3DBOX LTD
💤Zombieactive
04282504 · ltd · incorporated 2001-09-06
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
£13.2k
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Video production activities
Sector: Information & communication
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 75/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (65/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (78/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
5 officers (2 active, 5 linked, 2 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
60 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £13,195
Net assets shrinking
Down £11,777 YoY
Cash YoY
+50%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£1k
↑ 50% YoY
Net Worth
£13k
↓ 47% YoY
Current Assets
£13k
↑ 60% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £13.2k | £25.0k |
| Current assets | £13.2k | £8.2k |
| Cash | £1.5k | £987 |
| Debtors | £11.7k | £7.2k |
| Net assets | £13.2k | £25.0k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
1 signal detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (24 events)Click to expand
- 2025-11-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-10-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-12-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-10-01📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-09-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-11-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-10-02📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2013-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2008-08-01➖HOWELL, Keith resigneddirector
- 2001-09-06🏢Company incorporatedAs 3DBOX LTD
- 2001-09-06➕HOWELL, Colin appointedsecretary
- 2001-09-06➕HOWELL, Colin appointeddirector
- 2001-09-06➕PARAMOUNT COMPANY SEARCHES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2001-09-06➖PARAMOUNT COMPANY SEARCHES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2001-09-06➕HOWELL, Keith appointeddirector
- 2001-09-06➕PARAMOUNT PROPERTIES (UK) LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2001-09-06➖PARAMOUNT PROPERTIES (UK) LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
85/100
Critical — business is the founderThe business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
FACTORS
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 25 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
75/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 25 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 25 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Colin Howell Individual · British · DOB 03/1971 · age 55 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
🔒Co-director network graph
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Similar companies
Active · Technology · GU postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 142 SOCIAL LIMITED→ 16841957 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1BID LTD→ 12611909 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| 1OH1DESIGNS LTD→ 16900926 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 22 CHERRY LIMITED→ 09163288 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| 247 IT SERVICES LIMITED→ 09979775 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| 2DATA LTD→ 13250789 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| 2ND UNIT LIMITED→ 16636128 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 360 PROPERTY VA LTD→ 13210249 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| 360TECH SYSTEMS LIMITED→ 12184874 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| 3D INTERMOTIVE LTD→ 16407891 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3DI INFORMATION SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 04487377 · est 2002 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| 3DI SOFTWARE USABILITY LTD→ 07690687 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
7 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →🔒Advanced scoring suite
Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Company details
Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated2001-09-06
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC59112 — Video production activities
Registered office
26 Atfield Grove
Windlesham
Surrey
GU20 6DP
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-20
Last: 2025-09-06
Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)
Active
HOWELL, Colin→
Activedirector · ~55y · appointed 2001-09-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
PARAMOUNT COMPANY SEARCHES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2001-09-06 · resigned 2001-09-06
HOWELL, Keith→
Resigneddirector · ~82y · appointed 2001-09-06 · resigned 2008-08-01
PARAMOUNT PROPERTIES (UK) LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2001-09-06 · resigned 2001-09-06
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (60 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-11-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-08-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-07-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-09-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-09-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-10-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-09-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-12-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-09-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-12-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-09-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2018-12-19