73% of Lower-Middle-Market Transactions Close Below the Signed LOI Price. For the First Time, Founders Can Run the Buyer's Diligence First

NEW YORK - April 10, 2026 - PRLog -- Cordis Group LLC today introduced the Retrade Rehearsal, the first structured simulation of the buyer diligence process ever made available to founder-owned and family-owned businesses in the lower middle market.

The Retrade Rehearsal is the culminating stage of Cordis Group's Market Readiness Intelligence platform. It gives founders direct experience of what a sophisticated acquirer will find in their business, and what it will cost them, before any buyer arrives. The analytical framework behind the platform has historically existed only within institutional buyer organizations and their advisors. Until today, it has never been made available to founders preparing for a transaction.

"The analytical advantage has always sat with the buyer. They know what they will pay, what they will challenge, and what they will retrade before they ever make an offer. That information has always existed. It has simply never been on the founder's side of the table. Until now."

— Cordis Group

Research published this month by Cordis Institute found that 73% of lower-middle-market transactions close below the signed letter of intent price, with an average reduction of 18% of stated enterprise value. The primary driver is not market conditions or negotiating skill. It is information asymmetry. Buyers enter every transaction with an analytical framework that most founders have never seen.

The platform scans the active buyer landscape, runs a probabilistic simulation engine across more than 100,000 scenarios across the full spectrum of buyer types active in the lower middle market, and delivers a precise picture of how each buyer type would underwrite the business at its current state.

The platform accepts a limited number of engagements each quarter. Founders and advisors can request consideration at cordisglobal.com/mri

ABOUT CORDIS GROUP
Cordis Group LLC is an independent M&A advisory and intelligence firm headquartered in New York City. The firm advises founder-owned and family-owned businesses on buy and sell mandates in the lower middle market, with deep expertise in the period preceding ownership transition. More information is available at cordisglobal.com

ABOUT CORDIS INSTITUTE
Cordis Institute for Lower-Middle-Market Research publishes institutional-grade working papers on transaction outcomes, market readiness, and lower-middle-market M&A dynamics. WP-001: The Preparation Gap in Early 2026 is available at cordisinstitute.org