Build a Business Worth Buying
Preparing to exit in the next 3–5 years?
We help founder-led businesses strengthen governance, finance, marketing, sales, product and operations, so buyers see an enterprise asset, not a personality-led operation.
We help founder-led businesses strengthen governance, finance, marketing, sales, product and operations, so buyers see an enterprise asset, not a personality-led operation.
10K+
10.000+ people already joined the SME Private Capital Fund
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Exit Value Is Built Before It Is Realised
Most founders focus on timing the market.Buyers focus on structure, risk and scalability.
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Why Profitable Businesses Still Sell at a Discount
Many founder-led businesses generate strong revenue and cash flow, yet still attract lower-than-expected valuations. The reason is rarely performance alone. Buyers assess governance maturity, leadership depth, reporting quality, recurring revenue structure, sales predictability and operational resilience. Where these areas are informal or founder-dependent, risk increases and multiples compress accordingly.
Preparing the Business, Not Just the Sale
True exit readiness requires coordinated strengthening across governance, finance, marketing, sales, product and operations. It also requires access to capital where strategic investment enhances enterprise value ahead of transition. Our approach aligns oversight, execution capability and capital support under one integrated framework, building institutional quality before a transaction is contemplated.
Why Founders Choose Hawkdun
We combine governance, execution capability and capital under one aligned structure, with a track record of scaling and exiting significant businesses.
Meet the team
Seasoned leaders in private credit, governance, and SME investment, united by a shared mission to back the backbone of New Zealand’s economy.
Hayden Dillon
Founder / Managing Director
Hayden Dillon
Founder / Managing Director
Founder / Managing Director
With 25+ years in banking, governance, and SME investment, Hayden has advised hundreds of regional businesses on growth and succession. He leads the fund’s strategy and deployment, bringing deep insight from his time with BNZ, NAB, and Findex.
With 25+ years in banking, governance, and SME investment, Hayden has advised hundreds of regional businesses on growth and succession. He leads the fund’s strategy and deployment, bringing deep insight from his time with BNZ, NAB, and Findex.
Kiran King
Acquisition Strategist
Kiran King
Acquisition Strategist
A commercial strategist with experience growing businesses across major Western markets, including Australia, New Zealand, North America, and the UK. Kiran specialises in building end-to-end acquisition systems that turn brand, positioning, and channels into predictable revenue. He has scaled service businesses, led national commercial transformations, and built high-performing sales and marketing teams across multiple industries. He also brings deep expertise in e-commerce growth, full-funnel performance systems, and demand generation for businesses looking to expand internationally.
Exit Readiness Assessment
A structured, founder-led review designed to strengthen enterprise value ahead of sale or succession within the next 3–5 years.
Pillar
Information
Governance & Leadership
We assess founder dependency, board structure, decision cadence and leadership depth, identifying areas that reduce buyer confidence and compress valuation.
Financial Architecture
We review reporting clarity, forecasting strength, margin visibility and capital structure to determine how institutional the business appears under diligence.
Revenue Predictability
We evaluate sales systems, pipeline transparency, recurring revenue strength and customer concentration risk.
Market & Growth Positioning
We analyse pricing strategy, defensibility, acquisition channels and long-term growth narrative.
Operational Scalability
We assess process maturity, systems documentation and operational leverage.
Risk & Dependency Exposure
We identify concentration risks across people, customers, suppliers and operational bottlenecks.
Strategic Capital Alignment
Where appropriate, we determine whether structured capital could accelerate value creation ahead of transition.
Demand & Early Wins
Even before public launch, the Fund has secured a strong pipeline of real SME opportunities, validating market demand and our hands-on lending model.
$2M Loan + Equity Kicker
Queenstown Entertainment
Pre-exit funding to scale regional entertainment assets, delivering yield plus equity upside ahead of PE acquisition.
Queenstown Entertainment
Pre-exit funding to scale regional entertainment assets, delivering yield plus equity upside ahead of PE acquisition.
$5M Debt / Equity Blend - North Island MachineryGrowth capital and consolidation funding in a recovering industrial sector, targeting asymmetric returns through a hybrid structure.
$$11M Secured Expansion Funding - Canterbury Food SupplierFully secured loan supporting national distribution growth and vertical integration, generating 12% yield and potential warrant gain.
$11M Fully Secured, ESG-Flagged - Southland Dairy FarmRefinancing and governance uplift for a proven agribusiness with strong cash flow, compliant with ESG transition standards.
Why We Win Deals Others Can't
We operate beyond the constraints of traditional banks and private equity, combining speed, flexibility, and deep governance insight to unlock opportunities others overlook.
Fast, Flexible, Founder-Focused.
We move faster than banks, offering tailored structures and flexible terms that help strong SMEs access capital when they need it most.
We move faster than banks, offering tailored structures and flexible terms that help strong SMEs access capital when they need it most.
Aligned with Business Ownerstrue partners to business owners.
We act as true partners, embedding advisory support, board access, and strategic oversight, not just capital. That alignment builds trust, transparency, and performance.
We act as true partners, embedding advisory support, board access, and strategic oversight, not just capital. That alignment builds trust, transparency, and performance.
Relationship-First Lending.
Our partnership approach means repeat deals, stronger borrower loyalty, and better visibility into performance, creating higher-quality returns for investors.
Our partnership approach means repeat deals, stronger borrower loyalty, and better visibility into performance, creating higher-quality returns for investors.
Smart, Strategic, and Scalable.
We’re not just faster, we’re smarter. By combining data-led credit decisions with governance experience, we capture quality opportunities before they hit the mainstream market.
We’re not just faster, we’re smarter. By combining data-led credit decisions with governance experience, we capture quality opportunities before they hit the mainstream market.