AC INSTRUMENTS LIMITED
🌿Early-stageactive
15230972 · ltd · incorporated 2023-10-24
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 Oct 2024
Net worth
£19.6k
book net assets
Opportunity
73/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Technical testing and analysis
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and acceptable with review structure.
Opportunity 73/100 (strong), bankability 70/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (70/100)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
5 officers (2 active, 5 linked, 5 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
13 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
73/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
60
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
75
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 declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £19,552
Key financials
1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£20k
Current Assets
£47k
Current Liabilities
—
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-10-31 |
|---|---|
| Total assets | £19.6k |
| Current assets | £46.5k |
| Net assets | £19.6k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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 (20 events)Click to expand
- 2025-11-06📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2025-11-06📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2025-11-05➕HUTCHISON, Ian appointeddirector
- 2025-11-05📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-11-05📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2025-09-17📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2025-09-04📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-09-03➖BUCKLAND, Benjamin Adam resigneddirector
- 2025-08-28➕THWAITES, Paul David appointeddirector
- 2025-08-28➖COPELAND, Alexander Pearson resigneddirector
- 2025-08-28➖NAUGHTON, Colin Francis resigneddirector
- 2025-08-28📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2025-08-28📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-08-28📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-03-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-10-24🏢Company incorporatedAs AC INSTRUMENTS LIMITED
- 2023-10-24➕BUCKLAND, Benjamin Adam appointeddirector
- 2023-10-24➕COPELAND, Alexander Pearson appointeddirector
- 2023-10-24➕NAUGHTON, Colin Francis appointeddirector
- 2023-10-24📄incorporation-companyincorporation · NEWINC
Owner dependency
71/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 58 — approaching natural succession window.
- +Young company: Only 2.6 years old — management layer unlikely to be developed.
Succession & seller-readiness
46/100
Moderate signalSome succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 58. Early succession window.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
Red flags
1 med ·3 director resignations in last 12 months
mediumMultiple recent departures can indicate governance disagreement, succession event, or preparation for sale/stress.
Evidence: BUCKLAND, Benjamin Adam resigned 2025-09-03; COPELAND, Alexander Pearson resigned 2025-08-28; NAUGHTON, Colin Francis resigned 2025-08-28
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Ian Hutchison Individual · British · DOB 03/1968 · age 58 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 05/11/2025 |
Mr Paul David Thwaites Individual · British · DOB 09/1981 · age 45 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 04/09/2025 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Benjamin Adam Bucklandceased 04/09/2025· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1227 BUSINESS LIMITED→ 15847127 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
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| 20/20 COMMERCIAL MANAGEMENT LIMITED→ 10731537 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| 2FLMC LIMITED→ 08118827 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| 3CL (UK) LIMITED→ 01490563 · est 1980 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 46y | — | — |
| 4 PAWS ANIMAL REHABILITATION AND HYDROTHERAPY LIMITED→ 09800400 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| 4 QUATRE LIMITED→ 03828201 · est 1999 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
| AB POWER LTD→ 11819297 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ABERNETHY BUSINESS CONSULTING LTD→ 09609741 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| ABSC LIMITED→ 09912745 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| ACCELERATED SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 06426677 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| ACCOUNTANCY MATTERS (SOUTH) LTD→ 05995780 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2023-10-24
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC71200 — Technical testing and analysis
Registered office
Lake Farm
Bull Hill
Alderholt
SP6 3EF
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-07-31
Last made up to: 2024-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-06
Last: 2025-10-23
Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)
HUTCHISON, Ian→
Activedirector · ~58y · appointed 2025-11-05
View their other companies + combined net worth →
THWAITES, Paul David→
Activedirector · ~45y · appointed 2025-08-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BUCKLAND, Benjamin Adam→
Resigneddirector · ~21y · appointed 2023-10-24 · resigned 2025-09-03
COPELAND, Alexander Pearson→
Resigneddirector · ~73y · appointed 2023-10-24 · resigned 2025-08-28
NAUGHTON, Colin Francis→
Resigneddirector · ~61y · appointed 2023-10-24 · resigned 2025-08-28
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (13 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-06
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-11-06
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2025-11-06
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-11-05
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2025-11-05
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-09-17
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-09-04
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-08-28
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-08-28
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-08-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-03-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-25
incorporation-company
incorporation · NEWINC
2023-10-24