STRATEGIC & M&A ADVISORY
Exemplary in our craft.
Exceptional in your outcomes.
Exemplary in our craft.
Exceptional in your outcomes.
Exemplary in our craft.
Exceptional in your outcomes.
85 Advisors brings the caliber of thinking associated with Wall Street's elite firms, the deep domain knowledge of industry experts, and the personal attention of senior advisors to technology companies with $3M–$30M in revenue.
85 Advisors brings the caliber of thinking associated with Wall Street's elite firms, the deep domain knowledge of industry experts, and the personal attention of senior advisors to technology companies with $3M–$30M in revenue.
$2B+
LMM TRANSACTION VALUE
$40B+
BUY-SIDE CLIENTS' AUM
20+
AVg. YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
$2B+
LMM TRANSACTION VALUE
$40B+
BUY-SIDE CLIENTS' AUM
20+
AVg. YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
THE PROBLEM
The M&A advisory gap no one talks about.
You've built a thriving business. Then you start talking to M&A advisors and discover an uncomfortable truth: unless you have $100M in revenue, the great ones won't work with you, and the ones that will lack the depth of strategic insight your company deserves.
You've built a thriving business. Then you start talking to M&A advisors and discover an uncomfortable truth: unless you have $100M in revenue, the great ones won't work with you, and the ones that will lack the depth of strategic insight your company deserves.
You've built a thriving business. Then you start talking to M&A advisors and discover an uncomfortable truth: unless you have $100M in revenue, the great ones won't work with you, and the ones that will lack the depth of strategic insight your company deserves.
THE ELITE TIER
To them, you're a rounding error.
The top-tier Wall Street firms deliver world-class outcomes. Unfortunately, if your annual revenue is $15 million, you don’t exist to them.
THE ELITE TIER
To them, you're a rounding error.
The top-tier Wall Street firms deliver world-class outcomes. Unfortunately, if your annual revenue is $15 million, you don’t exist to them.
THE VOLUME SHOPS
You're one of forty deals this year.
A typical middle-market boutique runs 40–70 deals annually. That's impressive throughput and efficiency. What it isn't: the requisite strategic imagination applied to your specific situation.
THE VOLUME SHOPS
You're one of forty deals this year.
A typical middle-market boutique runs 40–70 deals annually. That's impressive throughput and efficiency. What it isn't: the requisite strategic imagination applied to your specific situation.
THE GENERALISTS
They send you the B-team.
The senior partner delivers the pitch, then vanishes. Your deal is staffed by someone who was working on a manufacturing company transaction last month.
THE GENERALISTS
They send you the B-team.
The senior partner delivers the pitch, then vanishes. Your deal is staffed by someone who was working on a manufacturing company transaction last month.
85 ADVISORS
We address this gap.
The caliber of elite boutiques. The focus of a firm that measures its client list in quality, not volume. Built for tech companies with $3M–$30M in revenue.
85 ADVISORS
We address this gap.
The caliber of elite boutiques. The focus of a firm that measures its client list in quality, not volume. Built for tech companies with $3M–$30M in revenue.
OUR PRINCIPLES
Not just "what sets us apart." What we actually do differently.
Our operating model and philosophy challenge convention — anchored in three guiding
principles that shape each engagement.
Our operating model and philosophy challenge convention — anchored in three guiding principles that shape each engagement.
Our operating model and philosophy challenge convention — anchored in three guiding
principles that shape each engagement.
PILLAR 01
Conviction
We don't guess where your market is heading. We spent years operating in the sectors we now advise, building frameworks to anticipate market trends before the data confirms them. We see the buyers, the timing, and the inflection points others miss.
PILLAR 01
Conviction
We don't guess where your market is heading. We spent years operating in the sectors we now advise, building frameworks to anticipate market trends before the data confirms them. We see the buyers, the timing, and the inflection points others miss.
PILLAR 01
Conviction
We don't guess where your market is heading. We spent years operating in the sectors we now advise, building frameworks to anticipate market trends before the data confirms them. We see the buyers, the timing, and the inflection points others miss.
PILLAR 02
Craft
Running a sale process well is table stakes. Knowing what to do before you run one is what creates outsized outcomes. We bring decades of expertise honed at VC-backed startups and Fortune 500 firms to make your company more valuable before buyers ever see it.
