About Exitly
The UK marketplace for the businesses no one writes about.
We're not here to flip £100m AI startups. Exitly is built for the unsexy businesses: the family plumbing firm, the regional agency, the manufacturing unit on the trading estate, the established practice everyone in town relies on. Real businesses, run by real people, who deserve a serious place to sell.
Why we built it
For the businesses no one writes about.
We're not here to sell the next £100m AI startup or chase a venture-backed unicorn exit. Exitly exists for the unsexy businesses: the family plumbing firm, the regional agency, the manufacturing unit on the trading estate, the established practice everyone in town relies on. Real businesses, run by real people, that actually employ Britain.
These owners have spent ten, twenty, sometimes forty years building something that works. When the time comes to step back, they deserve more than a glossy broker who treats them like deal flow. Traditional brokers charge thousands up front, take 8 to 12 percent of the sale, and lock you into 12 month exclusivities. For most UK SMEs trading under £2m of profit, that's an awful deal.
Exitly is a modern, transparent marketplace. Standard listings are free. Buyers are verified. Optional paid visibility is there if you want it. You keep 100 percent of the sale and you bring your own lawyer and accountant. We connect the right buyers and sellers, and stay out of the way.
The team is operators, ex founders and engineers who've closed deals on every side of the table. We're not financial advisors. We're not regulated as brokers. We're a marketplace, by design, for the businesses that keep the lights on in towns across the UK.
What we stand for
Four commitments that shape the product.
No broker tax
Standard listings are free. No retainer, no 8 to 12 percent success fee, no 12 month exclusivity. You keep what you build.
Radical transparency
Every listing shows the same data fields. Every buyer is verified. No hidden deal flow, no off market favourites.
Verified buyers only
We KYC every buyer before they can message a seller. Buyers also pay £2 to enquire, so only enquiries with real intent reach you. Tyre kickers and data scrapers do not get past the door.
Built by operators
We have been the seller, the buyer and the broker. The product reflects what we wished existed when we sold our own companies.
How we operate
Three principles, not a manifesto.
Short list. We refer back to it when product decisions get hard.
- 01
The seller is the customer
Brokers optimise for the broker. We optimise for the founder writing the listing. Every product decision starts there.
- 02
Bring your own advisors
Use your existing lawyer and accountant. We are the marketplace and the workflow, not a replacement for the professionals you trust.
- 03
Price what you use
Standard listing is free. Premium and Featured upgrades and broker subscriptions exist for people who want more, and only for them.
Small team, founder built, UK based.
Eight people across London, Manchester and Bristol. Backgrounds in marketplace product, SME M&A, and enterprise SaaS. Two founders who sold prior companies in the £400k to £2m profit range and remember every detail of what made the process miserable.