Press & Media
Contact, data and citation rules for journalists, analysts and trade media.
What this site is about
dealorigination.de is the knowledge platform for systematic deal origination in the German-speaking Mittelstand, a project of SourcingClub. It publishes analyses of company valuation, succession and transaction processes, plus sector data and calculators for owners who are considering a sale.
There is no editorial team behind the site, just one person. I write the analyses myself and work in the market at the same time, with investors on one side and with owners on the other. If you need context or a quote on a topic, feel free to get in touch directly.
DACH Mittelstand
Focus
20 sectors
Valuation data
DE, AT, CH
Coverage
M&A, PE & succession
Topics
Contact
Nick Herbig
Managing Partner, SourcingClub
Nick Herbig is the founder of SourcingClub, a deal origination boutique for the DACH lower mid-market, and runs dealorigination.de. He works in M&A in the German-speaking Mittelstand, most recently at DealCircle, where he looked after M&A advisers, private equity funds and corporates. Before that he co-founded Osvirol GmbH and saw it through to its sale. He lives and works in Hamburg.
Topics for interviews and quotes
I can speak on these topics from my day-to-day work, with numbers and with examples from the market. I do not talk about individual transactions or mandates. That is part of the confidentiality I owe the parties involved.
What a Mittelstand company is really worth today
Valuations are spreading apart, in two directions at once. Between sectors the gap is huge, and within a sector size earns its own premium on top. If you only know the market average, you will regularly misjudge your own company by a multiple of its annual profit.
Succession without a successor
In many owner-managed businesses the owner is past 55 and nobody in the family is ready to take over. A sale to an investor is then not a fallback. It is often the only option that keeps the business and the jobs together. I am happy to talk about why so many owners start too late.
How buyers find companies today
The classic auction run by an adviser is no longer the only route. A growing share of Mittelstand transactions starts with a direct approach, before a company is officially on the market. Many sellers underestimate what that means: more control over pace and confidentiality, but also less competition on price.
Why buy-and-build groups are appearing everywhere
Investors buy a core company and build a group around it from smaller add-ons. That explains why, in fragmented niches such as building technology, care or IT services, several buyers suddenly approach the same businesses at the same time. For an owner the question is less whether to sell and more whether to become the anchor of the group or, later, one of many.
AI in M&A, beyond the marketing
There is a big gap between what vendors promise and what holds up in daily work. I can explain where automation in the transaction business really takes work off people's hands today, and where it reliably produces wrong results if nobody checks.
Data and analyses to cite
Everything here is freely accessible and may be used with a source reference. Each entry states where the numbers come from. That matters, because part of it is processed third-party data and not my own survey.
EBITDA multiples DACH
Valuation ranges for 20 sectors in the DACH Mittelstand, broken down by size class, with formula and worked examples.
Data basis: DUB KMU-Multiples, processed by SourcingClub. Updated quarterly.
EBITDA multiples DACH 2026, the analysis
How valuations developed over the year, which sectors are gaining and which are under pressure.
Own analysis based on the DUB KMU-Multiples.
Business succession DACH 2027 (in German)
How many businesses will be looking for a successor in the coming years, where the gap is largest and what follows from it.
Own analysis based on publicly available statistics.
AI in deal origination (in German)
Where automation in M&A sourcing holds up today, where it reaches its limits, and how the vendor market is sorting itself out.
Own assessment.
Boilerplate to use as is
If you need a ready-made description for your article or an event, you can use these texts unchanged. They are written in the third person on purpose.
Short version
around 40 words, for captions and short introductions
dealorigination.de is the knowledge platform for systematic deal origination in the DACH Mittelstand. It is a project of SourcingClub, the deal origination boutique of Nick Herbig in Hamburg, and publishes freely accessible analyses and valuation data on M&A, private equity and business succession.
Long version
around 90 words, for company profiles and event programmes
dealorigination.de is the knowledge platform for systematic deal origination in the German-speaking Mittelstand. It is published by SourcingClub, a deal origination boutique in Hamburg that identifies and approaches owner-managed Mittelstand companies as acquisition targets for private equity funds and family offices. dealorigination.de publishes freely accessible analyses of company valuation, succession and transaction processes, plus sector data and calculators for owners who are considering a sale. The focus is on Germany, Austria and Switzerland, in the segment of owner-managed companies with an EBITDA between €1m and €5m. The site is run by Nick Herbig.
Citing and reusing
You may use analyses, charts and tables if you name the source and link to it. You do not need to ask beforehand. I am still glad to receive a copy or a short note.
Recommended citation
dealorigination.de (2026). [Title]. Retrieved on [date] from https://dealorigination.de/[path]
For the sector multiples, please also name the primary source. The figures come from the DUB KMU-Multiples and I have processed them for owner-managed companies with an EBITDA between €0.5m and €5m. The correct reference is therefore: DUB KMU-Multiples, processed by SourcingClub.
Enquiries
For interview requests, quotes, background conversations or questions about the data, it is best to write to me directly. I usually answer enquiries with a deadline on the same working day. If it is urgent, feel free to say so in the subject line.