PILLAR 02
Craft
Running a sale process well is table stakes. Knowing what to do before you run one is what creates outsized outcomes. We bring decades of expertise honed at VC-backed startups and Fortune 500 firms to make your company more valuable before buyers ever see it.
PILLAR 02
Craft
Running a sale process well is table stakes. Knowing what to do before you run one is what creates outsized outcomes. We bring decades of expertise honed at VC-backed startups and Fortune 500 firms to make your company more valuable before buyers ever see it.
PILLAR 03
Candor
We'll tell you things you might not want to hear. Your multiple might be lower than you expect. Your product-market fit might need work. We'd rather lose a mandate by being honest than win one by being agreeable, because honesty is what makes a winning strategy actionable.
PILLAR 03
Candor
We'll tell you things you might not want to hear. Your multiple might be lower than you expect. Your product-market fit might need work. We'd rather lose a mandate by being honest than win one by being agreeable, because honesty is what makes a winning strategy actionable.
PILLAR 03
Candor
We'll tell you things you might not want to hear. Your multiple might be lower than you expect. Your product-market fit might need work. We'd rather lose a mandate by being honest than win one by being agreeable, because honesty is what makes a winning strategy actionable.
The insight to see what’s possible.
The insight to see what’s possible.
The insight to see what’s possible.
The judgment to know what matters.
The judgment to know what matters.
The judgment to know what matters.
The expertise to chart the right path.
The expertise to chart the right path.
The expertise to chart the right path.
The partnership to reach your goals.
The partnership to reach your goals.
The partnership to reach your goals.
85 ADVISORS
SERVICES
A partner for the journey, not just the transaction.
We structured our firm around the entire lifecycle of value creation. Not just the final 90 days, but the months of strategic work beforehand that make it produce extraordinary results.
We structured our firm around the entire lifecycle of value creation. Not just the final 90 days, but the months of
strategic work beforehand that make it produce extraordinary results.
PHASE 01
Plan
Strategic Advisory
Growth opportunity review
Strategic option assessment
Product-market fit analysis
Pre-exit positioning
PHASE 01
Plan
Strategic Advisory
Growth opportunity review
Strategic option assessment
Product-market fit analysis
Pre-exit positioning
PHASE 02
Build
Growth Advisory
Go-to-market strategy
Pipeline diagnostics
Marketing operations
Sales tooling and operations
PHASE 02
Build
Growth Advisory
Go-to-market strategy
Pipeline diagnostics
Marketing operations
Sales tooling and operations
PHASE 03
Position
Pre-Exit Advisory
Strategic positioning
Operational positioning
Financial positioning
Value-maximizing playbook
PHASE 03
Position
Pre-Exit Advisory
Strategic positioning
Operational positioning
Financial positioning
Value-maximizing playbook
PHASE 04
Transact
Financing/M&A Advisory
Sell-side advisory
Buy-side origination
Structuring and negotiation
Deal execution and closing
PHASE 04
Transact
Financing/M&A Advisory
Sell-side advisory
Buy-side origination
Structuring and negotiation
Deal execution and closing
CASE STUDY
How strategic conviction
creates outsized outcomes.
How strategic conviction
creates outsized outcomes.
How strategic conviction
creates outsized outcomes.
Our client was a leading provider of IT endpoint management solutions. They dominated their corner of the market, which was precisely the problem. It was maturing.
Our client was a leading provider of IT endpoint management solutions. They dominated their corner of the market, which was precisely the problem. It was maturing.
Our team identified that mobile device management (an emerging segment at the time) represented a massive, strategically aligned growth vector before the broader market recognized it. We executed a global search for acquisition targets, qualifying and benchmarking prospects discreetly.
Our team identified that mobile device management (an emerging segment at the time) represented a massive, strategically aligned growth vector before the broader market recognized it. We executed a global search for acquisition targets, qualifying and benchmarking prospects discreetly.
The transaction wasn't the breakthrough. The strategic conviction was. Knowing where the market was going, positioning the company to get there first, then executing the transaction that made it real.
The transaction wasn't the breakthrough. The strategic conviction was. Knowing where the market was going, positioning the company to get there first, then executing the transaction that made it real.
