Guarda

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We help build industry leaders and support entrepreneurs with their succession plans

Guarda is an advisory firm founded by passionate entrepreneurs

What we do

We advise leading service companies and develop them with their management to further grow their business.

We develop companies while respecting their heritage. We thrive to reinforce the companies market positions with distinctive buy & build strategies and aim at generating value for all stakeholders. We plan successions with entrepreneurs, we support management teams with our experience and thrive for growth and jobs creation.

Scope of advisory work

We help you realise the hidden value in your company.

We set flexible and customized succession solution that best matches your need and your company's. We value your heritage and so encourage your connecting with the company and participate to its next phase with us. We have actively participated in c. 30 successful successions and so believe to be the best partner for all stakeholders of your company.

We lever your company as a platform with already established internal capabilities that can be further built upon.

We drive the process of sourcing attractive acquisition opportunities in close collaboration with you.

You benefit from our longstanding experience in acquiring, transitioning and integrating businesses.

Our focus

Pan-European with a focus on D | A | CH region

Prospering companies with revenues of EUR 5 - 50m

Succession issues

Asset light service companies, active in the Education sector

Sharing common vision with entrepreneurs

"Successful entrepreneurs neither want to work forever nor to fully stop. Jonathan and Nicolas let me contribute in a self-determined way. I can still bring in my experience and perspective and they always listen and take my inputs. The Company I founded is in good hands"

Hanna Rychener

Former owner and current Chairwoman of IST Higher Education in Tourism

"As the co-Founder and CEO of Swiss Marketing Academy I was approached by a number of financial investors and strategic players. However, Nicolas and Jonathan stood out from the beginning. The difference maker was its people. Both Nicolas and Jonathan are entrepreneurs themselves and know what it means to run a business like mine. They took the time to both understand our company, our team and our needs. From my earliest interactions it was clear that they would be that rare, true value-add partner that would drive the business to achieve its full potential and accelerate Swiss Marketing Academy growth beyond just financing".

Brigitte Oertli

Former co-founder and owner of Swiss Marketing Academy

"When you want to transmit your company, you search for an acquirer with profound market understanding, a deep set of operating insights, and tangible company-building know-how. Nicolas and Jonathan ticked all the boxes. I particularly liked their approach of constantly wanting our clients -students- needs to be the centre piece. I am convinced that they will bring tangible operational results in MBSZ's next phase and that my former company is in the best hands possible".

Roland Gerber

Co-former owner of MBSZ Marketing & Business School Zürich AG

"With conviction Lisa and I said 'yes' to Nicolas and Jonathan. It was very important to us to plan the continuation and further development of Apamed with foresight. Apamed is to continue intensively - with new offers and new locations. Our graduates and lecturers will benefit greatly from the exchange, diversity and synergies within a larger group. Lisa and I are looking forward to continuing to accompany Apamed strategically and to being available as contacts".

Werner Becker

Former owner and managing director of Apamed GmbH

Founding partners

Jonathan Wynne

Jonathan Wynne is passionate about education and has been active in the sector since 2008. During this time, he has been involved across several verticals including Child Care, K12 schools and Higher Education, and across regions, being Switzerland as well as North and South America, Europe, Middle East, South East Asia and China. Jonathan Wynne holds a Master degree in Engineering awarded by the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).

Nicolas Faivre

Nicolas Faivre is a former Investment Banker from Credit Suisse. He co-founded Helvetica Capital in Zurich, which became a well-established firm in Switzerland, recognized for his strong links to local entrepreneurs. Today, after having left Helvetica Capital, he continues to leverage his solid network with Swiss entrepreneurs across multiple sectors, in both the Swiss French and Swiss German regions. Nicolas Faivre holds a Master degree in Business Administration awarded by HEC Lausanne.

Use case

Vantage Education Group

Vantage Education is a leading higher education provider in Switzerland, focused on young working adults (dual education), with > 10,000 students

It offers mainly Business, Marketing, HR, ICT, Tourismus and Alternative Medicine degrees in levels 5, 6 and 7. Vantage is the only player with a network of 16 locations in 12 cities in Switzerland, "next to home/work" which is critical for its working students

Vantage Education operates under 10 brands: HSO, IST, BVS, NBW, MBSZ, Swiss Marketing Academy, Swiss Prävensana Akademie, Apamed, Bodyfeet and Bio-Medica.

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