Patrick Boulter
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Hey Patrick — we both ended up in PE from pretty different directions. been thinking a lot about proprietary origination in the lower mid-market lately. would be good to connect.
Hey Patrick, we both landed in PE from pretty different backgrounds — I came through IB at CS & Greenhill in London rather than the military and consulting route like you. origination was always the same story for me — clear thesis, decent relationships, but no proprietary system of record. the people, tools and ideas were never really connected. every deal virtually sourced from scratch, nothing compounding over time. curious if that's still how most funds operate or if I'm behind the times? — Russ
Hey Patrick, we both ended up in the PE world, though from different routes — I came through banking at CS & Greenhill in London into growth equity, not through the military and consulting path into search like you. the pattern I keep seeing with most funds is weirdly consistent — strong thesis, solid network, but no proprietary system of record. the people, tools and ideas are never really connected, so every deal is virtually sourced from scratch. nothing compounds on itself. curious if that resonates or if you've built something different at Blue Knot? — Russ
hey Patrick — no worries if the timing's off. most funds I talk to have tried some version of building origination in-house — analyst pulling from Pitchbook or Grata, maybe using ChatGPT to help qualify, dumping it into a spreadsheet. each piece kind of works, but there's no system of record tying it together. tonnes of wasted energy and everything ends up out of sync. been helping a few funds like Mentmore work through that. curious if you've run into the same thing at Blue Knot? — Russ
totally get it if origination infrastructure isn't top of mind right now — most funds have 10 things ahead of it on the priority list. the funds I've seen crack it early just tend to compound deal flow in a way that's hard to replicate later. if it ever moves up the list, I'm easy to find. — Russ
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Patrick — Came across Blue Knot and really liked the model — acquiring and growing lower-midsize UK businesses with flexible terms and genuine long-term commitment. That patient, partner-alongside-you approach is rare in the UK market, and it clearly resonates with the types of founders and owners you're looking to back. Bit of background on me: I spent three years deploying €10-30M growth equity tickets into European companies. Loved the investing, hated how much of my week disappeared into manually hunting down targets and chasing owner contacts. So I built SearchLoop to fix that. Now I run it for other UK-focused firms. Backer Group uses it to source service and light manufacturing businesses for acquisition — we map companies matching their thesis, score them on owner profile and acquisition readiness → then run personalised outreach to owners and book meetings directly into their calendar. Mentmore Capital does something similar on the search fund side, using geographic data to map fragmented UK markets. The whole thing is custom-built to each firm's stack — plugs into your CRM, email, calendar — and you can see exactly what's happening at every step. No black box. Figured with Blue Knot's focus on fragmented industries and lower-midsize UK targets, you might be dealing with the same sourcing challenge I was — lots of interesting companies out there, but finding and reaching the right owners is a grind. Worth a quick call to see if it could help? Russ searchloop.ai linkedin.com/in/russellt23
Prospect Research
## PROSPECT INFORMATION: Name: Patrick Boulter Title: Managing Partner Fund: Blue Knot Partners Background: PROSPECT SUMMARY: PATRICK B. CURRENT FOCUS Patrick is currently the Managing Director at Sovereign Surgical LLP (since September 2022), a role he transitioned into through his work as a Managing Partner at Blue Knot Partners. He is focused on business transformation, operational excellence, and leveraging technology and partnerships as business enablers in the healthcare and surgical services sector. BACKGROUND Patrick has an extensive 15-year career spanning military leadership, international trade, and strategic consulting. He served as a Captain in the British Army (2006–2010) before founding Swift Trade China Ltd, where he managed soft commodity trading and procurement across China, Europe, and Africa. He later served as a Managing Consultant at CITI Consulting Solutions, focusing on business change and project management. He holds an MBA from London Business School and is a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and Durham University. KEY SKILLS - Strategic Advisory & Leadership (Cross-functional and multi-country) - Business Transformation & Development - Global Sourcing and Procurement - Project and Programme Management - Operations Management & Cost Management - Conflict Resolution and Negotiation NOTABLE LINKEDIN POSTS - May 10, 2023: "I’m happy to share that I have started a new position as Managing Director at Sovereign Surgical LLP! It has been a privilege to get to know the company and the fantastic team behind the scenes." - May 10, 2023: "Thank you to everyone at Sovereign and in particular to Graham and Glyn. I am already very proud of the team and their service to many hospitals. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all my investors, many professors and students at London Business School." - March 13, 2017: "A great day with the BBC - thanks Christine Murphy!" - October 1, 2016: Published an article titled "The Empty Chair- Part 1" via CITI Limited. - February 20, 2024: Updated profile activity related to Sovereign Surgical (28 reactions on a reshared announcement from Blue Knot Partners stating: "Blue Knot has recently partnered with Graham Hills & Glyn Griffiths at Sovereign Surgical. Sovereign has an outstanding team - they go above and beyond for their hospitals.") Fund details: - Description: We are a team of entrepreneurs, executives and investors, looking for a company in the UK in the lower midsize segment, with the objective of developing long-term growth and turning the company into a leader in its sector. We invest our own money alongside our investors. Our focus is on nurturing the values and core strengths of the business, while developing its potential through business expansion, financial efficiency and digital transformation. We are able to articulate flexible investment structures in order to align the interests of both our group and the business owner, and put the long term success of the company at the top of everything we do. Unlike private equity funds or corporate buyers, we will not incorporate the business to a portfolio, but will join its daily operations and work towards long-term growth. - Website: https://www.blueknotpartners.com - Location: United Kingdom - Lead qualification: Research: - Query: =Blue Knot Partners Patrick Boulter recent investments fund thesis - Answer: Patrick Boulter is a partner at Blue Knot Partners, which focuses on investing in U.S. family-owned businesses. He has significant shares in Blue Knot Topco1 Limited. Boulter's recent investments include funds managed by Thesis Capital Partners.