Insights

Zion Advisor is a boutique financial due diligence and M&A databook firm. We provide senior-led execution for advisory firms, private equity funds, investment banks, and family offices — across India, MENA, APAC, the UK, Europe, and the Nordics.

We cover the full deal lifecycle: financial due diligence (quality of earnings, adjusted EBITDA, working capital, net debt), M&A databooks (linked Excel schedules with visible formulas), financial modelling (operating models, scenario analysis), and AI finance automation (automated data loading and reconciliation).

A databook is the core deliverable in a financial due diligence engagement — a set of linked Excel schedules that bridge from source data (trial balance, SIE export, SAF-T) to adjusted EBITDA, working capital peg, and net debt. Every figure ties back to source. It is what the buyer's deal team uses to underwrite the acquisition.

Financial due diligence is the independent verification of a target's financial performance. It tests the quality of earnings, identifies EBITDA adjustments, analyses working capital trends, and maps net debt and debt-like items. The output is a defensible view of the numbers — not an audit opinion.

A Quality of Earnings report assesses whether a target's reported earnings are sustainable. It adjusts EBITDA for non-recurring items, owner perks, and one-off benefits. Unlike an audit, a QoE is forward-looking — it asks "what earnings will the buyer actually receive?"

Costs vary by deal size, scope, and timeline. A first-cut databook inside 72 hours is priced as a fixed project. Full-scope engagements typically run over 3–4 weeks. Zion prices by project with no minimum commitment or long-term retainer.

A first-cut databook can be delivered in 48–72 hours when the timeline is compressed. Full-scope engagements typically take 3–4 weeks. The timeline depends on data readiness, the complexity of the target's reporting basis, and the depth of the buyer's questions.

A working capital peg is the agreed level of working capital (receivables + inventory – payables) that the seller leaves in the business at closing. If actual working capital is below the peg, the purchase price is adjusted downward. Getting the peg right is one of the most negotiated points in a deal.

EBITDA add-backs are adjustments that normalise earnings — removing one-off costs, owner perks, or non-recurring expenses to arrive at a sustainable EBITDA. Buyers scrutinise add-backs closely. Credible add-backs are documented, non-recurring, and verifiable.

Yes. Most of our clients are boutiques and mid-market firms who need the capability of a large practice without the overhead. We work white-label under your brand, or directly with your deal team. No engagement is too small.

Every engagement is run by people with Big 4 transaction backgrounds — not by juniors learning on your deal. A senior review gate is applied before anything is delivered. Your databook is built by someone who has run live transactions.

Yes. Sweden is our priority market. We work natively from SIE4/SIE5 exports and SAF-T files, and we know where K2 and K3 reporting diverge in ways that move EBITDA. Coverage extends to Norway, Denmark, and Finland.