About MaxExit & Lexbury Investments

Michael Cook

“I retired after 15 years investing in private businesses. I don’t need to work — but I found I missed the conversations. There’s something about sitting across from someone who’s built something real and helping them get more out of what they’ve got. Also my kids have all moved on with their lives, I have more time on my hands. So I take on a handful of businesses each year. Not clients — more like partners. People I could see becoming friends with, who deserve to walk away with every dollar they built — not whatever a buyer decides to put on the table.”

Mike Cook is an experienced investor and business leader with a “results-focused” philosophy and a strong background in board strategy & governance, acquisitions, and business management. His unique ability to quickly assess a business, determine its key drivers and develop a plan for business optimization has led to many realized successes.

His track record includes starting and leading a $350-Million-Dollar Private Equity Firm through the buildout of a portfolio of 15 businesses across Canada and the creation of segment-leading business silos in franchising, distribution, utility, industrial, and dental care with over 1,100 employees. He developed and oversaw all aspects of the deal process.

Mike recognized a need in the market to create MaxExit. Over the course of his investment career, he has used this analysis to assess over 800 private businesses with a notional value of over $7 billion for the purpose of analyzing their saleability or attractiveness as an investment. Most of these businesses were solid businesses but were missing some or many of the minor components of attractive investments that together made them un-investable. As such MaxExit was created to guide these businesses and their owners and management through a programme to unlock these keys so as create additional value, make them attractive investments and to facilitate a transition for the owners. Instead of focusing only on packaging a business for sale, MaxExit is focused on creating the habits and patterns of successful businesses so that when a transaction occurs, both the seller and the new owner are winners.

Lexbury acquires and invests in a concentrated portfolio of long-standing, well-run, cash-flowing businesses poised for strategic growth. In addition, we strive to develop internal efficiencies and cross-over benefits to the companies within the portfolio. Lexbury makes investments with a focus on long-term value sustainability and strategic, capital efficient growth initiatives.

The Lexbury founder is also a co-founder of a $500-Million-Dollar energy company, and a $100-Million-Dollar equipment leasing business.

In addition, Mike provides insight, leadership and perspective to several other businesses in the private capital segment that invest in Canadian backbone companies. During his searches for new investment opportunities, Mike finds that in every meeting with a business owner, he always learns something new or is exposed to new ideas he never contemplated.

Most importantly, he is humbled by and grateful for the opportunity to work in the Canadian private company space – the backbone of the Albertan and Canadian economies.

MaxExit is a related business of Lexbury and was created by Mike Cook.