By Founders. For Founders.
Our Legacy is Preserving Yours
Grow. Partner. Exit. On Your Terms.
we've sat in your seat...
Iconic Founders Group was built by entrepreneurs who understand what it takes to grow a company from the ground up. The people advising you have started, run, and sold their own businesses.
We work with founder-led owners across the built environment who have built something meaningful and are now exploring what’s next. That might mean:
- Bringing on a strategic partner
- Preparing for a future exit
- Structuring a transition
- Increasing the value of the business before any transaction
Our role is simple: to represent your interests and guide you through the process so you always know your options and what comes next.
WE SPEAK YOUR LANGUAGE
WE'RE YOUR TRUSTED ADVOCATE
WE SPEAK YOUR LANGUAGE
We cut through the jargon and complexity, translating the world of investment partnerships into straightforward terms that make sense for business owners like you.
WE'VE BEEN THERE
WE'RE YOUR TRUSTED ADVOCATE
WE SPEAK YOUR LANGUAGE
As former founders ourselves, we've navigated these same waters and know exactly what keeps you up at night when considering outside investment and a new partnership.
WE'RE YOUR TRUSTED ADVOCATE
WE'RE YOUR TRUSTED ADVOCATE
WE'RE YOUR TRUSTED ADVOCATE
Throughout this entire process, we stand firmly in your corner, ensuring we secure you a partner who respects your vision while providing the resources needed to scale and fortify your legacy.
Our Services
Sell-Side M&A Advisory for the Built Environment
Sell-Side M&A Advisory for the Built Environment
Sell-Side M&A Advisory for the Built Environment
Iconic Founders Group provides sell-side M&A advisory for founder-led companies across the built environment – specialty trades, technical services, specialty manufacturing, and construction technology. Whether you're ready to sell, bring on a strategic partner, or transition ownership, we prepare you and your business and run the entire transaction process.
You get the rigor of institutional investment banking, in the hands of people who have built and sold companies of their own. That means real M&A discipline – valuation, positioning, buyer outreach, negotiation, and deal structuring – from advisors who have sat on both sides of the table: running the transaction and living with the results.
What You Can Expect:
- Direct senior-level support from strategy through close
- Clear guidance on valuation, positioning, and deal structure
- Targeted outreach to vetted buyers aligned with your culture
- Process management so you can stay focused on running your business
We represent your interests for the long haul: before, during, and well beyond the close.
Board Advisory for Growth & Exit Readiness
Sell-Side M&A Advisory for the Built Environment
Sell-Side M&A Advisory for the Built Environment
For founders across the built environment who are not ready to sell but want to increase enterprise value, we provide Board Advisory services.
This is strategic advisory designed to prepare your company for a premium future exit.
You will be partnered directly with experienced founders and operators who have built, scaled, and sold their own companies.
You will have someone in your corner who has been through a similar process themselves.
Focus Areas:
- Enterprise value growth
- Operational optimization
- Leadership structure and succession planning
- Exit preparation strategy
Whether your timeline is one year or five, we help you build a company that attracts the right buyers when the time is right.
How We Support Founders
1. STRATEGIC CLARITY
2. PARTNER IDENTIFICATION
2. PARTNER IDENTIFICATION
We help you evaluate the right next move, whether it is growth, partnership, or exit.
2. PARTNER IDENTIFICATION
2. PARTNER IDENTIFICATION
2. PARTNER IDENTIFICATION
We identify and vet strategic buyers or investment partners aligned with your culture and long-term goals.
3. TRANSACTION NEGOTIATION
3. TRANSACTION NEGOTIATION
3. TRANSACTION NEGOTIATION
We manage introductions, positioning, negotiation strategy, and process coordination — bringing in legal and diligence resources so you can stay focused on running and growing your business.
4. DEAL STRUCTURING
3. TRANSACTION NEGOTIATION
3. TRANSACTION NEGOTIATION
We structure agreements that protect your interests, your team, and your legacy.
Industries
We Represent Founders Across the Built Environment
The built environment runs on founder-led companies — the trades that build and service it, the firms that design and engineer it, the manufacturers that equip it, and the software that runs it. We represent owners across all of it. The sectors in each pillar below are representative, not exhaustive — if you don't see yours, it's worth a conversation.
Skilled Trades & Field Services
Specialty Manufacturing & Building Products
Design, Engineering & Technical Advisory
The specialty contractors who install, service, and maintain the built environment. Recurring service revenue and self-performance work make these the businesses attractive to prospective buyers.
