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The Strategic Buyer — Why One Founder's £1 Million Became £28 Million in Three Years

Thinking Like an Acquirer: How founders use funding, acquisitions and integration to build enterprise value instead of scaling sales alone

David Horne has raised more than £120 million in growth capital and completed 33 acquisitions and exits across nearly four decades as a CFO. Most founders are told the route to a bigger company is more sales, more staff, and patience, so they spend years grinding out organic growth while the businesses around them get bought. David argues the faster route is to sit on the other side of the table: fund the balance sheet first, acquire the capability you would otherwise build, then integrate it properly, the sequence he set out in his book Add Then Multiply and used to take a business from £1 million to nearly £28 million in three years. He walks through what founders turning over £2 to £20 million need in place before their first deal, and where integration quietly destroys the value the deal created. Listeners leave able to judge whether their next stage of growth should be bought rather than built.

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About David Horne

David Horne, podcast guest

Business Growth Strategist | M&A Expert | Author

40+ years International business experience£120M+ Growth funding raised30+ M&A transactions completed£2M–£20M Founder businesses advised by revenue range

David B Horne has spent nearly four decades helping ambitious founders build businesses that don't just grow, they multiply. A Chartered Accountant by background, David has raised more than £120 million in growth capital and completed 33 mergers, acquisitions and exits. He has helped companies scale from startup to market leader through strategic funding, acquisitions, and disciplined financial leadership. Today, as founder of ADD THEN MULTIPLY, he works with entrepreneurs turning over £2–20 million who want to accelerate growth, increase business value, and build companies that can ultimately thrive without them.

Throughout his career, David has served as CFO for listed companies, high-growth businesses, and entrepreneurial ventures, including Daniel Priestley's companies, giving him a front-row seat to what separates businesses that plateau from those that scale exponentially. His proven FACE methodology: Fund, Acquire, Consolidate, Exit shows founders how to move beyond the limits of organic growth and create transformational business value through strategic acquisitions and robust financial foundations.

David is also a passionate advocate for female founders. After being asked a simple question following a speaking engagement: why so little investment reaches women-led businesses, he began researching the issue and uncovered the systemic funding gap that continues to exist across venture capital.

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Why Female Founders Still Get Less Than 2% of the Funding with David B. Horne
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Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Show· Listen to David Horne on air