Apr 5, 2022

Share Geoff Levy’s Monash Private Capital is reading the room for investor relations and PR firm Market Eye, as its owners think about their future. Sources told Street Talk that Market Eye, which takes shareholder and media queries for a bunch of mostly microcap stocks, was in sale discussions with prospective buyers, talking about a deal that could value it at more than $50 million. Market Eye executive chairman Ronn Bechler  AFR While the negotiations are at a delicate (and incomplete) stage, sources said it was the sort of deal that could make a small fortune for Market Eye’s top brass, including executive chairman Ronn Bechler. While Bechler declined to comment on anything to do with sale talks, he confirmed to Street Talk he was keeping in close contact with his bankers. “We are always looking at growth initiatives for the business and have worked with Monash Capital for a very long time,” he said. Advertisement It remains to be seen whether Market Eye could fetch the mooted $50 million to $100 million, but Street Talk will watch with interest to see what happens. Market Eye’s clients include ASX-listed semiconductor developer BluGlass (market cap $34 million), RPM Automotive ($40m), Close the Loop ($105m), Weebit Nano ($456m) and ReadyTech Holdings ($352m). All of Market Eye Pty Ltd’s ordinary shares are owned by Ketom Pty Ltd, according to documents lodged with ASIC, which is jointly owned by Ronn and Maxine Bechler. Market Eye Pty Ltd also has three “B shareholders”, who each account for one-third of the B class. They are the firm’s three managing directors; Eric Kuret, ex Perennial Growth stockpicker Adrian Mulcahy and former Goldman Sachs/Citi sell-side analyst Craig Sainsbury. The company, which holds an Australian financial services licence with Mulcahy as the licensee, was set up in 2009 and has not lodged any financial statements with ASIC. Anthony Macdonald co-edits Street Talk, specialising in private equity, investment banking, M&A and equity capital markets. He has 10 years' experience as a business journalist and worked at PwC, auditing and advising financial services companies. Connect with Anthony on Twitter . Email Anthony at a.macdonald@afr.com Sarah Thompson has co-edited Street Talk since 2009, specialising in private equity, investment banking, M&A and equity capital markets stories. Prior to that, she spent 10 years in London as a markets and M&A reporter at Bloomberg and Dow Jones. Email Sarah at sarah.thompson@afr.com Kanika Sood is a journalist based in Sydney who writes for the Street Talk column. Email Kanika at kanika.sood@afr.com.au Save