M&A Zing (Ep. 14)– From Bain to Botanical Walls: Sebastiaan Willen’s Self-Funded Buy-Out
Episode 14, May 15, 01:23 PM
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Sebastiaan Willen spent a decade deliberately collecting the skills he’d need to buy and run a company—strategy at Bain, marketing at IWG/Regus, then 1,000-seat operations at Shopee in SE-Asia.
In 2024 he launched a solo, self-funded search from London with one rule: only buy a business he’d be excited to grow.
Eight months later he closed the acquisition of **Vistafolia**, the UK-designed, premium artificial-green-wall brand sold in 40+ countries. No bank debt, no outside equity—just personal cash and a performance-linked seller note that pays down as fast as the business scales.
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)
Thanks for watching! Please *like*, *subscribe* and drop questions below—or better yet, join our community for the private AMA.
#SearchFunds #EntrepreneurshipThroughAcquisition #Vistafolia #BizCrunch #Dealmakers
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)
Thanks for watching! Please *like*, *subscribe* and drop questions below—or better yet, join our community for the private AMA.
#SearchFunds #EntrepreneurshipThroughAcquisition #Vistafolia #BizCrunch #Dealmakers