Buy-Side Deal Origination  ·  St. Louis, MO

We don't work
with everyone.
We don't try to.

A select number of mandates. Worked the old fashioned way — by phone, by relationship.

What We Do

We work with a highly selective group of elite acquirers — helping them build All-Star teams in consolidating industries.

ClearPath runs proprietary buy-side origination. We identify the best privately held businesses in a client's target market, approach owners directly, and qualify each opportunity before an introduction is made. Our clients don't want available businesses, they want the right ones.

100%
Buy-side only.
No sell-side mandates, ever.

"The deals worth finding don't come from a database. They come from a conversation — usually one the owner wasn't expecting."

Why It's Different
01
The phone still works.
Most origination firms send emails and wait. We pick up the phone. We call owners directly, introduce the mandate plainly, and build a relationship before anyone asks about a number. That's how off-market deals actually start.
02
We find the best, not the available.
Our clients are building dominant platforms through add-on acquisitions. They're not looking for what's on the market — they're looking for the best operator in the market. We find them and make the introduction.
03
We don't share mandates.
Each client's mandate is exclusive. We don't run parallel searches for competing buyers or surface the same target to multiple parties. One client, one mandate, full effort.
04
Sector depth, not breadth.
We operate in defined verticals and pick our spots. We know who the best operators are before we make the first call.
Who We Work With

Elite acquirers building tomorrow's market leader.

We work with a limited number of clients — PE firms, family offices, and strategics who are acquiring with conviction, not curiosity. The common thread: they don't buy businesses that are for sale. They identify the best operators in a market and find a way to bring them into the fold. That's exactly what we're built to support.

Private Equity
PE Firms
Add-on focused platforms in the lower middle market. Acquirers who have already built something worth joining — and are looking for the best operators to add to it.
Direct Acquirers
Family Offices
Permanent capital with a long hold horizon and the patience to pursue the right business — not the first one that responds to an email.
Corporate M&A
Strategic Buyers
Market leaders running a disciplined add-on program. They know exactly what they're building. They need a partner who can find businesses worthy of it.

If you want to do one deal a year, we're not the right fit. If you want to build the market leader, let's talk.

A Note for Business Owners

If we've reached out, it wasn't by accident.

We approach a select number of businesses — selected because they match a specific, serious mandate from a well-capitalized buyer. There's no list. No blast. We called you because your business fits. If the timing is wrong, we'll respect that. If you're open to a conversation, it stays confidential — and it goes directly to a decision-maker.

Inquiries

Tell us what you're building.

We review every inquiry and respond when there's a fit. We don't take mandates that don't match our capabilities.

Reviewed personally.
What happens next
We review every inquiry. If there's a fit, we'll be in touch. If there isn't, we'll tell you that too.
What we need from you
Sector, target size, and geography. That's enough for us to tell you whether we're the right fit — and whether the market you're targeting is one we know.
Direct line
Steve@clearpathpartnersllc.com
Your inquiry has been received. We'll be in touch if there's a fit.

Prefer a direct line? Steve@clearpathpartnersllc.com