Strategy and M&A partner helping you hit your stride
Hands-on execution that turns strategic clarity into real performance
Nicolaj Lund
Independent Advisor
It’s not my first rodeo
+10 years
Experience with
strategy and M&A
+40 projects
of strategy, value creation
and M&A support
EUR +1bn
Transaction value
across deals
Strategy Consulting
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Build a shared understanding of where you stand, the options you have and what drives and limits value.
Assessment of performance, position, and value drivers
Identify strategic challenges, opportunities, and constraints
Alignment on the company’s true point of departure
Outcome: A clear, data-backed starting point that anchors every strategic choice ahead
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Define the ambition and the logic to achieve it
Clarify long-term aspiration and value ambition
Map where to compete: Markets, segments, etc.
Define how to win: Differentiation, focus etc.
Outcome: A coherent strategy connecting ambition to competitive advantage
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Translate the strategy into clear initiatives, owners, and measurable outcomes
Break down strategic priorities into concrete, actionable projects
Define ownership, milestones, and success metrics
Create the link between strategic intent and operational execution
Outcome: A structured plan for measurable progress
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Build the rhythm, structure, and culture that make execution inevitable
Leadership routines and decision forums designed for strategic focus
KPI and feedback systems that track progress and drive accountability
Communication cadence for team alignment
Outcome: A leadership system that keeps strategy alive and execution on track, quarter after quarter
I help design strategy that makes growth coherent. Every choice of where to play, how to win is tied to maximizing long-term value
M&A Consulting
I help prepare, position, and execute major transaction events - whether it is buying or selling a company
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Clarify your exit path, align stakeholders, and prepare the company for a high-confidence sale
Exit rationale, timing, and scenario mapping
Equity story and buyer positioning
Data-driven readiness assessment across strategy, operations, and financials
Outcome: A clear exit plan, investor-grade materials, and a business positioned to attract premium offers
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Define the right acquisition logic, targets, and structure to accelerate growth
Strategic rationale and synergy model for acquisitions
Target universe mapping and prioritisation
Integration and value-creation blueprint
Outcome: A focused acquisition strategy with clarity on where, why, and how to buy
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Understand the market landscape before making a move to improve deal outcomes
Market sizing and growth outlook
Competitive landscape and white-space identification
Validation of target positioning and differentiation
Outcome: Evidence-based conviction about where to compete and which opportunities create lasting value
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Turn uncertainty into conviction before you buy
Deep analysis of market demand, customer behaviour, and growth drivers
Competitive and positioning assessment to test the target’s strategic edge
Validation of the investment thesis, risks, and value creation potential
Outcome: Clarity to negotatiate and invest with confidence - and a playbook for where value will actually come from
Recent clients
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M&A | Buy-side support
Assessment and IC materials for placing bid on US sewage inspection robotics company
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M&A | Exit
Share acquisition of Radiobotics by Medimaps; Support on due diligence, valuation and negotiation
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Strategy | Exit optimization
Strategy focused on exit value optimization for MSK AI SaaS business that identifies fractures on x-Rays
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![Strategy update]()
Strategy | Update
Strategy update with high-growth merchandizing agency, Bait, focusing on business plan for the coming 3 years
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![Go-to-market strategy]()
Strategy | Go-to-market
GTM strategy, pricing and profitability potential for reuseable hospital gloves, ReGlove (owned by Bait)
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M&A | Commercial DD
Commercial DD for Danish midcap PE fund targeting OEM of electro-optical cameras for military applications
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![Strategy | Update]()
Strategy | Update
Strategy update for UK business of global leader in jewellery, Pandora, resulting in updated business plan
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Strategy | Value optimization
Value optimisation plan, including strategy for new software product and support on EUR ~1m fundraise
Nicolaj Lund
Strategy and M&A adviser to PE funds, their portfolio companies and owner-managed businesses.
I care about helping investors and leadership teams make sound decisions and then deliver on them. In private equity that starts before the deal, with a clear view of the market and of where the value in a target will come from. I also often see the value case agreed at investment committee lost after closing, when priorities drift, the organisation pulls in different directions and progress stops being measured.
I founded Stride Partners to work on the investment decision and on what happens after it.
My background is more than ten years of strategy and deal work, at Bain & Company and on the investment side at Kirk Kapital. I was also a founding team member at Round, a consultancy and investment company started by MBB seniors, where I built the investment business.
For PE funds, I support acquisitions with market assessments, commercial due diligence and IC materials, and developing acquisition strategies for portfolio companies. With portfolio companies and owner-managed businesses, I work embedded with management on strategy, value creation plans and exit preparation, including the leadership routines, decision forums and KPIs that keep the plan on track.
Clients work directly with me, and I bring in senior advisors and industry experts when a project needs more depth.
My approach
Senior Capacity on Demand
From strategy and value creation to transactions and integration, I provide senior execution capacity that removes complexity and accelerates outcomes
Needle-Mover
I help portfolio leadership teams get strategic clarity, make decisions and execute them with discipline - always anchored in commercial logic
Embedded Execution
I operate as an embedded partner in the business, driving progress alongside your team with direct ownership
Top-Tier Standards
Clear structure, high analytical rigor, and execution that holds up under scrutiny
Contact me
Take your company to the next level. Get in touch and let me know your ambitions and needs.