A Fresh Perspective on SME Acquisition
🎯 At Re-New, our mission is to support aspiring buyers from all walks of life. Today, we’re launching a series of interviews to highlight our candidates — inspiring stories for the entire SME transmission community.
To kick things off, we sat down with Anaïs Duplat, a young buyer whose journey stands out from traditional sector profiles. From an intensive training at CRA to questioning her role, a strong will to learn collectively, and an openness to experimenting with new approaches, Anaïs embodies a new generation of buyers: pragmatic and agile.
Why read this interview?
👉 Meet Anaïs, and share her story to encourage diversity of paths that is reshaping the landscape of business acquisition in France!
At just 26, Franco-Belgian Anaïs Duplat is shaking up the codes of SME acquisition. Here’s the portrait of an atypical candidate who turns supposed “obstacles” into strategic assets.
Bertrand Galas: Anaïs, could you introduce yourself and your acquisition project?
Anaïs Duplat:
I’m far from the “typical” buyer profile. Born Franco-Belgian, I grew up in Belgium until 18 before moving to Canada to study business at McGill.
After that first international step, I knew I wanted to specialize in healthcare. I pursued a master’s degree in health policy with a clear goal: combining business expertise with social impact. I wanted the tools to professionally run a healthcare SME while keeping a sense of social utility that has motivated me since my teenage years.
Professionally, this has been consistent: I joined APHP during the Covid crisis, at the symbolic time when the French clapped at their windows every evening at 8pm. I helped develop Hoptisoins, a structure created to improve caregivers’ daily lives by organizing free meal deliveries, transportation services, and — most importantly — by listening to their real needs.
Later, I ventured into entrepreneurship with a startup aiming to improve home nurses’ working conditions. We first tried opening physical centers, then pivoted to SaaS with a dedicated app. That pivot allowed scaling, but personally, I felt less aligned with the new model.
The final trigger? A car accident that forced me to stop for a while. That gave me time to reflect, articulate what truly drives me, and structure my approach. That’s when I envisioned acquiring a healthcare SME with strong social impact.
Today, I’ve been actively searching for two months, ideally in Île-de-France, with one mission: to “care for caregivers” — these dedicated yet often forgotten professionals.
BG: Do your supposed “obstacles” — young age, female profile — really create barriers?
AD:
It’s actually the opposite!
There’s one trap to avoid: becoming “the hare” in negotiations. Some sellers might use a young candidate’s interest to play other buyers off against them. Staying vigilant is crucial.
My advice to atypical profiles: stop apologizing for being different — your uniqueness can become your strongest competitive edge.
BG: How are you structuring your search after completing CRA training?
AD:
I’ve developed what I call a “progressive professionalization” approach, which lets me avoid rookie mistakes while keeping control:
Phase 1 – Structuring: “Controlled Learning”
Phase 2 – Acceleration: “Going Pro”
Too many buyers burn their best contacts by being underprepared. The right support too early or too late can both backfire — timing is everything.
BG: Could you specify your target company for potential sellers?
AD:
My search is tailor-made, based on clear criteria:
✅ Sector: Healthcare (wide scope: services, medical/paramedical training, care organization, patient mobility, medical equipment, rehab, prevention, occupational health). Anything improving caregivers’ lives.
✅ Location: Île-de-France (dense ecosystem, proximity to funders), but open to others.
✅ Size: Structured SME but still human-scale. At least 2 employees (excluding the seller), ideally 5–15. No solo-businesses or heavy organizations.
✅ Financials: EBITDA ≥ €300k, with flexibility if the project shows solid potential. Healthy margins, proven profitability, no turnaround.
✅ Non-negotiables: Tangible social impact and professional recognition (certifications, established reputation, niche leadership).
What excites me most: businesses that directly improve caregivers’ daily lives. I seek as much meaning as profitability — projects where impact is measured both in lives improved and euros earned.
Examples: innovative caregiver training centers, optimized practice management services, ergonomic equipment for professionals, digital solutions for home caregivers.
BG: What gives you special legitimacy in such a demanding sector?
AD:
My commitment has deep roots.
Born with a congenital condition, I spent years in hospitals as a teenager. My revelation: all attention went to patients, but who cared for the caregivers? I saw nurses exhausted after 12-hour shifts, physios injuring themselves, aides drained emotionally.
That became my lifelong mission: to care for those who care.
My experience spans APHP (public system), health startups (innovation), associations, and a family context around disability. It’s a tough but extraordinary world, where progress and impact are visible every single day.
I’m not afraid of B2G (government contracts), ministries, public hospitals, associations — I even see opportunities where classic entrepreneurs avoid them. My guiding question is always: will this product or service genuinely improve life for users or caregivers?
BG: How do you identify targets in such a fragmented sector?
AD:
I use a two-speed approach:
Call to readers: If you work in healthcare or know SMEs that match my criteria, or if you have advice on approaching these networks, I’d love to hear from you!
📩 Professional contact: Anaïs Duplat is actively looking for her target SME. Sellers, intermediaries, healthcare players: reach out to Re-New for an introduction.
