GLZR Group

Region 03 / 04

Buyers and sellers acrossLatin America

In brief

GLZR Group is a deal sourcing partner and business acquisition intermediary connecting owners in Latin America with buyers in the region and around the world, including the United States and Canada. We learn what a buyer wants to acquire, speak with owners considering a sale, gather initial information and introduce the parties where there is a potential fit. Law, tax, language and currency differ by country, so each introduction is discussed on that country's terms. Some opportunities are off-market. Where the buyer agreement permits it, we also introduce qualifying brokered or banked opportunities. Fees depend on the engagement and are agreed in writing before any work begins.

What we do in Latin America

Source, qualify, connect.

Sourcing and qualification are conversations with buyers and with sellers. Each introduction is discussed on its own country's terms. GLZR does not buy the businesses it introduces.

IFor sellers

Qualifyinitial

Many owner-operated companies in the region are family-held and have never been widely marketed. We discuss the business, the reason for considering a sale and the timeline. We gather initial information on revenue, earnings, customers, management and owner involvement, and we discuss valuation expectations and transition preferences. That is initial qualification. We do not verify financial statements or complete due diligence. Whether a fee applies depends on how we work together, and it's agreed with you up front. A first conversation costs nothing. Legal, tax and accounting costs of a sale are separate.

What is my business worth?

IIFor buyers

Sourcewe find

We discuss industries, locations, size and acquisition criteria, then capital availability, decision-making and readiness. We agree what counts as a qualifying introduction, and we set confidentiality and fee terms. An introduction may be off-market, or brokered or banked where the buyer agreement permits it.

Price an acquisition

IIIFor both

Connectwe introduce

Where there is a potential fit, we introduce the parties. Buyers, sellers and their advisors handle underwriting, formal valuation, due diligence, financing, documents and closing. It depends on who we're working with and what you want to achieve. We work with buyers and, in some cases, represent owners preparing to sell, and every engagement is agreed in writing before any work begins. Buyers can start with a free 30-day proof of concept, so they see results before they pay. The quickest way to find out what fits is a free 15-minute call. Whether a fee applies depends on how we work together, and it's agreed with you up front. A first conversation costs nothing.

Valuation multiples 2026

Run the numbers

Price it before the first call.

Educational calculators built on 2026 market multiples and the SBA rules in force from 1 October 2026, adjusted for country risk. They are not a formal valuation, a financing approval or underwriting by GLZR.

BuyersAcquisition calculator Price a target on 2026 multiples and test SBA 7(a) financing, coverage and returns.OwnersWhat is my business worth? Build your SDE, see the market range and what a financed buyer can actually pay.DataValuation multiples 2026 Multiples by deal size, deal financing and country-adjusted figures. CSV and JSON.

Definition

What is an off‑market business?

An off-market business is a company whose owner would consider selling but has not listed it with a broker or on a marketplace. Buyers reach it through a direct approach or a trusted introduction, so there is no public listing, no auction, and far fewer people see the numbers.

Off-market does not mean informal. The same diligence, advisers and legal documents apply. What changes is who is in the room, and when.

Off-market sourcing is one part of the work. Where a buyer agreement permits it, GLZR can also introduce a qualifying opportunity that is already with a broker or a bank. Not every introduction is exclusive, unlisted or new to the buyer.

For owners

  • No public listing for employees, customers or competitors to find.
  • You set the pace, including deciding not to sell.
  • Fewer parties see your figures than in a broadly marketed sale.

For buyers

  • A first conversation with the owner, not a broker’s teaser.
  • Less competition than a broadly marketed auction.
  • Companies that match a stated mandate, not a list of everything for sale.

By the numbers

Latin America, in figures.

99.5%

Of businesses in Latin America and the Caribbean are micro, small or medium-sized enterprises.

Source: OECD, CAF and SELA, SME Policy Index 2024

c.60%

Approximate share of the region's formal employment that those enterprises account for.

Source: OECD, CAF and SELA, SME Policy Index 2024

100%

Foreign ownership allowed in a Mexican company in most activities. The Foreign Investment Law reserves or caps specific ones.

