PHOTOSYNERGY LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
SC220986 · ltd · incorporated 2001-07-06
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 22.4y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
83/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Other research and experimental development on natural sciences and engineering
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with exceptional profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 83/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 58). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 22.4y
65/100
clean up first
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Oldest live charge is 22.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
14 officers (3 active, 14 linked, 7 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
13 connected companies via shared directors
84
Filing history
121 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
83/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
85
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
4
filings
- • 2 accounts
- • 2 other
Last 90 days
4
filings
- • 2 accounts
- • 2 other
Last 180 days
4
filings
- • 2 accounts
- • 2 other
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (47 events)Click to expand
- 2026-04-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2026-04-27📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2026-04-27📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2026-04-27📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2025-03-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2025-03-13📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2025-03-13📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2025-03-13📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2025-02-26📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC05
- 2024-05-31➕GETTINBY, Michael John appointedsecretary
- 2024-05-31📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2024-04-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2024-04-26📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2024-04-25📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2024-04-25📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2024-04-16📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2024-04-08➖GILLESPIE MACANDREW SECRETARIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2023-04-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2023-04-20📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2023-04-20📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2023-04-19📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2022-04-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2019-07-09➖DUNN, Malcolm Harry, Professor resigneddirector
- 2017-07-31➖WALKER, Donald Ross Garry resigneddirector
- 2012-10-25➖BLACKADDERS LLP resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2012-10-25➕GILLESPIE MACANDREW SECRETARIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2012-01-23➕GOOR, Andrew Darren appointeddirector
- 2011-03-18➖THOMSON, Rebecca Mizzi resigneddirector
- 2008-04-01➖BLACKADDERS resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2008-04-01➕BLACKADDERS LLP appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2007-12-06➕THOMSON, Rebecca Mizzi appointeddirector
- 2005-10-20➖FREEMAN, John Gordon resigneddirector
- 2005-02-01➕WATSON, Derek Alexander appointeddirector
- 2004-10-13➖BENNETT, George Aitken, Dr resigneddirector
- 2003-12-01🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
- 2002-05-29➕WALKER, Donald Ross Garry appointeddirector
- 2002-03-06➕BLACKADDERS appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2002-03-06➖D.W. COMPANY SERVICES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-03-06➕BENNETT, George Aitken, Dr appointeddirector
- 2002-03-06➕DUNN, Malcolm Harry, Professor appointeddirector
- 2002-03-06➕FREEMAN, John Gordon appointeddirector
- 2002-03-06➖D.W. DIRECTOR 1 LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2002-03-06➖D.W. DIRECTOR 2 LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2001-07-06🏢Company incorporatedAs PHOTOSYNERGY LIMITED
- 2001-07-06➕D.W. COMPANY SERVICES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2001-07-06➕D.W. DIRECTOR 1 LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2001-07-06➕D.W. DIRECTOR 2 LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
76/100
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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 21 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 58 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
66/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
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.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 21 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- 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.)
Group structure
2 corporate shareholders identified. Group structure is distributed.
🏛️
St Andrews Innovation Limited
Corporate parent · board control
🏛️ultimate parent
Scottish Enterprise Tayside
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares
⬇
PHOTOSYNERGY LIMITED
This company · SC220986
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
St Andrews Innovation Limited Corporate entity | — | 75–100% | board control75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
Scottish Enterprise Tayside Corporate entity | 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 · Professional services · KY postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANCER RECRUITMENT LTD.→ SC205893 · est 2000 | — | — | — | 5200 | 26y | 83 | 62y |
| FERSA LTD→ SC219538 · est 2001 | — | — | — | 4 | 24y | 83 | 63y |
| FLORIDRON LIMITED→ SC132297 · est 1991 | — | — | £747.5k | — | 34y | 83 | 69y |
| LAURENCE GOULD PARTNERSHIP LIMITED→ SC124767 · est 1990 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 36y | 83 | 72y |
| PVX LIMITED→ SC397170 · est 2011 | — | — | £144.0k | — | 15y | 83 | 59y |
| AVENUE SCOTLAND LIMITED→ SC147452 · est 1993 | — | — | £87.8k | — | 32y | 82 | 73y |
| BALGAY FARMING COMPANY LIMITED→ SC093170 · est 1985 | — | — | — | 200 | 41y | 82 | 79y |
| CAIRNSMILL LIMITED→ SC144163 · est 1993 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 33y | 82 | 74y |
| CDLH LIMITED→ SC379307 · est 2010 | — | — | — | 100 | 15y | 82 | 67y |
| DRYBURGH ASSOCIATES LIMITED→ SC367732 · est 2009 | — | — | — | 900 | 16y | 82 | 68y |
| FASTTRAC DESIGN LIMITED→ SC297992 · est 2006 | — | — | £4.3k | — | 20y | 82 | 65y |
| FORTH & TAY MARINE LIMITED→ SC175696 · est 1997 | — | — | — | 600 | 28y | 82 | 81y |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
6 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
Incorporated2001-07-06
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC72190 — Other research and experimental development on natural sciences and engineering
Registered office
Walter Bower House Main Street
Guardbridge
St. Andrews
KY16 0US
Scotland
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-04-30
Last made up to: 2025-07-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-08
Last: 2025-07-25
Officers (3 active · 11 resigned)
GETTINBY, Michael John→
Activesecretary · appointed 2024-05-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
GOOR, Andrew Darren→
Activedirector · ~58y · appointed 2012-01-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WATSON, Derek Alexander→
Activedirector · ~56y · appointed 2005-02-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BLACKADDERS→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2002-03-06 · resigned 2008-04-01
BLACKADDERS LLP→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2008-04-01 · resigned 2012-10-25
D.W. COMPANY SERVICES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2001-07-06 · resigned 2002-03-06
GILLESPIE MACANDREW SECRETARIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2012-10-25 · resigned 2024-04-08
BENNETT, George Aitken, Dr→
Resigneddirector · ~87y · appointed 2002-03-06 · resigned 2004-10-13
DUNN, Malcolm Harry, Professor→
Resigneddirector · ~84y · appointed 2002-03-06 · resigned 2019-07-09
FREEMAN, John Gordon→
Resigneddirector · ~83y · appointed 2002-03-06 · resigned 2005-10-20
THOMSON, Rebecca Mizzi→
Resigneddirector · ~53y · appointed 2007-12-06 · resigned 2011-03-18
WALKER, Donald Ross Garry→
Resigneddirector · ~77y · appointed 2002-05-29 · resigned 2017-07-31
D.W. DIRECTOR 1 LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2001-07-06 · resigned 2002-03-06
D.W. DIRECTOR 2 LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2001-07-06 · resigned 2002-03-06
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 01/12/2003 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (121 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduary
accounts · AA
2026-04-27
legacy
accounts · PARENT_ACC
2026-04-27
legacy
other · GUARANTEE2
2026-04-27
legacy
other · AGREEMENT2
2026-04-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduary
accounts · AA
2025-03-13
legacy
accounts · PARENT_ACC
2025-03-13
legacy
other · AGREEMENT2
2025-03-13
legacy
other · GUARANTEE2
2025-03-13
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC05
2025-02-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-08
appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
officers · AP03
2024-05-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduary
accounts · AA
2024-04-26
legacy
accounts · PARENT_ACC
2024-04-26
legacy
other · AGREEMENT2
2024-04-25