
Colibri
Advisory
M&A advice and financial expertise serving sustainable projects that create value
Colibri Advisory is a human-sized firm supporting entrepreneurs and companies whose activity has a strong and positive impact on the environment and the people. We support them in their M&A operations: transfer, merger, acquisition or fundraising with investors who share their convictions. We offer our financial and CSR expertise to their managers and shareholders.
Our firm respects the principles of the social and solidarity economy (SSE), which are integrated in its statutes. Our raison d'être is reflected in our priority commitment to serve companies with a positive social or environmental impact, while ensuring that we ourselves have a responsible development.




OUR VALUES
Serving our clients and the general interest
INDEPENDENCE AND HUMAN SCALE
We prioritize customer proximity and long-lasting job quality rather than the race for growth and turnover. Our positioning ensures a total independence and precludes any conflict of interest, allowing us to put the interest of our clients as our top priority in all circumstances.
Each year, we assist several companies in their M&A operations with a high success rate.
PRIORITY GIVEN TO COMPANIES THAT FOCUS ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Our firm has worked on the creation of a body dedicated to impact investment and Pierre-Jean Gaudel chairs the Sustainable Financing commission of our professional association (CNCEF France M&A).
We frequently advise companies of all sizes operating in the sustainable development sector. When it comes to young companies, which want to raise funds for example, we offer reduced fees to help them.
ETHICS AND GOOD PRACTICES
We accompany our clients with loyalty and pedagogy, from the beginning to the end of the transaction, and even beyond in the event of post-transaction litigation.
We promote good professional practices: we coordinated the drafting of the guide to good practices in M&A and the guide to impact investing. Pierre-Jean Gaudel is also a member of the Ethics and Quality commission of our professional association (CNCEF France M&A).
PRIORITY GIVEN TO FRENCH COMPANIES
Our hummingbird is tricolor to represent the French flag as we believe in France, land of economic initiatives. We mainly work for French family companies and French entrepreneurs. We help them to find funding for sustainable investment in France.
We encourage our clients to connect with other French companies when it suits their interests, and we help them grow internationally.
OUR SERVICES
Our multidisciplinary teams meet your needs in financial advice.
MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS
We support all your M&A operations
Colibri Advisory offers a complete M&A advice service to French and international companies, including notably: identification of targets or investors, financial and strategic analysis, management of due diligences, review of business plan and price negotiation.
The firm is also a property transactions advisor and holder of the property transactions’ professional card n°7501 2018 000 034 561 delivered by the CCI Paris Ile-de-France. We ensure that operations take place in the best conditions, in accordance with the culture of the company and with the values of our client.
FUNDRAISING
We are acting for your growth
After analysing your strategy, your business plan and your need for financing, we support you in your fundraising operation. Among the hundreds of investors that we know, we identify those who are likely to be interested in your fundraising operation and we contact them in accordance with your confidentiality policy. Then we work alongside you through the process, from negotiations to the conclusion of the transaction. Depending upon the situation, we can contact private investors, family-offices, investment funds, or industrial investors if appropriate.
VALUATION
An expertise for your projects
We offer our clients financial valuations (for tangible or intangible assets) through various circumstances, such as minority stake purchase or acquisition project. Our valuations can also operate in a fiscal context (intra-group disposal, inter vivos distribution...).
We also provide litigation support for the damage assessment: as claimant or defendant with the counter-expertise of the valuation report of the opposing party. Our partner Pierre-Jean Gaudel is financial expert for the Administrative Court of Appeal of Paris and Versailles.
OTHERS ASSIGNMENTS
Targeted audits, governance advisory, monitoring of CSR indicators
Colibri Advisory supports its clients with targeted audit assignments, preparation for merger or contribution of assets or to help them improve their governance rules, in particular in terms of internal control procedures and management of risks related to external growth. We are also helping them to set up dashboards for monitoring financial and CSR indicators.
OUR TEAM
The leaders of the firm
The quality of our teams is our main asset, we are always looking for new talents. There is no typical profile to join us and we expect the candidates to have a good financial culture, to share our values, to demonstrate a keen sense of investment in the service of others, and to show their adaptability to various contexts. Fluency in English is mandatory. Your applications should be sent by email to drh@colibri-advisory.com.
PIERRE-JEAN GAUDEL
Founding and Managing Partner
Specialized in M&A and financial expertise, Pierre-Jean founded the firm in 2008. He is Vice-president of our professionnal association (CNCEF France M&A) and participates in several initiatives in favour of impact investment. He leads the Academy of Sustainable Economy.