Source: Ley de Inversión Extranjera, art. 4

Figures are from the public sources linked under each one, checked 23 September 2026. They describe the market, not GLZR Group’s own activity.

Coverage

One region, many markets.

Mexico to Patagonia. Grouped here the way the region is usually described; the table below sets out the language and currency of each major market.

  • Latin America's second-largest economy and a partner in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Spanish; Mexican peso (MXN).

  • Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. Panama and El Salvador use the U.S. dollar.

  • Including the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory that uses the U.S. dollar and is subject to U.S. federal law alongside its own civil code.

  • Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Ecuador uses the U.S. dollar.

  • Latin America's largest economy and its only Portuguese-speaking country. Brazilian real (BRL).

  • Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay.

  • English-speaking Guyana, Dutch-speaking Suriname, and French Guiana, part of France. Usually treated separately from Latin America.

Dot map of Latin America by region
Latin AmericaNatural Earth
Major markets: main language and currency
CountryLanguageCurrencyISO code
MexicoSpanishMexican pesoMXN
BrazilPortugueseBrazilian realBRL
ArgentinaSpanishArgentine pesoARS
ColombiaSpanishColombian pesoCOP
ChileSpanishChilean pesoCLP
PeruSpanishSolPEN
EcuadorSpanishU.S. dollarUSD
UruguaySpanishUruguayan pesoUYU
ParaguaySpanish, GuaraníGuaraníPYG
Costa RicaSpanishCosta Rican colónCRC
PanamaSpanishBalboa and U.S. dollarPAB / USD
Dominican RepublicSpanishDominican pesoDOP
GuatemalaSpanishQuetzalGTQ

In this market

Established businesses, nine sectors.

Common owner-operated sectors in this market. Buyers name their own criteria. A sector on this list is not a statement that GLZR has a buyer for a business.

  • ManufacturingFabrication, machining, packaging and specialty production.
  • Home servicesHVAC, plumbing, electrical and other residential trades.
  • Construction and contractingGeneral and specialty contractors.
  • Logistics and transportationTrucking, distribution, warehousing and last-mile delivery.
  • Commercial and B2B servicesCleaning, facilities, staffing and other business services.
  • Managed IT servicesManaged service providers and IT support firms.
  • Niche B2B softwareVertical software built for a specific industry.
  • Food and beverageProducers, co-packers and distributors.
  • Main Street businessesEstablished local consumer businesses.

Process

How an off-market sale usually unfolds.

Six stages a sale often passes through. Timelines vary, and a conversation with GLZR is not a closing date. GLZR handles sourcing, initial qualification and the introduction. Later stages belong to the parties and their advisors.

  1. A private first conversation

    GLZR speaks with the owner and, separately, with buyers whose criteria may fit. The owner decides what to share and when. An introduction is not a listing, and it is not a commitment to sell.

  2. Fit

    Buyers and their advisors look at how steady the earnings are, how concentrated the customers are, and how much still depends on the owner. GLZR's earlier conversation is initial qualification only. It is not underwriting.

  3. Confidentiality before detail

    Detailed financials, customer names and contracts are typically shared only after a confidentiality agreement is signed, and only with a buyer who fits.

  4. Letter of intent

    A serious buyer sets out price, structure, timing and conditions in a letter of intent.

    Across Latin America a letter of intent plays a similar role, but civil-law rules differ, so it is usually drafted with local counsel.

  5. Due diligence

    The buyer checks what it has been told: financial statements, tax filings, contracts, employees, licenses and legal exposure. A quality-of-earnings review by an outside accounting firm is common.

  6. Agreement, closing and transition

    Lawyers turn the letter of intent into a purchase agreement and the deal closes. The owner usually stays on for an agreed transition so customers and staff carry over.

    Most Latin American countries follow civil-law systems, where some steps must be formalized before a notary, a legal professional rather than a witness to signatures.

Local rules

What to know in Latin America.

