Mergers And Acquisitions Associate
About AncoraAncora is building AI-native accounting software that replaces traditional management systems.
We combine a technology platform that automates operational accounting work with a roll-up strategy: acquiring and consolidating accounting firms across Italy.We're venture-backed, Milan-based, with first studio acquisitions underway.
The product is greenfield, zero legacy code, modern stack, built from scratch.
We own the problem end-to-end: we build the technology, acquire the firms, and operate the service.
È questo il ruolo che sta cercando?
Se sì, continui a leggere per maggiori dettagli e si ricordi di candidarsi oggi stesso.About the RoleAncora's thesis depends on a simple, compounding advantage: we need to acquire and integrate more accounting studios, faster and better, than anyone else in Italy.
Most of our targets are senior professionisti, often in their 50s and 60s, who have built their firm over decades and tend to be sceptical about anything labelled "tech" or "consolidation".
As M&A; Associate (aka Dealflow Associate), you are the person on the other side of that conversation.
You proactively identify the right studios, you start warming them up, you explain who Ancora is, what we are building, and how a deal with us looks.
The relationship and the trust come first; the term sheet comes after.This is roughly 70% of the role: identifying targets, opening conversations, qualifying, and bringing senior counterparties along to a real first meeting with the founders.
The remaining 30% is execution support on live deals, where you help with due diligence, financial analysis, and the logistics of getting a deal to closing.The non-negotiable trait is people maturity.
You spend most of your time on the phone with people twice your age,
who have run their own business for decades.
You need to be kind, respectful, genuinely curious, while also being firm and not letting yourself be brushed off or talked down to.
Most candidates can do one or the other.
The best ones do both.What You'll DoBuild the target map.
Identify and prioritize Italian accounting studios using public data (Camera di Commercio, Albo, LinkedIn, Google Maps), third-party sources and referrals.
Density-first geography, ownership intent, succession dynamics.Open conversations and warm targets up.
Lead the multi-channel outreach (email, LinkedIn, phone, in-person follow-up where it matters).
The first conversation is rarely about a transaction; it is about credibility.
You earn the second meeting.Tell the Ancora story well.
Explain who we are, what we are building, why we are different, and how a deal with us looks.
Adapt the message to the partner you have in front of you.
Stay accurate, never overpromise.Qualify carefully.
Run first screening conversations with studio owners.
Assess size, client concentration, P&L; indicators, ownership intent, succession dynamics, and cultural fit.
Filter signal from noise.Manage the CRM and pipeline.
Keep the pipeline clean, updated, and decision-useful.
Drive weekly and bi-weekly reviews with the COO and founders.
No conversation falls through the cracks.Support deal execution.
On qualified targets, help run due diligence: normalize P&Ls;, analyze revenue quality and client concentration, build valuation references, support LOI drafting and closing logistics.Feed the operating model.
Surface patterns, objections, pricing dynamics, and market intelligence to the founding team.
Every conversation should make Ancora a little smarter about the market.What We're Looking For:Must Have2–4 years of experience in roles where you have proactively built and managed relationships with senior counterparties: investor relations, M&A; boutique, investment banking, private equity, business development, strategic partnerships, search fund, fundraising, advisory, or B2B sales toward decision makers.People maturity.
You can hold your ground in a conversation with a 60-year-old professionista and still leave them feeling respected.
Warm without being soft, firm without being abrasive.Strong written and phone presence.
You build trust in five minutes.
People who do not usually pick up the phone, pick up for you.Execution discipline.
Clean CRM, relentless follow-ups, process orientation.
You do not lose leads, you do not drop conversations, you close loops.Financial literacy.
You can read a P&L;, understand normalization, and engage in a basic valuation discussion.
You do not need to be the modeller, but you need to understand what the numbers mean.Italian native or near-native, with professional English.Nice to HaveBackground in M&A; boutique, investment banking, private equity, transaction services, search fund, or roll-up platform.Investor Relations or fundraising experience at a scale-up, asset manager, PE firm or venture fund.Direct exposure to accounting, tax
We combine a technology platform that automates operational accounting work with a roll-up strategy: acquiring and consolidating accounting firms across Italy.We're venture-backed, Milan-based, with first studio acquisitions underway.
