Acquire · Operate · Grow

I buy profitable UK technology & service businesses — and personally run and grow what their founders built.

I'm Ismail Berkan. Over 30 years I've turned around, scaled and transformed technology and service companies — including taking a loss-making IT services business to sustained profit. Berkan Capital is how I now acquire a great business to operate hands-on and grow for the long term, backed by an experienced deal team.

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No broker fees Fully confidential No obligation
30+
Years in technology & transformation
MBA
Durham University Business School
Stanford
Technology entrepreneurship mentor since 2014
500+
Projects delivered

The exit problem

You've spent years building something valuable.
The usual route to selling it is broken.

Most owners who want to move on find a process built for everyone but them — slow, costly, and impersonal. It doesn't have to be that way.

Brokers take a cut

A typical broker charges a success fee of 10% or more — on a £1M sale, that's £100,000 out of your pocket, for a process you're largely left to endure.

Buyers who waste your time

Tyre-kickers and unfunded buyers tie you up for months of diligence, then renegotiate or walk away — leaving you back where you started, exhausted.

Your legacy at risk

Sell to the wrong hands and the team you built, the culture you shaped, and the name you're known for can be stripped apart within a few years.

Why me

An operator who has already done it

The most relevant thing I can tell you: I've personally run and grown an IT services business — and many others. This isn't my first turnaround; it's what I've done for three decades.

An IT Services Business
IT Services Turnaround
Loss → £1.1M profit

Led a two-year transformation of a loss-making IT services subsidiary — turning a £300K loss into £1.1M profit and doubling revenue to £10.2M. Recognised by Bill Gates, 2003.

A European e-Commerce Leader
Growth & Diversification
70% of GMV

Set up the "Shuttle" innovation lab and led diversification — growing non-core GMV to 70% and expanding to 50M+ customers across 25 countries.

A Global Telecoms Operator
Efficiency & Cost
Cycles −60%

Embedded lean product development across teams — cutting innovation cycles 60% and project costs 48%, while doubling new-product launch success to 40%.

More about my background

What makes us different

We're not private equity. I'm an operator.

When you sell to Berkan Capital, you're selling to a person who will run your business — not a fund that will strip it for parts.

✓

No fixed exit clock

We don't run a fund with a five-year timeline. I buy to own and grow for the long term, on my own timeline.

✓

No punishing debt

Where finance is used, we size it to what the business can comfortably service today — never loaded beyond its means.

✓

Your team stays

I'm a builder, not an asset-stripper. In most cases the existing team is exactly what makes the business valuable.

✓

Decisions made by me

No investment committee, no sign-off delays. You deal directly with the person who will own the business.

How it works

A clear, respectful process

No chaos, no wasted time. A structured journey from a first confidential conversation to a smooth handover — typically 12 to 16 weeks, with a target close of around 90 days.

1

Confidential call

A no-obligation, fully confidential conversation to understand your business and what a good outcome looks like for you.

2

Offer & diligence

We present a fair, transparent offer within days — then run a focused diligence process with our advisory team.

3

Completion & handover

We handle the legal process and work with you on a transition that protects your people, your customers and your legacy.

See the full six-step process

Insights

Honest reading for business owners

Practical, no-jargon thinking on selling, exiting, and what buyers really look for.

Selling

What buyers really look for in your business

Sellers see their business from the inside; buyers see it from the outside. The gap between those two views is where deals collapse.

Read article
Selling

Selling direct vs. through a broker

The traditional broker route isn't the only way to sell — and for many owners it isn't the best. An honest comparison.

Read article
Exit Planning

The four stages of business ownership

Which stage your business is at determines what it's worth, how easily it sells, and what to fix before you do.

Read article
Read all insights

Thinking about selling — or just exploring?

An early, confidential conversation costs nothing, and I'll always be straight with you. No broker fees, no obligation.

Start a confidential conversation