Swiss Holding Company · Geneva
A Permanent Home for Exceptional Swiss Businesses
We acquire profitable Swiss SMEs and hold them permanently. Not to restructure them or resell them, but to give them the capital, stability and long term ownership to keep doing what they already do well.
About
Built for the Long Term
Unlike traditional private equity, we do not buy businesses to resell them. We acquire companies with the intention of owning them indefinitely.
Our philosophy is simple:
- Respect the legacy built by founders
- Preserve company culture
- Invest patiently
- Empower existing management
- Allocate capital responsibly
Investment Criteria
What We Look For
We typically invest in businesses that are:
Businesses below these thresholds are not a fit for us, and we will tell you so quickly rather than run a process.
Swiss headquartered
Rooted in the Swiss economy. We acquire outside Switzerland only as add ons to a business we already own.
CHF 1.5m to 5m EBITDA
Normalised operating profit is our size test. Revenue is indicative only, typically CHF 10m to 40m.
At least 15% EBITDA margin
Sustained across each of the last three years. This is a firm floor, not a guideline.
Cash generative
Predictable revenue, light capital expenditure, and profit that reliably converts into cash.
Leaders in a defined niche
A defensible position in a focused market, with pricing power to match.
Loyal, long standing customers
Revenue that recurs because customers choose to stay.
A management team that stays
Capable leadership that continues running the business after we invest.
Founder succession
Owners looking for a permanent successor rather than the next buyer.
Sellers
Why Sell to Kora
Traditional Buyers
- Short investment horizon
- Financial engineering
- Cost cutting
- Multiple ownership changes
- Exit after 3 to 7 years
Kora Group
- Permanent ownership
- Long-term investment
- Preserve employees
- Respect company culture
- Decentralized operations
- Fast decisions
- Founder legacy matters
Our Commitment
What We Offer Founders
Selling a business you built is not a transaction. These are the terms we hold ourselves to, in every conversation.
Real liquidity at closing
We take a majority stake and pay for it in cash at completion. You are not waiting years to be paid for the work you have already done.
A clear path for the stake you keep
If you retain equity, the price and the timing for that stake are agreed in writing on day one, using a fixed formula. No renegotiation later, no surprises.
No earn out
Your price does not depend on hitting targets set by your new owner. We think earn outs shift risk to the person with the least control over it.
The company is never resold
We are not a fund and we have no exit clock. What you sell us, we keep.
Decisions from the people who own the capital
No investment committee, no fund mandate. From first conversation to closing, typically 8 to 12 weeks.
Our Approach
Our Philosophy
Permanent Ownership
We buy businesses to keep them.
Decentralized Leadership
Companies continue operating independently.
Disciplined Capital Allocation
Cash generated by our companies is reinvested into strengthening existing businesses and acquiring new ones.
Process
A Discreet, Efficient Path
From first conversation to closing, typically 8 to 12 weeks.
- 01
Confidential introduction
- 02
Initial discussion
- 03
Indicative offer
- 04
Due diligence
- 05
Closing
- 06
Long-term partnership
For Advisors
Working With Intermediaries
We work regularly with fiduciaries, notaries, corporate finance advisors and lawyers who represent business owners through succession. If you are running a mandate that fits our criteria, we will give you a clear answer quickly, and we will not waste your client's time with a process we do not intend to finish.
A view on fit within one week of receiving information
Full discretion, and we sign an NDA before anything moves
One point of contact throughout, no analyst hand offs
Why Switzerland
An Exceptional Home for Enduring Businesses
600,000+
SMEs across Switzerland
168,000
expected to face succession by 2030
1 in 3
of those successions expected to fail for lack of a buyer
8 to 12
weeks from first conversation to closing
Succession figures: CFB-HSG and UBS succession study, 2026.
Great businesses deserve permanent owners. Our role is not to change what already works, but to preserve it, strengthen it and ensure it continues to thrive for decades.
Founder, Kora Group
Contact
Let’s Start a Conversation
Whether you are a founder considering succession or an advisor representing a business owner, we’d welcome a confidential discussion.
Prefer email? Write to us at info@koragroup.ch.