The right partner for your business’s next chapter

Search Party Capital was formed to acquire an exceptional business and use technology to help the business grow.

Core Values

Transparency

I will always be clear about my motivations and will answer your questions with full transparency

Respect

You built your business from scratch, and I will conduct our conversations from a place of tremendous respect for what you created. 

Collaboration

I want to provide value to you: I can share industry learnings and thoughts on how technology will impact your business in the coming years

About

Hi - I’m Chris. I’m an entrepreneur looking to buy and then operate a business.

I’ve had the entrepreneurial itch from an early age. I grew up in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and my first venture was reselling bulk candy to my fourth grade classmates. Getting shut down by school authorities taught me about the risks of operating in a regulated environment.

I spent most of my career in tech building and growing software products. I’ve always had a desire to own and operate a business, but the Silicon Valley model of raising VC money never appealed to me. When I learned that I could become an entrepreneur by purchasing a business, I jumped at the opportunity.

In June 2023 I left a comfortable job at Facebook and have since been searching full-time for the right business. The search process is fun - every day I get to connect with entrepreneurs considering selling their business. But my real excitement comes from the opportunity to continue the legacy of a great company.


Chris Tyler

Funding Partners

Search Party Capital is funded by investors who oversee over $500 million in aggregate capital.

FAQs

How do you have the money to buy a business?

I raised money from investors who back entrepreneurs like me to search full-time for a business to buy. My investors provide me with funding to search full-time for two years. In exchange, they get right of first refusal on the business I choose to buy.

Search Party Capital has a sophisticated group of investors with deep experience in Lower Middle Market investing. Their collective experience makes it possible to move quickly when financing and closing a transaction.

What is your target business / transaction size?

I'm looking for a business with between $2 million to $10 million in EBITDA.

The total enterprise value will depend on the EBITDA multiple and will most likely be between $10 million to $80 million.

Why should I consider selling my business to you?

  1. Unlike selling to Private Equity or a Family Office, you'll know who's going to be operating the business and carrying on your legacy. You'll have the chance to get to know me and ensure I'm the right fit for your business.
  2. My investors and I are transparent and easy to work with. We can move faster than the typical Private Equity firm and do not need to secure debt to finance the transaction.

Can I be involved with the business after the sale?

Yes, there are two ways you can stay involved in the business:

  1. Retaining equity ownership: you can choose to roll some of your equity into the new ownership structure.
  2. Staying involved via a board seat or an advisory role at the company.

How will you value my business?

I'll work with my investor base to arrive at a valuation and provide transparency into how we arrived at the valuation, which will most like be a multiple of EBITDA.

Factors that lead to a higher EBITDA multiple include: recent company growth, profitability, revenue quality and size.

What’s with the name?

Most investor names have a similar sound and feel: White Mountain Associates. Winter Stream Capital, etc. I wanted a name that was memorable and fun. (And I credit my wife Selin with coming up with the name.)

Why Search Party? I'm conducting a structured process to find something important. (Although it's a great business to buy, not a missing person). I'm also committed to having fun throughout the process.

References

Chris’s openness to feedback and ability to manage through complex situations were truly remarkable. Chris served very senior Meta leaders with the software he built, and his communication and strategy skills made him very successful.

John Koch

Director of Engineering, Meta

Worked with Chris at

Meta

From the very beginning Chris instilled the value of shipping quality, hearing diverse perspectives, and the importance of supporting the team through pivots and tough decisions. Chris was a superb partner when working with cross-functional teams he didn’t directly manage.

Christine Imaizumi

Director of Product Design, Meta

Worked with Chris at

Meta

Chris built the Favado mobile app from scratch and built an audience of 300,000 Monthly Active Users who relied on the app for the latest grocery deals. He also served as the General Manager for Favado, overseeing operations, sales and marketing.

Thomas Swalla

CEO, Dotmatics

Worked with Chris at

Favado

/

Cox Media

Chris is an incredible leader. He has the right balance of being both analytical and intuitive. At Rev, he 4x'd our Product Management organization from 3 to 12, which shows he is able to scale hiring and training of top performers. Chris is also an absolute delight to work with and for.

Barron Caster

CEO at Demox Labs

Worked with Chris at

Rev

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