ACETHORN LIMITED

🌱Startupactive
16848027 · ltd · incorporated 2025-11-11
Investment thesis
Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.
Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.
Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.
🔒Estimated value
Upgrade to see
Turnover
not disclosed
Net worth
book net assets
Opportunity
70/100
Strong
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

What this business does
Primary activity: Non-trading company
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pursue
Dormant / non-trading with a 71-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 70/100 (strong), bankability 65/100. Strong seller-intent signal (60/100, director aged 71). 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: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (60/100)

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
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
3 officers (1 active, 3 linked, 3 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
10 connected companies via shared directors
75
Filing history
10 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
70/100Strong
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
69
Some moderate concerns — review flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

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 (16 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-11-14
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  2. 2025-11-14
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  3. 2025-11-14
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  4. 2025-11-14
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  5. 2025-11-14
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  6. 2025-11-14
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  7. 2025-11-12
    JOHN, Ceri Richard appointed
    director
  8. 2025-11-12
    GREAVES, Anita resigned
    director
  9. 2025-11-12
    LEMON, Michael Edward resigned
    director
  10. 2025-11-12
    ✏️
    certificate-change-of-name-company
    change-of-name · CERTNM
  11. 2025-11-11
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ACETHORN LIMITED
  12. 2025-11-11
    GREAVES, Anita appointed
    director
  13. 2025-11-11
    LEMON, Michael Edward appointed
    director
  14. 2025-11-11
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  15. 2025-11-11
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  16. 2025-11-11
    📄
    incorporation-company
    incorporation · NEWINC

Owner dependency

95/100
Critical — business is the founder

The 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.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 71 — succession pressure is live.
  • +Young company: Only 0.6 years old — management layer unlikely to be developed.

Succession & seller-readiness

75/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 71 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.

Red flags

2 med ·
2 director resignations in last 12 months
medium

Multiple recent departures can indicate governance disagreement, succession event, or preparation for sale/stress.

Evidence: GREAVES, Anita resigned 2025-11-12; LEMON, Michael Edward resigned 2025-11-12

Name changed recently
medium

Name changes can be benign (rebrand) but can also precede distress, phoenix activity, or buyer concealment.

Evidence: 2025-11-12: certificate-change-of-name-company

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Ceri Richard John
Individual · British · DOB 07/1955 · age 71
75100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control12/11/2025
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Ms Anita Greavesceased 12/11/2025· 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.

🔒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 · CF postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
ADA RCT HOLDINGS LIMITED
15805750 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
1y
ADENOL LTD
16840838 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
ADV HOLDINGS LTD
15887508 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
1y
AERON VENTURES LIMITED
15455576 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
2y
AG HERRIOTT HOLDINGS LIMITED
13528286 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
4y
AG NEWCO LIMITED
09943368 · est 2016 · no financials extracted
10y
AIR LAND TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
08249571 · est 2012 · no financials extracted
13y
AJ QUINTON (HOLDINGS) LIMITED
15545066 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
2y
AJ WILSON HOLDINGS LTD
17013539 · est 2026 · no financials extracted
AK COMMERCIAL GROUP LIMITED
15841300 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
1y
AL13 GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED
15526665 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
2y
AL13 HOLDINGS LIMITED
12868138 · est 2020 · no financials extracted
5y
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

9 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
Incorporated2025-11-11
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC74990 — Non-trading company

Registered office

Academy House
11 Dunraven Place
Bridgend
CF31 1JF
Wales

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-08-11
Last made up to:
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-24
Last:

Officers (1 active · 2 resigned)

JOHN, Ceri Richard
director · ~71y · appointed 2025-11-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
GREAVES, Anita
director · ~71y · appointed 2025-11-11 · resigned 2025-11-12
Resigned
LEMON, Michael Edward
director · ~77y · appointed 2025-11-11 · resigned 2025-11-12
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Recent filings (10 total)

notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2025-11-14
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-11-14
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-11-14
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-11-14
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-11-14
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-11-14
certificate-change-of-name-company
change-of-name · CERTNM
2025-11-12
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-11-11
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-11-11
incorporation-company
incorporation · NEWINC
2025-11-11