OUTCOME
$1B+
$1B+
Acquisition by Fortune 500 technology firm, driven by
strategic repositioning into enterprise mobility.
Acquisition by Fortune 500 technology firm, driven by strategic repositioning into enterprise mobility.
Acquisition by Fortune 500 technology firm, driven by strategic repositioning into enterprise mobility.
Identified MDM as strategic growth vector
Identified MDM as strategic growth vector
Executed global acquisition target search
Executed global acquisition target search
Acquired emerging cloud MDM software provider
Acquired emerging cloud MDM software provider
Repositioned as enterprise mobility management platform
Repositioned as enterprise mobility management platform
Transaction put client on buyer's radar — $1B+ exit
Transaction put client on buyer's radar — $1B+ exit
OUR EXPERTISE
Deep sector focus, not
broad claims.
Deep sector focus, not broad claims.
We chose industry depth over breadth because middle-market technology M&A requires genuine understanding of software unit economics, business models, and the strategic insight that drives acquirer behavior.
We chose industry depth over breadth because middle-market technology M&A requires genuine understanding of software unit economics, business models, and the strategic insight that drives acquirer behavior.
Enterprise Software
Enterprise Software
Enterprise Software
Education and EdTech
Education and EdTech
Legal Technology
Legal Technology
Legal Technology
Communications Technology
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
Infrastructure Software
Infrastructure Software
OUR SENIOR TEAM
We've sat in every chair at the table.
Before we were advisors, we were operators, researchers, builders, and fixers. That matters because
when we sit across from a potential acquirer, we understand what they're actually buying because
we've also been the people in their chair.
Before we were advisors, we were operators, researchers, builders, and fixers. That matters because when we sit across from a potential acquirer, we understand what they're actually buying because
we've also been the people in their chair.
Before we were advisors, we were operators, researchers, builders, and fixers. That matters because when we sit across from a potential acquirer, we understand what they're actually buying because we've also been the people in their chair.
Steven Freitas
EXECUTIVE MANAGING DIRECTOR
The Headline
25 years of investment banking, strategic advisory, and
technology industry and investment research.
25 years of investment banking, strategic advisory, and technology industry and investment research.
The Impact
Analytical frameworks and strategic insight to identify industry
transitions and company inflection points before they manifest in
data.
Analytical frameworks and strategic insight to identify industry transitions and company inflection points before they manifest in data.
Analytical frameworks and strategic insight to identify industry transitions and company inflection points before they manifest in
data.
The Domain
Strategic advisory, capital markets, and identifying the structural
catalysts that drive outsized M&A outcomes.
Strategic advisory, capital markets, and identifying the structural catalysts that drive outsized M&A outcomes.
Amy Jones
COO & HEAD OF EDTECH AND SERVICES
The Headline
20 years of education leadership; Board Co-Chair of Teach for America; former Chief Academic Officer of Special Education for NYC Department of Education.
The Impact
Led NYC education reforms impacting 1,700 schools and
290,000 special needs students; transformed literacy instruction
and supporting systems.
Led NYC education reforms impacting 1,700 schools and 290,000 special needs students; transformed literacy instruction
and supporting systems.
The Domain
Science of learning, EdTech integration and alignment within
instructional frameworks; system re-engineering at multi-billion-
dollar organizational scale.
Science of learning, EdTech integration and alignment within instructional frameworks; system re-engineering at multi-billion-dollar organizational scale.
Science of learning, EdTech integration and alignment within instructional frameworks; system re-engineering at multi-billion-
dollar organizational scale.
John Oh
MANAGING DIRECTOR
The Headline
25 years as a technology CMO of VC-backed startups, pre-IPO
growth companies, and Fortune 500 firms.
25 years as a technology CMO of VC-backed startups, pre-IPO growth companies, and Fortune 500 firms.
The Impact
Built the go-to-market engines of the most disruptive IT
infrastructure companies of his era, including scaling F5
Networks to $1.5 billion in revenue.
Built the go-to-market engines of the most disruptive IT infrastructure companies of his era, including scaling F5 Networks to $1.5 billion in revenue.