- Mechanical / HVAC
- Electrical
- Fire & life safety
- Elevator
- Environmental services & restoration
- Roofing & building envelope
- Commercial landscaping, tree services & vegetation management
- Underground & utility infrastructure
Design, Engineering & Technical Advisory
Specialty Manufacturing & Building Products
Design, Engineering & Technical Advisory
The firms that design, engineer, and de-risk projects before and during construction. Core value is in the credentialed employees and repeat client relationships.
- MEP, structural & civil engineering
- Testing, inspection & consulting
- Building automation
- Forensic engineering & expert-witness services
- Architecture & design
- Owner's representation & program management
Specialty Manufacturing & Building Products
Specialty Manufacturing & Building Products
Specialty Manufacturing & Building Products
Manufacturers of engineered products for the built environment, often delivered on an installed basis — a niche product with an engineering and field component that few competitors can replicate.
- Modular & prefabricated building systems
- Specialty mechanical & fire-protection systems
- Engineered specialty environments (cleanrooms, radiation shielding, etc.)
- Building envelope, glazing & entrance systems
- Access, security & perimeter systems
- Engineered building products
Construction Technology & Software
Specialty Manufacturing & Building Products
Specialty Manufacturing & Building Products
The companies rebuilding how the built environment is estimated, managed, and paid for — vertical software and tech-enabled models built for the trades and the firms that serve them.
- Tech-enabled services and manufacturing
- Vertical SaaS for contractors and trades
- Data & analytics platforms for the built environment
- Project management & field operations software
- Estimating, takeoff & preconstruction tools
- Construction fintech, payments & billing
Leadership
Value Creation Partners
Testimonials
Founder | Regional Specialty Trades Business
Founder | Regional Specialty Trades Business
Founder | Regional Specialty Trades Business
“I’ve known Kory Mitchell for years, first as a friendly competitor, later as a trusted advisor. He brings the rare combination of having built and sold a successful business in our space, with the humility and honesty that Founders actually need when navigating big decisions. His perspective is grounded, practical, and most importantly, real. When it came time for us to explore options for our next chapter, having someone like Kory to bounce thoughts off of was invaluable. If you’re serious about growing or exiting your business, he’s someone you want in your corner.”
CEO | National Trades Business
Founder | Regional Specialty Trades Business
Founder | Regional Specialty Trades Business
"As CEO, I've worked closely with the Iconic team during their time on our Board. They not only are thoughtful and engaged Board members, but also invaluable advisors and mentors to me personally. They have helped me navigate difficult decisions with clarity and conviction, often challenging me to think differently and step outside my comfort zone. Their ability to balance strategic insight with candid guidance have pushed me to grow as a leader and ultimately make better choices for the business.
Any organization would benefit from their sharp judgement, steady counsel, and genuine commitment to developing leaders."
Founder | Regional Trades Business
Founder | Regional Specialty Trades Business
Founder | Regional Trades Business
"I've had the privilege of working with Kory and the Iconic team over the years and I can speak to both their exceptional business acumen and their principled approach to M&A. What sets Kory apart from other advisors is his authentic, ground-up experience in the construction industry. He's not just offering theoretical guidance, but practical wisdom earned through successfully growing and scaling real businesses and executing complex, multi-stage transactions."
Podcast
Calling All Exited Founders – Be a Guest on Our Podcast
ARE YOU A FOUNDER WHO HAS TAKEN THE TURN?
ARE YOU A FOUNDER WHO HAS TAKEN THE TURN?
ARE YOU A FOUNDER WHO HAS TAKEN THE TURN?
You've built something great. You've faced the grind, the growth, and the gut calls that come with leading a construction business, then made the hardest decision of all... to let it go.
You've exited your business and are ready to talk about what came next, how it changed you, what you learned, and what you wish you would have known.
We're chasing truth, heart, and lessons learned - the real, human side of the founder's journey.
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR:
ARE YOU A FOUNDER WHO HAS TAKEN THE TURN?
ARE YOU A FOUNDER WHO HAS TAKEN THE TURN?
Owners and founders of construction businesses who've exited or sold their company (in full or in part).
People willing to share the real story behind the transition.
Email us at theturn@iconicfounders.com to be considered for an upcoming episode!
Blog
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Schedule a confidential founder conversation
We represent founder-led companies across the built environment and help owners weigh their strategic options and move forward on their own terms. If you are a founder in the built environment exploring growth, partnership, or a future exit, let's start with a private conversation.
Every conversation is confidential.
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