We closed 7 deals in 14 months (first $140m and a portfolio of 13 companies)

Aug 20, 2025

Daryl Connell and Lizzie Ryan, managing partners at IMBIBA, share insights on their unique investment approach in leisure, education, and health. They reveal how they navigated the challenges of COVID-19 to close seven deals in just 14 months. The duo discusses the importance of building strong networks for acquisitions and the evolution of their investment strategy. They also delve into the nuances of operational gearing and exit timing, providing listeners with a behind-the-scenes look at their resilient portfolio construction amid market volatility.

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ADVICE

Time Exits Around Operational Gearing

Delay exit when clear operational gearing will double profits as new sites roll out over 12–24 months.
Sell when momentum or like-for-likes are flattening to avoid value erosion.

ADVICE

Keep Founders Skin In The Game

Take significant minority stakes and allow founders to retain meaningful equity to keep incentives aligned.
Offer small cash-outs only when they won't destroy founder motivation to grow the business.

ADVICE

Win Deals With Persistent Off‑Market Outreach

Originate off-market by mapping sub-sectors and outreach; expect ~1,000 outreaches → 600 meetings → 3–4 investments.
Always include a partner in the first meeting to build confidence with founders.

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Today’s guests are Lizzie Ryan and Darrel Connell, Managing Partners at IMBIBA, one of the UK’s leading specialist investors in leisure, education, and health. We cover IMBIBA’s operator-heavy model, why they back four-walls brands with proven unit economics, and how they sourced, structured, and exited deals through the toughest market in a decade.

We dig into Fund I’s brutal raise, doing 7 deals in 14 months during COVID, building resilience in portfolio construction (childcare, wellness, and real estate-backed concepts), and the mechanics of operational gearing and like-for-like performance that drive exit timing. They share hard-won lessons on off-market origination (1,000+ outreaches → 600 meetings → 3–4 investments), upgrading teams post-investment, the “professional MD” hire, picking sites, saying no to bad leases, and aligning founder incentives with liquidity—without losing momentum.

Timestamps:
00:00:00 Intro
00:00:07 Who are IMBIBA’s managing partners?
00:02:36 IMBIBA origin story & “two lives” of the firm
00:03:46 Fund I thesis: proven unit economics, operator help, rollout
00:04:22 Sponsor break - Scalepath
00:05:22 Building an operator-heavy PE team
00:06:11 Fundraising war stories (2018): the brutal last £10m
00:09:13 Post-raise: first 18–24 months
00:09:52 COVID hits: portfolio shut, scenario planning, survival
00:10:22 Doing 7 deals in 14 months: why founders chose them
00:11:35 What great PE–founder support looked like in crisis
00:14:19 Managing LP expectations during uncertainty
00:15:07 Rebuilding the portfolio: childcare, wellness, four-walls brands
00:16:14 Sponsor break - Spacebar Studios
00:17:35 Designing for resilience: margins, labor mix, exits
00:18:16 Portfolio & exits: NQ64, Little Houses Group
00:20:05 Who buys these assets now? (trade, PE, US interest)
00:21:49 When to sell vs. hold: operational gearing & like-for-like trends
00:25:18 Typical deal structure: significant minority, founder-led
00:26:14 Sourcing: mapping subsectors, off-market outreach
00:27:20 Upgrading teams post-investment; the “professional MD” hire
00:30:09 Funnel math: 1,000+ outreaches → 600 meetings → 3–4 deals
00:30:41 Red flags & when to walk at the 11th hour
00:31:43 Spotting real operators (site visits, staff, standards)
00:33:07 How their team works: operating partners on boards
00:34:57 Personal strengths & weaknesses (deal smell, negotiation)
00:37:23 Where founders need the most help: people & property
00:39:13 Coaching without micromanaging; the chair that moves the needle
00:41:28 Incentives & aligning around liquidity events
00:42:38 Navigating misalignment on timing and partial liquidity
00:45:06 Where they’ll invest next; where they won’t (exitability lens)
00:47:57 Supply of opportunities vs. capital in today’s UK market
00:48:44 Advice for emerging managers: resilience & learning from failure
00:50:01 What’s next