You built the business.
We help a buyer see its full value.
We help SME owners convert people-dependent businesses into system-dependent, transferable companies, so buyers can see the value clearly.
Illustrative calculation. Actual multiples vary by sector, size and deal structure.
Three numbers buyers look at first
One metric that matters
Did this increase what a buyer is willing to pay? That is the only question ExValu measures success against.
The most valuable part of your business is the part a buyer cannot see.
The experience you and your key people have built over the years is one of the most valuable assets in your business. But much of it is invisible to a buyer because it lives in people's heads.
ExValu captures that knowledge and judgment in your Company Brain and systemizes the sales, customer and operating processes around it.
The result is a business that depends less on you, is easier for a buyer to understand and assess, and is easier to transfer to a new owner.
When you decide to sell, you come to the table with the knowledge, processes and evidence already documented. That puts you in a stronger position during due diligence and negotiations, and reduces the reasons a buyer may insist that you stay involved after the deal is done.
The owner dependency tax
You spent years building a profitable business. In valuation talks, a buyer asks one question about it: what happens without you? This is where that question gets its price.
How buyers price owner dependence, with sources
An uncomfortable truth only becomes visible at the worst possible moment, during valuation discussions when it is too late to fix. Buyers routinely apply a key person discount of 10-25% to owner-dependent companies (William Buck Corporate Finance; Damodaran, NYU Stern). The business can be profitable and its market solid. Buyers still price the risk that its value lives in the owner's head, relationships and daily presence.
Most owners spend decades building a real, successful, profitable business. Then they enter exit discussions and discover they have not built a transferable asset. They have built a high-level job they cannot leave. The valuation follows.
A $2M EBITDA business that should command a 7x multiple ($14M exit) gets marked down to 4x ($8M) because the company cannot demonstrate it would survive the owner stepping back for 30 days. That $6M difference is the owner dependency tax, and it is one of the most expensive blind spots in SME exits.
ExValu exists to help close it. We help SME owners prove operational independence to buyers through systems that keep the business running when the owner is not in the room.
Valuation engineering: systems a buyer can see and price
Buyers pay premiums for businesses with low execution risk, predictable cash flows and transferable operations. We build exactly that, with AI as the most efficient tool for the job.
Capture and systemize owner knowledge
How your judgment becomes a business asset
Turning undocumented judgment into structured, transferable operational assets. Decision walkthroughs, AI-generated SOPs, process risk registers, all formatted for buyer due diligence.
Automate customer-facing operations
How revenue keeps moving without you
AI voice agents, chatbots, and CRM workflows that handle lead capture, qualification, follow-up, and booking 24/7. Revenue no longer depends on the owner picking up the phone.
Create real-time operational visibility
What a buyer can read on day one
Dashboards and reporting that show buyers predictable, system-driven revenue rather than people-dependent processes. PE-grade financial visibility that signals always-on exit readiness.
Reduce key-person risk
How the 30-day absence test is passed
Demonstrating to buyers and their due diligence teams that the company runs independently of any single individual, including the owner. The 30-day absence test, passed with evidence.
The one question every system answers
This is valuation engineering. Every system we implement is designed to answer a single question a buyer's due diligence team will ask: "What happens if the owner leaves tomorrow?"
SME owners preparing for exit within a 1-3 year horizon
ExValu works selectively, with a small number of SME owners at a time. We focus on businesses in finance, tech, e-commerce, property, and premium services globally, where AI and CRM automation create immediate, measurable reductions in owner dependence.
Three situations where this pays off
Owners planning to sell
You want to sell within 1-3 years and need to maximize valuation before entering the market. The gap between your current and potential multiple is the gap ExValu closes.
Owners who need to sell
AI is changing your business model and your traditional competitive advantage is eroding. Exiting on your terms, before the market reprices you, means moving now.
Profitable but dependent
Your business is genuinely successful. The numbers are solid. But it depends on your daily presence to function, and buyers see that before you do. That dependency has a price.
The window is shorter than most owners realize
Owners who act now keep the choice of when and how to sell. Beyond exit planning, AI is reshaping entire industries right now, and owners can face a double discount at exit: owner dependence and operational obsolescence.
How AI is reshaping six industries, with sources
88% of organizations now use AI in at least one business function, up from 78% a year earlier, according to McKinsey's State of AI 2025 survey. Industries where AI is already reshaping operations, and the list is growing:
Customer service and contact centers
Gartner forecasts that agentic AI will autonomously resolve 80% of common customer service issues by 2029, cutting operational costs by 30%. Businesses without always-on AI operations are already losing ground.
Gartner, March 2025Finance and banking
75% of financial services firms surveyed by the Bank of England and FCA already use AI, up from 58% in 2022, with a further 10% planning to adopt within three years. Manual operations look increasingly antiquated to sophisticated acquirers.
Bank of England and FCA, 2024Legal and professional services
AI is expected to free up around 240 hours per legal professional each year, worth roughly $19,000 per person. Work that took weeks now completes in hours, and the efficiency gap is priced in.
Thomson Reuters, Future of Professionals 2025Retail and e-commerce
Generative AI could add $400 billion to $660 billion a year to retail and consumer goods, equal to 1.2 to 2.0% of sector revenues. Personalization, dynamic pricing, and conversational commerce are now table stakes.
McKinsey, 2023Manufacturing and logistics
Early adopters of AI-enabled supply chains cut logistics costs by 15%, reduced inventory by 35%, and lifted service levels by 65% against slower competitors. Predictive maintenance and autonomous systems are becoming baseline.