OUR TRANSACTIONS
To maintain privacy, we do not publish the names of our clients on our website. Examples of our missions carried out over the past two years are given below. Please contact us for further information.
Our main references are about the areas of luxury, aerospace, new technologies (apps, connected objects...), medical and food industries, with a strong sustainable development component. On average, our firm intervenes in a dozen M&A transactions each year.
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Support of several startups, operating in the sustainable development economy, in their fundraising with private investors providing financial resources and advice
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Advice to a French group, specialised in the food industry, on its first international acquisition in Southern Europe
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Financial advice for the creation of a Cooperative Workers' Society ("SCOP") in the construction sector
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Assistance for the intra-family transfer of a food company
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Support of a French company, specializing in the circular economy, in its merger with an industrial partner
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Support of a green energy company in its sale with a new investor
OUR REFERENCES
PUBLICATIONS
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Vocabulaire des fusions-acquisitions : guide pour promouvoir l'usage du français, collective work coordinated by Pierre-Jean Gaudel and Romain-Xavier Tabot, published by the Academy of Sustainable Economy and CNCEF France M&A in March 2023
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Guide pratique de l’investissement à impact, collective work coordinated by Pierre-Jean Gaudel and Julie Lauré, published by the French "Association pour le Financement et la Transmission des Entreprises" in December 2021
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Doter la France d’une culture commune de l’investissement à impact, collective work of the Impact Invest Lab, to which Pierre-Jean Gaudel contributed, published by the Ministry of the Economy and Finance on March 25, 2021
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La comptabilité racontée aux juristes, written by Maurice Cozian et Pierre-Jean Gaudel, published by LexisNexis. 3rd edition. October 2020
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Guide de bonnes pratiques en matière de cessions d’entreprises, collective work with the contribution of Pierre-Jean Gaudel and Romain-Xavier Tabot, published by the French "Association pour le Financement et la Transmission des Entreprises" in July 2020
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Évaluation des préjudices économiques, Académie des Sciences et Techniques Comptables et Financières, Cahier n°34, Oct. 2017, collective work of which our firm has been part
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La maîtrise des risques dans les opérations d'acquisition, Académie des Sciences et Techniques Comptables et Financières, Cahier n°16, collective work of which our firm has been part
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Primes et décotes dans le cadre des évaluations financières, Société Française des Evaluateurs. Collective work of which our firm has been part.
ARTICLES
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Résultats de l’observatoire de la valeur des start-ups à impact au cours du second semestre 2022, Colibri Advisory, January 2023
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Résultats de l’observatoire de la valeur des start-ups à impact au cours du premier semestre 2022, Colibri Advisory, July 2022
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L’ESG vaut de l’or, Agefi, Interview of Pierre-Jean Gaudel, April 2022
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Résultats de l’observatoire de la valeur des start-ups à impact en 2021, Colibri Advisory, March 2022
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Investissement à impact : entretien avec Pierre-Jean Gaudel, Journal Spécial des Sociétés, January 2022
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Sociétés écoresponsables : comment accélérer votre financement ?, Colibri Advisory, February 2021
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Cession d'entreprises : entretien avec Pierre-Jean Gaudel, Journal Spécial des Sociétés, January 2021
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Les bonnes pratiques en matière d’acquisition d’une cible détenant des actifs immobiliers, Journal Spécial des Sociétés, May 2020
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Une association pour promouvoir le conseil en haut de bilan. Droit et patrimoine, May 2019. Quote from Pierre-Jean Gaudel
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Les nouvelles obligations d’information des salariés en matière de reprise d’entreprise, Review Analyse financière, published by Société française des analystes financiers (SFAF). Edition n°60 – July to September 2016
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Les nouvelles obligations d’information des salariés en matière de reprise d’entreprise, Journal des Sociétés, May 2016
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Évaluation, audit et garanties, La Gazette du Palais, May 2010, Extract from Actes du Colloque organised by the association Droit et Commerce
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La maîtrise des risques dans les opérations d'acquisition, Fusions & acquisitions magazine, July-August 2009
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L'évaluation fiscale des titres de société, Economie et comptabilité, June 2009
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L'évaluation des préjudices économiques, Culture Droit, November 2008.
CONTACT US
We are at your disposal if you wish to share with us your project of fundraising, sale, acquisition or company valuation...
You can submit your project to: pj.gaudel@colibri-advisory.com
The applications (for internship or full-time jobs) can be addressed to: drh@colibri-advisory.com.
Address:
12, avenue du président Wilson, 75116 Paris, France
+33 (0)1 58 36 56 80

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