One adviser who has begun to make waves in the M&A market – with the combined valuation of her engagements over the past three years amounting to $500m – is CEO and Founder of business advisory firm, Trachet, Claire Trachet. 

This comes amidst proprietary research from Trachet highlighting that nearly 1-in-5 British women state that due to a lack of diversity in the higher ranks of their business they never saw a future in it, so they left that sector.

A further 52% of Brits state that they share the sentiment that women must work twice as hard or be twice as qualified as men to reach the same objectives in business – an issue which is further exacerbated when it comes to female-founded companies. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this need to work harder is having a knock-on effect on their mental health, with 36% stating they often feel tired, helpless, or lonely from the world of work due to their workload.

In spite of these undeniable barriers, Trachet set up the business as a hands-on boutique advisory in 2016 following both a successful career in corporate finance and as an award-winning entrepreneur with the mission of helping others accelerate growth. In the six years since the firm's inception, it has now amassed an impressive track-record across a wide array of sectors globally, including DeepTech, Cybersecurity, CleanTech, TravelTech, FinTech, EdTech, SaaS, marketplaces, as well as Chemicals, Infrastructure, CPG, Healthcare and Natural Resources. Today, Trachet is a trusted advisor supporting companies with everything from business development to exit strategies. The firm helps clients from the ground up, stepping-in or advising C-level management on opportunity analysis and transaction execution.
 
Claire Trachet, founder of Trachet, said: “I'm really proud of how the company has grown over the past six years, especially amidst challenging times such as the pandemic and economic slowdown. I believe the best way to create value to the highest extent for clients is by putting people first and leaning on that trust to go through the highs and the lows of the transactions.

"After embarking on my entrepreneurial journey, friends and acquaintances continuously turned to me for guidance and counsel, ranging from simple transactions to some very complex operations. I began to understand how limited the access to appropriate counsel was for many start-up founders with established businesses.

"Following the transaction we facilitated for Dathena, we’ve also received interest from companies and their investors, curious to understand options developing for startups post Series A and B. We work across sectors in technology, with historical clients and new ones trusting us in critical phases in their development, whether financing rounds or bolstering their foundations through accelerated growth. We will also continue our Pro-Bono programme, with a call for applications opening soon."

Speaking on the challenges women face in business, Trachet added: "Women-led businesses have to do with lesser capital (to avoid dilution) and hence see their growth potential tethered which puts the business’ survival at risk – especially in light of the challenging economic climate which will be an important factor over the next six months. The silver lining is that women are used to being resourceful and doing with less capital, hence are well experienced for tougher market conditions. This is also probably a key reason why women-led businesses generate better ROI over time.

“Social models are still significantly biased against women and minorities. This is reflected in business by lower salaries, a slower career path, distinct lack of access to C-suite or board positions and both fewer and smaller investments received. There is no chance of reaching a more balanced set of opportunities for women and men without society making conscious choices to start with – just like getting into any new habit. 

“Crucially, it is important to note that this is not advocating for the promotion of subpar businesses because they are led by women. It is about giving people a fair shot and owning the fact that biases run deep within businesses and institutions all around the world, including tech.
 
“Female entrepreneurs bring a different perspective that opens fresh solutions to age-old problems. One such example is CodeOp, a female-founded company that built a business which demonstrates every day that, when it comes to diversity in tech, the ‘pipeline problem’ is a myth that prevents accountability for biases in organisations. Accountability and actions are a path to the balancing of opportunities.
 
“Women-led businesses regularly outperform other businesses, meaning excess returns for the investors, and they tend to reach these top echelons of performance in a more capital-efficient way. On top of this, their businesses tend to be less volatile during crises – something we have seen countless times in the businesses we advise. Female entrepreneurs also tend to build businesses that are more diverse, hence the added creativity in problem-solving, and have increased capacity to attract and retain talent in this era of the ‘great resignation’.”