Business valuationBritish Columbia
Independent valuations of private companies and shareholdings across British Columbia, from the Lower Mainland to Vancouver Island and the Interior. Every conclusion is tied to the company’s own numbers, with the reasoning set out so buyers, investors, courts and the CRA can follow it.
When a valuation is needed
The purpose of a valuation decides the standard of value, the depth of the work and who will read the report. We settle it before anything else.
A supportable range before negotiations start, and a separate view of what a particular buyer could pay once synergies are counted.
A pre-money value you can defend with investors, including how SAFEs, convertible notes and new share classes affect it.
The value of an interest under your shareholder agreement, including whether minority and marketability discounts apply.
The value of a business interest for a family law settlement, with owner compensation and one-time items normalized and explained.
Fair market value for an estate freeze, a rollover or a transfer between related parties, documented for the file.
A price for option grants that meets Canadian rules and, for holders taxed in the U.S., the 409A safe harbor.
How we help
Business valuation services for private companies, founders and shareholders in British Columbia, and for the lawyers, accountants and investors who advise them. Each engagement pairs market evidence with a close reading of how the business makes money.
An independent view of value before a sale, purchase or merger, with the range and the assumptions behind it, built to hold up through negotiation and the buyer’s diligence.
Pre-money values for financing rounds and for SAFE and convertible note conversions, for founders and the investors backing them.
Fair market value for stock option and share plans, including 409A valuations for companies with U.S. employees or U.S. investors on the cap table.
The value of a shareholding in a buyout or a dispute, written so every party, and the court if it comes to that, can follow the reasoning.
The value of a business interest in a separation in British Columbia, including any growth in the value of a business owned before the relationship.
Fair market value for a sale to family or management, an estate freeze or a reorganization, documented for the file and for the CRA.
Valuation in British Columbia
British Columbia’s private companies range from technology and life sciences firms in the Lower Mainland to construction, tourism, agriculture, forestry and resource businesses across Vancouver Island and the Interior. Most are owner-managed, and the people reading their valuations, from buyers and lenders to minority shareholders and the CRA, expect to see how local conditions have been reflected in the numbers.
We know the lenders, investors and acquirers active in the province, from the major banks, British Columbia’s large credit unions and BDC to private equity firms, family offices and search funds. Their view of risk and price is the market evidence a valuation has to stand up to.
A software company in Vancouver, a winery in the Okanagan and a marine contractor on Vancouver Island do not share buyers, multiples or risks. We choose comparable companies and transactions for the business and its market, not for the province as a whole.
Most private companies here are run by their owners, and their results reflect the owner’s decisions on pay, rent and related-party costs. Normalizing those items is often where most of the work lies, and where a buyer will look first.
Companies tied to construction, forestry, mining services, tourism or agriculture earn unevenly across seasons and cycles. A valuation should rest on earnings through a full cycle rather than the best or the worst recent year.
For many mid-sized companies, the most likely buyer is a strategic acquirer or a private equity firm from Alberta, Ontario or the U.S. Their pricing and their view of risk belong in the analysis.
Our view
Any model will produce a number. What matters is whether it holds up when a buyer, an investor, the other side’s adviser or the CRA asks how it was reached.
We start with how the company makes money and what could change it, then choose the methods that fit the question. Every adjustment and assumption is written down, so the people who rely on the valuation can test it.
Watch: Valuation That Reflects Your Reality
How an engagement works
Most valuations take one to three weeks once the information is in hand. You receive a written proposal with the scope, timing and fee before any work begins.
Need a valuation for a family law matter or a shareholder dispute? Tell us at the start. The valuation date, the standard of value and the form of the report depend on who will rely on it.
Need to know what your business is worth?
Selected clients
Frequently asked questions
An independent estimate of what a company or a shareholding is worth on a given date, based on its financial performance, its risks and prospects, and evidence from the market. The purpose of the valuation decides the standard of value and the depth of the work.
It depends on the purpose, the size and complexity of the business and the depth of report required. After a first conversation we send a written proposal with scope, timing and fees, so you know the cost before any work begins.
Most engagements take one to three weeks, depending on the complexity of the business and how quickly the information comes together.
The income approach, usually a discounted cash flow; the market approach, using comparable companies and precedent transactions; and asset-based methods where they fit. Where the approaches point to different values, the report explains how each result was weighted.
Three to five years of financial statements and tax returns, current results and any forecasts, your cap table and shareholder agreements, and details of owner compensation and one-time items.
Yes. We value early- and growth-stage companies for financing rounds, option grants and SAFE and convertible note conversions, where the market approach and the terms of each share class carry more weight than current earnings.
Yes. We prepare valuations for family law matters and shareholder disputes in British Columbia, written so both sides, their lawyers and, where needed, the court can follow and test the reasoning. Read how valuation works in disputes and divorce.
Yes. Our office is in Vancouver, and we value companies throughout the province, including in Victoria and Kelowna. See also our business valuation services in Vancouver.
Have a question that isn’t covered here? Ask us directly.
Related insights
Start a conversation
Tell us what the valuation is for and when you need it. We will come back with the questions that matter for your situation.
What happens next
Office
Alphabridge Group Inc.555 Burrard StreetVancouver, BC V7X 1M8
We use your details only to respond to your inquiry.
Whether it is a deal, a raise, a valuation or the way the business is run, we are glad to talk it through.
vasant@alphabridge.co
+1 778 903 4883
Five practices, organized around the decisions our clients face.
Sector depth across the businesses we advise, from early-stage ventures to established operators.
Perspectives on transactions, valuation, capital, performance and strategy.
An independent strategic finance firm, founded in 2016 and led by its principal on every engagement.