Mexico has a new competition authority

Under a decree published in the Diario Oficial on July 16, 2025, the Comisión Nacional Antimonopolio took over COFECE's competition powers, including merger control. It formally began work on October 17, 2025.

Mexico's Foreign Investment Law lets foreign investors hold any proportion of a Mexican company's capital, except in activities the law reserves or caps.

Source: Diario Oficial de la Federación · Gobierno de México · Ley de Inversión Extranjera

Brazil: CADE thresholds, and few ownership limits

A deal must be notified to CADE when one group involved had gross turnover in Brazil of at least R$750 million in the prior year and another had at least R$75 million. Most owner-operated acquisitions fall below that.

Brazil has no general cap on foreign ownership. Restrictions are sector-specific, including health, media, telecommunications, aerospace, rural property and maritime.

Source: CADE · U.S. State Department, 2025

Chile and Colombia review larger deals in advance

Since June 1, 2017, larger business concentrations in Chile must be submitted to the Fiscalía Nacional Económica before they close.

In Colombia, companies in the same activity or value chain that meet the Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio's thresholds must inform it before merging or acquiring control.

Source: Fiscalía Nacional Económica · Ley 1340 de 2009

Mexico and North American trade

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement entered into force on July 1, 2020. At the July 1, 2026 joint review the United States did not agree to renew it in its current form; it remains in force and is now reviewed every year.

For a Mexican business that exports to the U.S. or Canada, a buyer will want to understand how much of its revenue depends on that trade.

Source: USTR, USMCA · USTR, joint review statement

General information, not legal, tax or investment advice. Thresholds and rules change; confirm them with a qualified adviser in the relevant jurisdiction. Sources checked 23 September 2026. GLZR handles sourcing, initial qualification and introductions. It does not provide a formal valuation, financing approval or underwriting.

Questions

Questions owners and buyers ask.

How are businesses valued in Latin America?

On a multiple of earnings, like anywhere else, but buyers demand a return for country risk. Applying Damodaran's January 2026 country risk premiums to the Q2 2026 U.S. multiple of 4.0x EBITDA for businesses valued $2 million to $5 million gives 3.67x in Mexico, 3.57x in Brazil, 3.87x in Chile and 2.90x in Argentina. These are GLZR Group estimates derived from public data, not observed deal prices.

Country-adjusted multiples for 18 Latin American markets

Does GLZR Group work across all of Latin America?

Yes. GLZR connects buyers and sellers across Latin America, and with buyers around the world. Company law, tax, language and currency differ from country to country, so each introduction is discussed on that country's terms.

Can a Latin American business owner sell to a U.S. or Canadian buyer?

Yes. GLZR can introduce an owner in Latin America to a buyer in the region, the U.S., Canada or elsewhere, where the criteria appear to fit. A cross-border sale adds foreign-investment, tax and currency questions that local counsel should answer early. An introduction is not a sale.

How do off-market sales work in Latin America?

Much as they do elsewhere: a private first conversation, a confidentiality agreement before detailed figures are shared, a letter of intent, due diligence and a final agreement. The differences are local: in most of the region some steps must be formalized before a notary, and documents are usually prepared in Spanish or Portuguese.

What do buyers and sellers in Latin America discuss with GLZR Group?

Buyers describe the industries, countries, size and criteria they want. Sellers describe the business, why they are considering a sale, and the timeline. GLZR does not buy businesses in a fixed list of sectors.

I'm a buyer looking at Latin America. What should I send GLZR Group?

Email contact@glzrgroup.com with your industries, countries, size and acquisition criteria. We introduce opportunities that appear to fit. An introduction is not due diligence, and it is not a statement that the opportunity is exclusive.

Price a Latin American target with the acquisition calculator

Start here

A private conversation, first.

OwnersI’m considering selling my business. Tell us about the company, why you are considering a sale, and your timeline. A conversation is not a commitment to sell. BuyersI’m looking to buy a business. Tell us your industries, locations, size and criteria. We introduce opportunities that appear to fit.
contact@glzrgroup.comBook a 15-minute call