Welcome to *M&A Zing*, the weekly show for acquisition entrepreneurs, search funders and hold-co builders in the UK & Europe.  



Fresh back from a 400-strong ETA weekend at INSEAD, host Gareth Hawkins sits down with *Sebastiaan Willen*, ex-Bain consultant turned self-funded searcher, to unpack how he acquired premium artificial-green-wall maker *Vistafolia* (and why he skipped bank debt entirely).



*Episode Timestamps*  

[00:00 ] Intro & INSEAD 2025 recap  

[00:56 ] This Week’s M&A News – Monarch Healthcare buy-out, Treasia Capital search launch, Searchfunder Q1 report  

[02:41 ] Meet Sebastiaan Willen (Perfectus Capital ➜ Vistafolia)  

[04:41 ] Ten years of deliberate skill-building at IWG (Regus) & Shopee  

[10:06 ] Launching a solo, self-funded search while still in Malaysia  

[13:06 ] Spotting Vistafolia, structuring an all-equity + seller-note deal  

[20:26 ] Tariff shocks, global supply-chains & keeping US sales alive  

[24:54 ] First 90 days as MD—culture, cloud tools & steady hands  

[30:00 ] Advice for new owner-operators: listen first, change slowly  

[32:20 ] The five-year vision: doubling Vistafolia and paying the note early  

[35:00 ] Upcoming Serial Acquirer Symposium (18 June, London) & wrap-up  



Guest Bio – *Sebastiaan Willen*  

Sebastiaan is Managing Director of *Vistafolia* and founder of *Perfectus Capital*. A Belgian native, he spent seven years in Asia leading BD, marketing and 1,000-person ops teams at IWG/Regus and Shopee after starting at Bain. In Feb 2025 he closed his first acquisition, funded with personal capital and a seller note, to take Vistafolia’s award-winning artificial green-wall system worldwide.



*About M&A Zing*  

Host: Gareth Hawkins – CEO & Co-Founder, BizCrunch (exited founder & M&A investor). Each week we dive into real-world SMB M&A across the UK & Europe.



*Join the BizCrunch Community*  

Early-access episodes, live Q&A and networking for acquisition entrepreneurs & investors. Sign up → https://www.bizcrunch.co/community



Featured News  

• Odyssey Capital adds 13-home *Monarch Healthcare* to its care portfolio  

• *Treasia Capital* (Spain) launches €1–3.5 m EBIT search led by Luis Díaz Rodríguez-Arias  

• *Searchfunder News* Q1-2025 report: 20 ETA deals, 45 % in Europe (mostly Spain; UK, DE & NL follow)



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#SearchFunds #EntrepreneurshipThroughAcquisition #Vistafolia #BizCrunch #Dealmakers