Swiss succession capital
The rail for Swiss SME succession
Saha enables capable successors, from trusted managers and family members to carefully selected outside leaders, to acquire the established Swiss companies they are best placed to lead. We provide the financing and the structure, guide the transition with care, and remain a long-term co-owner.
Why we exist
Most Swiss successions happen. The question is how.
Across Switzerland, tens of thousands of profitable businesses will change hands this decade. Most will find a way forward. What determines their future is the manner of the transfer: who takes over, how carefully the handover is prepared, and on what terms.
Too often, succession is decided by circumstance rather than merit. The successor is chosen by birth or by availability, while the person best placed to lead, frequently a manager who knows every customer and every colleague, lacks the means to acquire the business. Institutional investors rarely engage at this size.
Saha is built for this segment. We work with established companies of roughly 10 to 100 employees, and we give the right successor a credible route to ownership of the business they are prepared to lead.
What's at stake
The right successor is often already within the company
When a succession is poorly resolved, the cost is rarely visible at first. A successor who was never suited to the role, or a capable manager who could not secure the financing, and a sound business gradually loses its footing. Employees who built their careers there move on. Long-standing customer relationships weaken. Skills and local reputation, assembled over decades, disperse.
Research from Denmark, the United Kingdom and elsewhere points consistently in one direction: companies tend to perform better when the successor is chosen for ability rather than lineage, and insiders who already know the business succeed more often than outsiders. Many family successors are accomplished leaders, which is why family succession remains firmly within our model.
What capable successors usually lack is not ability, but capital. With the right structure, personal wealth no longer determines who takes over, and the business passes to the person best equipped to carry it forward.
Sources: Bennedsen et al., Quarterly Journal of Economics (2007); Wilson and Wright, ERC Research Paper 8 (2013); Ahrens et al. (2019)
For founders
A succession worthy of what you built
Whether your successor is a trusted manager, a family member or a carefully selected outside leader, Saha provides the financing and the structure. You receive the majority of the price in cash at closing, and the company retains its name, its people and its character.
Learn moreFor investors
Disciplined access to Swiss SME cash flows
Established, profitable companies, each financed independently with a defined path to repayment. A disciplined route into a segment that institutional capital rarely reaches, designed for investors with a long horizon.
Learn moreSuccession from within
Saha partners with managers and family successors who are ready to lead but lack the capital to acquire the company. Successors invest on the same terms as Saha, with a defined path to control over time.
How we work
Identify the right successor. Prepare the company. Complete the transfer. Strengthen it for the long term.
Early and candid assessment
We engage with succession situations early, through trusted advisors and our own research. We assess how far the business depends on its owner, who is able to succeed them, and whether the transaction can be financed responsibly.
Clarity before commitment
Before any preparatory work begins, the owner and Saha agree on a price, based on what the company has already achieved, and on a period of exclusivity. Both parties know where they stand from the outset.
A carefully prepared handover
We help capture the knowledge held by the owner, document how the business truly operates, and prepare everything the bank requires. Our own technology makes this level of care viable for smaller companies.
Completion, and continued partnership
The successor and Saha acquire the company together. After closing, we provide clear monthly reporting and close oversight of cash, so that any difficulty is recognised early and addressed calmly.
The Saha model
One way of working, refined with every succession
A willing buyer is not enough for small-business succession. The successor requires financing, the bank requires confidence, and the company requires support through the change. Saha brings these elements together in a single model that becomes more effective with every transaction.
Proven groundwork
The legal, financial and tax framework is prepared once and applied to every succession. This keeps costs proportionate for smaller companies, and gives founders, banks and successors an arrangement they can understand and trust.
Financing independent of personal wealth
Each succession is financed by a Swiss bank, a loan from the seller, long-term investors, and equity from Saha and the successor. What the successor must bring is capability, not wealth.
Ownership aligned with the successor
Saha holds between 20% and 80%, depending on what the successor is able to invest. Once the company has repaid its loans, the successor may progressively acquire Saha's shares. Saha always retains a lasting stake of at least 20%.
AI from start to finish
Before the transaction, our AI tools support the assessment of the business and the preservation of the owner's knowledge. After closing, they underpin finance and reporting, so that issues surface early and management can concentrate on the business itself.
What makes this different
A model designed for smaller succession deals
Built for companies with 10 to 100 employees
We operate in a segment most institutional investors overlook. Our structure, our costs and our expectations are designed for this scale from the outset.
Insiders first, selected on capability
We favour managers and family members who already know the business. Outside leaders assume responsibility only after a period of working alongside the owner, because that is how trust and knowledge are transferred.
Prudent financing
Every transaction is structured so that the company can repay its loans comfortably, including through difficult years. We confirm this before agreeing a price, and we do not stretch the price to secure a deal.
No exit timeline, no forced sales
Saha is permanent capital. There is no fund deadline and no pressure to resell. Decisions are taken for the long-term health of each business, together with the successor who leads it.
Thinking about what comes next?
If you are a founder beginning to consider the future of your business, we would welcome a quiet, confidential conversation. No obligation, no pressure.
Investors and successors
Whether you are an investor interested in financing Swiss successions, or a manager or family member preparing to take over a company, we would be glad to hear from you.