How to find a buyer for your business
Start from who already buys companies like yours, then narrow by market and size, and approach a short list quietly. Ayebot's register maps 2,524 potential acquirers for Singapore and Southeast Asian companies (synced 23 October 2026): 1,697 trade buyers and 414 private equity firms, with family offices and other investors making up the rest. The free buyer finder shows how many fit your company, with no name or email.
By Gwee Yi Chen, founder of Aye Bot.
Four steps to a short list of buyers
- Who already buys businesses like yours? Stated sector appetite and precedent deals narrow the field first. Each sector page shows the count.
- Who is in your market, or wants to be? Stated geographies and regional mandates. Each market has its own page: Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
- Who can actually write the cheque? Stated target size, strategy and exclusions, checked before anyone sees your name.
- A handful worth a confidential call. Ranked by the engine, chosen by a person.
Who would buy my business in Singapore?
Mostly other operating companies: trade buyers outnumber private equity firms on the register by more than three to one. By acquirers covering Singapore, the largest sectors are industrial & engineering (238), building services & infrastructure (222) and healthcare & medical (208). The full table is on the Ayebot Buyer Index.
How to approach buyers without the market finding out
A public listing tells everyone, including your staff, customers and competitors. A screened approach does not. Buyers first see an anonymous profile, and your name is released only after a buyer signs a non-disclosure agreement. On Ayebot the engine drafts every approach and a person reads, edits and approves each one: nothing reaches a buyer until a person approves it. The stage-by-stage split is on how Ayebot works.
Questions founders ask
How do I find a buyer for my business?
Work from who already buys companies like yours, not from whoever answers an advert. Narrow a register of acquirers by sector first, then by market, then by the size of deal each buyer has stated it can do, and approach a short list confidentially. Ayebot's register maps 2,524 potential acquirers for Singapore and Southeast Asian companies, and the free buyer finder shows how many fit yours with no name or email.
Who would buy my business in Singapore?
Mostly other operating companies. Of the 2,524 acquirers on the register, 1,697 are trade buyers and 414 are private equity firms, with family offices and other investors making up the rest. By acquirers covering Singapore, industrial & engineering is the largest sector, with 238.
Should I list my business for sale online?
A public listing waits for replies and tells the market, including staff, customers and competitors, that the company is for sale. Searching a register of acquirers whose stated appetite fits your sector, market and size means your business is never posted publicly.
How do I approach buyers without anyone finding out?
Buyers first see an anonymous profile. Your name is released only after a buyer signs a non-disclosure agreement, and on Ayebot nothing reaches a buyer until a person approves it.
Can AI find buyers for my company?
AI does the slow, searchable part: screening a register by sector, market and stated size, and drafting each approach. Choosing whom to approach, negotiating and deciding are done by a person.
More: the AI-powered business broker, can AI find buyers for my company? and is my company ready to sell?
Source: Ayebot buyer register, de-duplicated, synced 23 October 2026; published at ayebot.com/data/buyer-index.json. Markets covered: Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines. Counts only: Ayebot never publishes buyer names, client names or figures from live sales.