The origination firm connects founder-led businesses with aligned buyers and capital partners.

TORONTO, July 15, 2026 /CNW/ - Today, Hugh Bird Inc. launched as a Toronto-based origination and transaction advisory firm helping founders of established operating companies and specialty real estate businesses evaluate full or partial sales, strategic partnerships and succession alternatives.

The firm works directly with owners, connecting them with family offices, search funds, private equity firms, strategic acquirers and long-term capital partners. In select situations, it co-invests alongside buyers and investors.

Hugh Bird enters the market as a generational transfer of Canadian private businesses gathers pace. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business estimates 76 per cent of small business owners plan to exit within the next decade, putting more than $2 trillion in assets in motion. Despite this, just 9 per cent have a formal succession plan in place. Private capital, meanwhile, continues to seek durable, founder-led businesses outside traditional auction processes. The firm's model is built around a simple premise: the best opportunities are quiet, and they travel by trust. Hugh Bird pairs that conviction with a technology-enabled origination platform, using data-driven research and modern sourcing tools to identify and understand businesses long before they come to market.

Founded by Greg Peacock and Chris Taylor, Hugh Bird combines experience across M&A advisory, commercial real estate, acquisition finance, institutional investing and operating company leadership. Peacock has led more than $1.5 billion in commercial real estate transactions and co-founded Pantone Investment Management, which deployed more than $40 million of equity across 13 self-storage properties. Taylor began his career in investment banking at RBC Capital Markets, where he advised on more than $5 billion in transactions. Following this, he helped launch a $300 million investment fund, served as Chief Financial Officer at two scaling companies and led operations at a large-scale third-party logistics provider.

Hugh Bird's approach begins before a business is formally for sale. The firm takes on a small number of mandates at a time, with the partners personally involved through diligence, buyer outreach and final negotiation, so founders can understand their options and choose the right path on their terms.

"The strongest opportunities move through trusted relationships," said Greg Peacock, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Hugh Bird. "Our role is to earn that trust early, understand what matters to the owner and help create the right outcome when the timing is right."

"Founders are making decisions about people, legacy and what comes next," said Chris Taylor, Co-Founder and Managing Partner. "We built Hugh Bird to give owners a more personal and aligned path through a sale, partnership or succession."

Hugh Bird is actively building relationships with owners, advisors, investors and intermediaries. More information is available at www.hughbird.com.

About Hugh Bird Inc.

Hugh Bird Inc. is a Toronto-based origination and transaction advisory firm working directly with founders of established operating companies and specialty real estate businesses across North America. The firm helps owners explore full or partial sales, strategic partnerships and succession alternatives by connecting them with aligned buyers, investors and capital partners. In select situations, it co-invests alongside them. Hugh Bird takes on a small number of mandates and combines an entrepreneurial, technology-enabled approach to origination with personal attention, trusted relationships and seamless execution.

SOURCE Hugh Bird Inc.