Don Wharton, Victoria, BC

Don Wharton is the Founder, Director, and Executive Chair of SureSwift Capital, a Victoria-based serial acquirer that acquires, manages, and fosters the growth of profitable SaaS businesses while offering investors a share of monthly profits through its unique business model.

Don established SureSwift in 2015 with the vision of creating the ideal company he sought during his own early investment endeavors. Since its inception, the company has grown to include over 150 team members across 20 countries, completed more than 50 acquisitions, and established two profitable shared-ownership funds.

Don Wharton’s Business Philosophy

Ethics is at the heart of Don’s business philosophy. More than a theoretical concept to pay lip service to, Don believes ethics is the cornerstone of any lasting business and should be demonstrated through transparency and alignment of interest between stakeholders.

The unique monthly distribution model Don implemented at SureSwift Capital is a testament to his dedication to ensuring that decisions are made in the best interest of investors. By aligning incentives, Don aims to create win-win outcomes that foster trust and allow for sustainable long-term growth over short-term gains.

Understanding that ethics flows from the leadership team to the rest of the organization, Don prioritizes having the right team at the helm that can integrate integrity and accountability into operational strategies. Don envisions growing businesses where ethics, transparency, alignment of interests, and long-term growth are at the core of every decision.

We don’t just say that ethics is top of mind. We show it through our actions.

Don Wharton’s Investment Philosophy

As a seasoned capital allocator and serial acquirer with decades of market experience, Don understands the value of following fundamental investment principles that have withstood the test of time. He believes that while markets ebb and flow with different strategies rising and falling in prominence, the key factors to successful long-term investing have remained mostly unchanged over many years.

Knowing a company’s long-term performance depends on its fundamentals, Don’s investment approach focuses on acquiring reasonably priced profitable businesses with robust free cash flows, strong and ethical leadership and culture, enduring competitive advantages, and solid growth potential. Don also utilizes a data-driven approach by rigorously evaluating quantitative metrics such as return on invested capital, profit margins, organic growth, valuation multiples, and other SaaS-specific metrics such as churn rate and customer retention. As a serial acquirer, Don’s thorough due diligence of qualitative and data-driven factors allows him to create diversified portfolios of great businesses that deliver solid returns for his investors.

Don also recognizes the importance of psychological factors in making the right investment decisions. He acknowledges and actively mitigates psychological biases through self-awareness, analyzing historical examples, and surrounding himself with the right team and environment that promotes humility and discipline. Don firmly believes that avoiding herd mentality and judging investment opportunities through an independent lens rooted in timeless investment principles is crucial for the long-term success of capital allocators and serial acquirers.

Trust is foundational to all businesses, particularly for SureSwift Capital, where we’re stewards of our investor’s capital. We take this responsibility seriously and manage all the capital we’ve been entrusted with as if it were our own.

Don Wharton’s Approach to Working with Founders

As someone who built multiple businesses from scratch, Don understands the heart, dedication, and late nights founders go through to propel a business from its nascent stages to profitability. For founders looking to sell their business, Don recognizes that founders wish to entrust the culmination of years of their life’s work into the right hands by continuing their vision while ensuring that all stakeholders, including their team and customers, benefit from the transaction.

The difference in the long-term success of any organization is whether leadership can instill the right principles across the organization.

Projects

Don Wharton founded SureSwift Capital in 2015, a SaaS serial acquirer pioneering a unique approach for investors to gain exposure to a diverse portfolio of profitable SaaS businesses. As Director and Executive Chair of SureSwift Capital, Don oversees the strategic direction of the company, guides the leadership team in the acquisition process, and provides counsel on achieving the company’s objectives.

SureSwift offers a unique distribution model where investors obtain a monthly income stream based on the cash flows from SureSwift’s portfolio businesses. With experience in making over 50 acquisitions, SureSwift also developed and honed its Exceptional Operators Framework, a unique collection of playbooks, programs, and policies that define the culture and operations at the company. The framework ensures smooth acquisition and transition processes, aligns vision, mission, and values, fosters sustainable long-term growth of SureSwift’s portfolio companies, and combines the agility of small teams with the knowledge and support of a large organization.