ACORN BABY LTD
🌿Early-stageactive
14300073 · ltd · incorporated 2022-08-16
Investment thesis
Growth-phase business — story-led; valuation sensitive to momentum.
Why interesting: Trading is scaling; acquirers paying for trajectory get disproportionate leverage.
Why risky: Price often leads fundamentals; dependency on founder often high.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Aug 2024
Net worth
£-3.0k
book net assets
Opportunity
72/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Activities of other holding companies n.e.c.
Sector: Financial & insurance
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed asset-holding vehicle — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 72/100 (strong), bankability 70/100. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (72/100)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
1 year of iXBRL accounts extracted (no YoY comparison) + narrative notes parsed
50
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
3 officers (3 active, 3 linked, 2 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 6 total, 6 with control declared
90
Director network
6 connected companies via shared directors
63
Filing history
52 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
72/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
60
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredNegative net assets
Liabilities exceed assets by £3,035
Key financials
1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
-£3k
Current Assets
£1
Current Liabilities
—
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-08-31 |
|---|---|
| Total assets | £-3.0k |
| Current assets | £1 |
| Net assets | £-3.0k |
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
1
filing
- • 1 officers
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-03📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-09-20📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2025-09-06📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2025-09-05📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2025-09-05📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2025-08-29📄change-corporate-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH02
- 2025-08-28📄appoint-corporate-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP02
- 2025-07-31📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2025-07-30➕GUY'S & ST THOMAS' FOUNDATION appointedcorporate-director
- 2025-07-04📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2025-06-25📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-06-25📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-06-25📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2025-06-25📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2025-06-24📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-06-24📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-04-30✏️certificate-change-of-name-companychange-of-name · CERTNM
- 2025-04-28➕DANIELS, Joanne Ilona appointeddirector
- 2025-04-28📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2025-04-17📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2025-04-17📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2025-04-17📄capital-name-of-class-of-sharescapital · SH08
- 2025-04-17📄capital-variation-of-rights-attached-to-sharescapital · SH10
- 2025-04-17📄capital-name-of-class-of-sharescapital · SH08
- 2025-04-17📄capital-variation-of-rights-attached-to-sharescapital · SH10
- 2025-04-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-16🏢Company incorporatedAs ACORN BABY LTD
- 2022-08-16➕WILLIS, Patrick Thomas appointeddirector
Owner dependency
58/100
Moderate — manageable with handoverSome founder dependency, but not acute. A structured handover period should cover most risk.
FACTORS
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
50/100
Moderate signalSome succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 63. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
Red flags
1 med ·Name changed recently
mediumName changes can be benign (rebrand) but can also precede distress, phoenix activity, or buyer concealment.
Evidence: 2025-04-30: certificate-change-of-name-company
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Joanne Daniels Individual · English · DOB 06/1983 · age 43 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 24/06/2025 |
5 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Paddy Willisceased 24/06/2025· 25-50% voting
- Paddy Willisceased 22/08/2023· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
- Mr Nigel Parrottceased 24/06/2025· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
- Louis Bedwellceased 13/03/2025· 25-50% shares
- Paddy Willisceased 17/07/2023· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting
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 · Holding company · EC postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADDLESHAW BOOTH & CO LIMITED→ 03249109 · est 1996 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 29y | — | — |
| ADDLESHAW BOOTH & CO TRAINING LIMITED→ 03603750 · est 1998 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 27y | — | — |
| ADDLESHAW GODDARD NOMINEES LIMITED→ 00717344 · est 1962 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 64y | — | — |
| ADDLESHAW GODDARD SECRETARIAL LIMITED→ 04673310 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| ADDLESHAW GODDARD TRAINING LIMITED→ 04673313 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| ADDLESHAW GODDARD TRUSTEES LIMITED→ 01495009 · est 1980 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 45y | — | — |
| ADDLESHAWS LIMITED→ 02238081 · est 1988 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 38y | — | — |
| ADDSECURE UK HOLDINGS LIMITED→ 11118498 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| ADERI ENTERPRISES LTD→ 16696720 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ADEXA LIMITED→ 11627868 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ADG CORPORATE LTD→ 10527587 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ADG VELENTE LTD→ 16121057 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2022-08-16
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC64209 — Activities of other holding companies n.e.c.
Registered office
International House
36-38 Cornhill
London
EC3V 3NG
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-06-30
Last made up to: 2024-08-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-29
Last: 2025-08-15
Officers (3 active · 0 resigned)
DANIELS, Joanne Ilona→
Activedirector · ~43y · appointed 2025-04-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WILLIS, Patrick Thomas→
Activedirector · ~63y · appointed 2022-08-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
GUY'S & ST THOMAS' FOUNDATION→
Activecorporate-director · appointed 2025-07-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (52 total)
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-01-03
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2025-09-20
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2025-09-06
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2025-09-05
memorandum-articles
incorporation · MA
2025-09-05
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-29
change-corporate-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH02
2025-08-29
appoint-corporate-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP02
2025-08-28
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2025-07-31
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2025-07-04
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-06-25
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-06-25
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2025-06-25
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2025-06-25
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-06-24