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Celebrating 10 years !

Celebrating the 10th anniversary of Transeo, the international community of experts in business transfers and acquisitions, provides an opportunity to reflect on the state of the field, the role that our association plays in it, and a good reason to refresh our visual identity.

10 years of speaking up for business transfer

For 10 years, our association has been speaking up for business transfer, in Europe and beyond. Transeo has kept business transfer at the top of political agenda. Why? Because the existing companies, that are alive, need a voice and their continuity needs to be “in good hands”. Today’s economic policy focuses on start-ups and growth of SMEs and sometimes policymakers tend to forget the next steps in the company lifecycle: what is coming next? Close down, go bankrupt? The continuity of SMEs, whether they are in their early days or growing or even more close to the end, …their continuity requires political support.

In 10 years, our messages to policymakers have not really changed: safeguarding the continuity of businesses is essential to maintain jobs, know-how and to help companies survive and thrive, even during crises like the pandemic we are facing.

Based on its 10 years’ experience advocating for business transfer, Transeo could sum up the most important messages as follows:

• Importance of considering the lifecycle of companies as a whole, including their transfer;
• Keep in mind that business transfer contributes to the sustainability of our companies and economy;
• Importance to adopt a transversal approach when designing policies;
• Not forget that there are different ways to transfer the company and reflect this in the policies;
• Consider the added value for Member States to build “ecosystems” to efficiently support business transfers and acquisitions;
• Benefit of having a European coordination of business transfer policies;
• Importance of working actively on statistics in the coming years, to show the real economic weight of business transfer, to raise awareness and to improve even more the impact of support policies in the field.

That is why Transeo is speaking up for business transfer. We need to keep our companies alive. By giving them a second life and make them “everlasting”.

After all, 99% of companies in Europe are at stake: we need to support them all and help safeguard their continuity.

10 years, 10 achievements

In 10 years of existence, Transeo has grown and taken up several challenges…

• Transeo has become a real community, made up of experts from Europe and beyond, actively working in the field of business transfers and acquisitions. This international community now gathers more than 70 Members from almost 20 countries.
• Transeo has been able to create trust between its Members and has developed a unique offering to help them make deals together, despite the borders. With the Transeo Deal Club, and today more than 100 sell-side and buy-side opportunities, Transeo has become the reference for facilitating cross-border deals in the “small market”.
• The Transeo Summit, after five successful editions, has become a reference event in Europe, gathering high-level experts & decision-makers.
• Transeo has become a trusted expert and partner of European institutions and governments in Member States in the field of “business transfer”.
• After 10 years of exchanging good practices, Transeo has developed a unique cross-fertilisation of ideas, between experts not used to working together, namely professionals, institutions & academics.
• In 10 years, Transeo has also made a significant contribution to the knowledge base on transfers and acquisitions of SMEs thanks to the exchange of good practices & experiences between Transeo Members, but also thanks to the Transeo studies and working groups, on the most challenging issues in Europe.
• From the start, Transeo has built the capacity & expertise of Transeo Members, with training sessions and working groups and now with a new “Transeo Academy”.
• Transeo has also helped authorities develop business transfer ecosystems: year after year, Transeo has contributed to develop and to improve ecosystems across the world to encourage business transfers.
• Every day in these 10 years, the Transeo team, Secretariat General and Board of Directors, has provided its community of Members with personalised support and tailor-made solutions, helping them strive towards their goals.
• Year after year during 10 years, Transeo has kept its community updated with the latest trends, news & insights!

A refresh for the 10 coming years

These past months have also been an opportunity for Transeo to rethink its strategy and its vision, after 10 years of existence.

With the Board of Directors and with the Secretariat General, a strategic plan has been designed for the coming years, with a focus on what really matters for our Members of the Transeo community, and with the new, though same “old” mission : to strive for the continuity, sustainability and growth of businesses in Europe and beyond…

This new vision stressed the need for a “refresh” of our visual identity… Transeo is proud to share its new baseline, new logo and new website! The new baseline summarizes our vision: Transeo aims at promoting “business transfer” as a way to safeguard jobs and to contribute to a sustainable and circular economy.

Together, since 10 years and for the next 10 years to come, we make every business “everlasting”.