McKinsey, 2021Healthcare
The US FDA has now authorized more than 1,000 AI-enabled medical devices, up from a handful a decade ago. AI diagnostics, triage, and administrative automation are reshaping care delivery.
US FDA, 2025Sector examples reflect the AI landscape as of August 2026. The direction has been consistent and is accelerating.
The strategic reality: Whether you are planning to sell in 1-3 years or not, if your industry is being reshaped by AI and your business has not adapted, you face a double discount at exit: owner dependence and operational obsolescence. The businesses commanding premium valuations today are those that have already made the transition from people-dependent, manual operations to system-dependent, AI-augmented ones. Buyers pay for proof.
The good news: this is fixable. And the fix does not take years. Most ExValu implementations are scoped as fixed-price, milestone-based projects. We assess the business, design the AI architecture, implement the systems, and hand over a company that demonstrably runs without the owner in daily operations.
Four principles behind everything we build
We deliver operational independence that buyers can model, audit, and price.
The four principles behind every system we build
Buyer logic over tool features
Everything we build is designed to answer the question a buyer's due diligence team will ask: "What happens if the owner leaves tomorrow?" Tool features are irrelevant. Buyer confidence is the output.
System-dependence over people-dependence
We replace undocumented judgment with structured workflows, tribal knowledge with accessible databases, and manual follow-up with automated nurture sequences. The business runs on systems. Systems transfer. People do not.
Explainability over complexity
Every system we implement can be explained to owners, buyers, tax advisors, and M&A teams. No black boxes. No vendor lock-in. Just transferable, defensible operational assets that survive the handover.
ROI over innovation theater
We measure success in valuation uplift, risk reduction and deal outcomes. Because at the end of the day, only one metric matters: did this increase what a buyer is willing to pay?
Built by someone who has sat on both sides of the table
ExValu was founded by Karl zu Ortenburg, a strategist, entrepreneur, and former corporate finance executive with decades of experience turning complex operations into scalable, transferable systems.
"Your exit should reward everything you built. My job is to make sure it does."
Karl zu Ortenburg, Founder, ExValu More about Karl →
Background: finance first, from Deutsche Bank to London Business School
Karl's background is rooted in finance, not technology. He spent years at Deutsche Bank, ran an FSA-regulated corporate finance firm in London focused on TMT project finance across Europe and the USA, and has spent his career understanding what buyers actually pay for.
The answer is predictable cash flows with low execution risk. That buyer-side perspective, finance first and technology second, shapes every ExValu engagement.
What matters is this: Karl has spent his career asking one question: how do you capture what a brilliant human knows, and make it outlast them? ExValu is the answer to that question, built specifically for owners preparing to exit.
A note for family businesses planning a succession
Family businesses and generational transitions
We understand that many family businesses want to preserve owner knowledge for the next generation. That mission aligns deeply with the broader work ExValu does, capturing expertise so it outlasts the person who built it. However, succession scenarios often come with funding structures and timelines that make our implementation model difficult to fit well. We are working on a solution for family transitions, but we are not in a position to offer one yet.
For now, ExValu is built for owners preparing to sell to strategic buyers, financial buyers or search funds, where the ROI on reducing key-person risk is immediate and measurable at transaction.
Selective, committed, outcome-focused
ExValu exists to make sure that conversation happens on your terms, with evidence, with documented systems, and with a multiple that reflects the business you actually built.
How we decide if it is the right fit
ExValu works with a small number of SME owners at a time, selectively and with real commitment to outcomes. We assess fit carefully. Not every business is ready for this work, and not every timeline allows for it. When the fit is right, the impact is measurable and the ROI is significant.
If your company cannot run for 30 days without you, because revenue depends on your relationships, sales knowledge lives in your head or operations rely on your daily presence, buyers are already applying a discount. The only question is whether you address it before the valuation discussion, or discover it during negotiation when it is too late to fix.
Answers before you decide
A few things owners like to know before they take a first step.
Is ExValu the right fit for my business?
ExValu works selectively, with a small number of SME owners at a time. We focus on businesses in finance, tech, e-commerce, property and premium services, where AI and CRM automation reduce owner dependence. It fits best if you plan to sell within one to three years and your business still depends on your daily presence.
What will ExValu actually do in my business?
We capture what you and your key people know and turn it into documented, transferable processes. We also automate customer-facing work such as lead capture, follow-up and booking, and we set up reporting a buyer can read without you. Every system is documented, so a buyer's team can inspect it and take it over.
How long does it take, and how is it priced?
The Exit Readiness Program runs for six months, with a milestone each month. Most ExValu implementations are scoped as fixed-price, milestone-based projects, so you know what you are committing to. We agree the scope and price with you on your diagnostic call.
How much of my time does it need?
Your time commitment is 4 to 6 hours per month for knowledge capture and milestone reviews. Our team handles the rest, so you keep running your business while we build and document the systems.
What will a buyer see when they ask what happens without me?
A buyer sees documented systems, dated records and evidence they can check, including the results of a 30-day owner absence test. That gives you a clear answer to the question every buyer asks about owner dependence. Valuation outcomes depend on sector, size and deal structure, so we do not promise a specific multiple.
Wondering what your company is worth without you in the room?
Find out where owner dependence might be costing you, and what closing that gap could be worth at exit.
Book my diagnostic call20-30 minutes. A specific picture of where you stand.