business profile, owner motivation, financial range, fit summary, and a recommended next step.
Fleet maintenance company, Southeast
QualifiedOwner operated for 20+ years with recurring commercial contracts. Strong fit against mandate S-114. Introduced with full context and a recommended next step.
Recommended: intro call this week
Step 06 / 06
CRM Handoff and Follow Up
Leads are routed into your CRM or shared through structured reporting. Owners who aren't ready immediately are nurtured through follow up. Familiarity compounds quietly until they are.
New inquiry 2
Qualified 1
Intro delivered 1
Nurture 1
Synced to your CRM, or delivered through structured reporting
Deliverables
What you receive.
Each qualified opportunity arrives as a warm introduction with structured context: who the owner is, what the business does, why they're exploring a transition, and how they map to your criteria.
The qualification detail is customizable to your process. During onboarding we define exactly what you want captured at the initial qualification stage, from fit criteria and seller intent to transaction context and financial ranges, so every introduction arrives in the shape your team works with.
After a Lead Comes In
What happens next.
- 01
Screening
The owner's responses are reviewed against your mandate: sector, size, geography, intent, and timing.
- 02
Introduction
Qualified owners are introduced warm, with a fit summary and recommended next step. You take the conversation from there.
- 03
Nurture
Owners who are interested but not ready stay in structured follow up rather than being discarded.
Reporting and CRM Handoff
Full visibility into your pipeline.
Opportunities are routed directly into your CRM or delivered through structured reporting, whichever fits your team's workflow.
Ongoing reporting covers source, stage, seller profile, and engagement status, so your team can track deal flow performance across the life of the engagement.
Source, stage, and progression visibility
What This Is Not
Clear about the distinction.
Not a broker
Stratus does not represent sellers or run sale processes.
Not a database
No scraped lists, no stale records, no pay per contact directories.
Not generic lead generation
Every conversation is owner initiated and screened against your specific mandate.
Not a marketing agency
The outcome is qualified acquisition conversations. Not impressions, clicks, or brand campaigns.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Where do the conversations come from?
Stratus runs targeted, professional owner facing campaigns, built around themes like succession, timing, and transition planning, on the channels where business owners actually spend attention. Owners respond directly and are qualified before anything reaches you. The mechanics are part of what we walk through on an intro call. What matters is the outcome: owner initiated, mandate aligned conversations.
Are the opportunities exclusive to me?
Yes. Campaigns are built around your specific mandate, under your firm's positioning. Opportunities generated for your engagement are yours. They are not shared or resold.
How quickly does deal flow start?
Infrastructure is typically built and live within the first week. The first weeks are a calibration window while the system learns your criteria. Consistent qualified introductions generally begin flowing within the first month. Timelines vary by mandate and market.
How are opportunities delivered?
As warm introductions with structured context, routed into your CRM or shared through organized reporting, in whatever format your team prefers.
What does the engagement look like commercially?
Engagement structure depends on your mandate and goals, and we keep it flexible. The right place to discuss it is a confidential conversation.
Is this confidential?
Yes. Client mandates are handled confidentially and separately. Owner conversations are handled discreetly, and your criteria are never exposed publicly.