The Domain
Go-to-market strategy and scaling marketing operations from
early-stage to category leadership.
Go-to-market strategy and scaling marketing operations from early-stage to category leadership.
Pierre Chamberland
FOUNDER-IN-RESIDENCE
The Headline
30 years as a founder, fixer, and operator spanning
semiconductors, LegalTech, and cybersecurity.
30 years as a founder, fixer, and operator spanning semiconductors, LegalTech, and cybersecurity.
The Impact
Founded and bootstrapped information governance software
business to 8-figures and a strategic exit.
Founded and bootstrapped information governance software business to 8-figures and a strategic exit.
The Domain
Product innovation, operational scalability, and optimizing the exit potential of self-funded software companies.
SERIOUSLY, WHY US
Why 85 Advisors, and why it matters to you.
We built 85 Advisors to ensure every deal receives senior-level attention and that no money is left on the table at closing. Admittedly, this is not a particularly novel-sounding mission, but we think the execution of it is.
We built 85 Advisors to ensure every deal receives senior-level attention and that no money is left on the table at closing. Admittedly, this is not a particularly novel-sounding mission, but we think the execution of it is.
We built 85 Advisors to ensure every deal receives senior-level attention and that no money is left on the table at closing. Admittedly, this is not a particularly novel-sounding mission, but we think the execution of it is.
We make your company more valuable first.
Most advisors sell your company as it is today. We ask: what would it take to be worth 40% more? Then we help you get there — GTM overhaul, financial repositioning, better narrative. Whatever it takes.
We make your company more valuable first.
Most advisors sell your company as it is today. We ask: what would it take to be worth 40% more? Then we help you get there — GTM overhaul, financial repositioning, better narrative. Whatever it takes.
We've done the jobs acquirers hire for.
Product-market fit, GTM reengineering, competitive positioning, operational scalability. We've built and led all of these functions at high-profile startups and major technology companies. We evaluate your business from the inside, not the outside.
We've done the jobs acquirers hire for.
Product-market fit, GTM reengineering, competitive positioning, operational scalability. We've built and led all of these functions at high-profile startups and major technology companies. We evaluate your business from the inside, not the outside.
You work with the people you met.
We're a deliberately small firm. The people in the pitch meeting are the people who do the work. Every call, every deliverable, every negotiation. That's not a promise, it's arithmetic. No juniors. No handoffs. No exceptions.
You work with the people you met.
We're a deliberately small firm. The people in the pitch meeting are the people who do the work. Every call, every deliverable, every negotiation. That's not a promise, it's arithmetic. No juniors. No handoffs. No exceptions.
We're honest to a fault. Maybe literally.
We’ve lost mandates by telling founders their companies weren't ready to sell. We've delivered valuation analyses lower than founders hoped for. Flattery wins mandates; honesty wins trust and outcomes. In advisory, trust is the only asset.
We're honest to a fault. Maybe literally.
We’ve lost mandates by telling founders their companies weren't ready to sell. We've delivered valuation analyses lower than founders hoped for. Flattery wins mandates; honesty wins trust and outcomes. In advisory, trust is the only asset.
Let’s talk about how we can partner to reach your goals.
Let’s talk about how we can partner to reach your goals.
Let’s talk about how we can partner to reach your goals.
No sales pitch. No obligation. Just an open conversation with someone who
understands your market, where it's heading, and how to achieve your optimal outcome.
No sales pitch. No obligation. Just an open conversation with someone who
understands your market, where it's heading, and how to achieve your optimal outcome.
No sales pitch. No obligation. Just an open conversation with someone who
understands your market, where it's heading, and how to achieve your optimal outcome.
85 Advisors
The Helmsley Building
230 Park Ave, 3rd Floor West
New York, NY 10169
United States
Tel: 646.854.3810
© 2026 85 Advisors, Inc. All rights reserved.
85 Advisors
The Helmsley Building
230 Park Ave, 3rd Floor West
New York, NY 10169
United States
Tel: 646.854.3810
© 2026 85 Advisors, Inc. All rights reserved.
85 Advisors
The Helmsley Building
230 Park Ave, 3rd Floor West
New York, NY 10169
United States
Tel: 646.854.3810
© 2026 85 Advisors, Inc. All rights reserved.