The product is greenfield, zero legacy code, modern stack, built from scratch.
We own the problem end-to-end: we build the technology, acquire the firms, and operate the service.
È questo il ruolo che sta cercando?
Se sì, continui a leggere per maggiori dettagli e si ricordi di candidarsi oggi stesso.About the RoleAncora's thesis depends on a simple, compounding advantage: we need to acquire and integrate more accounting studios, faster and better, than anyone else in Italy.
Most of our targets are senior professionisti, often in their 50s and 60s, who have built their firm over decades and tend to be sceptical about anything labelled "tech" or "consolidation".
As M&A; Associate (aka Dealflow Associate), you are the person on the other side of that conversation.
You proactively identify the right studios, you start warming them up, you explain who Ancora is, what we are building, and how a deal with us looks.
The relationship and the trust come first; the term sheet comes after.This is roughly 70% of the role: identifying targets, opening conversations, qualifying, and bringing senior counterparties along to a real first meeting with the founders.
The remaining 30% is execution support on live deals, where you help with due diligence, financial analysis, and the logistics of getting a deal to closing.The non-negotiable trait is people maturity.
You spend most of your time on the phone with people twice your age,
who have run their own business for decades.
You need to be kind, respectful, genuinely curious, while also being firm and not letting yourself be brushed off or talked down to.
Most candidates can do one or the other.
The best ones do both.What You'll DoBuild the target map.
Identify and prioritize Italian accounting studios using public data (Camera di Commercio, Albo, LinkedIn, Google Maps), third-party sources and referrals.
Density-first geography, ownership intent, succession dynamics.Open conversations and warm targets up.
Lead the multi-channel outreach (email, LinkedIn, phone, in-person follow-up where it matters).
The first conversation is rarely about a transaction; it is about credibility.
You earn the second meeting.Tell the Ancora story well.
Explain who we are, what we are building, why we are different, and how a deal with us looks.
Adapt the message to the partner you have in front of you.
Stay accurate, never overpromise.Qualify carefully.
Run first screening conversations with studio owners.
Assess size, client concentration, P&L; indicators, ownership intent, succession dynamics, and cultural fit.
Filter signal from noise.Manage the CRM and pipeline.
Keep the pipeline clean, updated, and decision-useful.
Drive weekly and bi-weekly reviews with the COO and founders.
No conversation falls through the cracks.Support deal execution.
On qualified targets, help run due diligence: normalize P&Ls;, analyze revenue quality and client concentration, build valuation references, support LOI drafting and closing logistics.Feed the operating model.
Surface patterns, objections, pricing dynamics, and market intelligence to the founding team.
Every conversation should make Ancora a little smarter about the market.What We're Looking For:Must Have2–4 years of experience in roles where you have proactively built and managed relationships with senior counterparties: investor relations, M&A; boutique, investment banking, private equity, business development, strategic partnerships, search fund, fundraising, advisory, or B2B sales toward decision makers.People maturity.
You can hold your ground in a conversation with a 60-year-old professionista and still leave them feeling respected.
Warm without being soft, firm without being abrasive.Strong written and phone presence.
You build trust in five minutes.
People who do not usually pick up the phone, pick up for you.Execution discipline.
Clean CRM, relentless follow-ups, process orientation.
You do not lose leads, you do not drop conversations, you close loops.Financial literacy.
You can read a P&L;, understand normalization, and engage in a basic valuation discussion.
You do not need to be the modeller, but you need to understand what the numbers mean.Italian native or near-native, with professional English.Nice to HaveBackground in M&A; boutique, investment banking, private equity, transaction services, search fund, or roll-up platform.Investor Relations or fundraising experience at a scale-up, asset manager, PE firm or venture fund.Direct exposure to accounting, tax