From Search to Start: Exploring Alternative Paths in Entrepreneurial Acquisitions - ⁠Rob LeBlanc | Horizon Search 25

Rob LeBlanc is the managing partner of ambit partners, an international search fund investor that focuses on introducing traditional search strategies into new and emerging markets. Originally from Vancouver, Rob graduated from McGill in Montreal, then transitioned to management consulting in Toronto with Oliver Wyman. After broadening his private equity portfolio across North America, he earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.

In 2012, motivated by past experiences, Rob moved to South Africa to join a private equity firm aiding in business succession from older to younger operators. After a successful exit in 2018-2019, he shifted his investment focus towards search ventures in North America, but soon expanded to untapped opportunities in emerging markets, influenced by his work experience in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. This led to the inception of Ambit Partners in 2019 with two ex-colleagues. Now, Rob devotes himself entirely to its flourishing trajectory.

Key Quotes

• The Potential of Search Fund in Emerging Markets: "So we definitely see that as like a second or third order opportunity, like as the career opportunity itself is better known, and it proliferates, so too the pool of talent that great people will emerge from will broaden and deepen." — 00:20:34-00:20:48
• The Future of Directorship in the Era of AI: "I actually don't think it's a ceiling as much as it is. I don't think it's a binding constraint. I think it's going to actually become a catalyst of diluted returns." — 00:24:04-00:24:10
• Regional Opportunities in Search: "I mean, there's no trade secrets in it. I think one of the unique and wonderful things about search is how it flourishes on collaborative minority investors and searchers, and so if we think something's interesting, we hope others do too and crowd in on it. So, in that sense, I guess a regional comment is we think that just Asia, in general, is on the cusp of search being a real thing. There's such encouraging and early seeds being planted there that we just think it's ripe for a huge boom regionally."— 00:33:55-00:34:22

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