Viking Mergers & Acquisitions

What Viking Mergers & Acquisitions does

Viking Mergers & Acquisitions is a privately held, lower-middle-market business brokerage and M&A advisory firm headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, with a secondary headquarters in Tampa, Florida. Founded in 1996 by Brad Offerdahl and his son Jay Offerdahl, the firm operates two primary service tiers: Business Brokerage for businesses valued between $1 million and $10 million, and M&A Advisory for transactions in the $10 million to $150 million+ range. Its service offering includes confidential business valuations (offered free of charge as a lead-generation tool), confidential marketing to a proprietary network of thousands of pre-qualified buyers, NDA-gated information release, buyer screening and qualification, offer negotiation, due diligence coordination, deal closing, exit strategy and succession planning, and acquisition financing support (SBA, seller financing). The firm also operates a confidential listing portal on its website featuring 70+ active business opportunities searchable by revenue, cash flow, industry, and region.

The firm differentiates on a proprietary three-approach valuation methodology (Cash Flow Analysis, Comparable Sales, and Industry Standards) customized to each business's industry and trajectory, supported by more than 30 years of operating history and 950+ closed transactions. Its revenue model is purely performance-based — commissions as a percentage of sale price, with no upfront fees or retainers — aligning the firm with sellers. Geographic coverage spans 19 offices across 10 states (Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Washington DC), with the two most recent expansions being Philadelphia (February 2026) and Memphis (April 2026). The team includes Jay Offerdahl (President), Larry Lawson (President, Florida Division — credited with 350+ transactions and $900MM+ in sourced buyer funding), and a distributed network of Managing Partners and Advisors, of whom over 70% have been business owners themselves, with additional experience drawn from Big Four firms, Fortune 500 operating roles, and private equity.

Operationally, Viking reports a 85% closing rate (compared with a 22% IBBA-reported industry average) and a 96% achievement of asking price on listed businesses, with typical sale timelines of 5–12 months. The firm has established recurring deal-flow relationships with PE-backed platform acquirers including Founders Home Service Group (backed by Kompass Kapital), MD Holdings (FactoryMation transaction), and Virtual Technologies Group (backed by Jacmel Partners). It serves two principal customer segments: business owners seeking exit (succession, liquidity, retirement) and buyers seeking acquisition targets (individual owner-operators and institutional/strategic acquirers), with target companies generating between $2 million and $250 million in annual revenue.

Name

Viking Mergers & Acquisitions

Legal name

Viking Mergers & Acquisitions

Website

https://vikingmergers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Viking Mergers & Acquisitions is a Charlotte-based business brokerage and M&A advisory firm founded in 1996, representing lower-middle-market business owners in sell-side transactions valued from $1M to $150MM+ across 19 offices in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states, earning commissions on closing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Brokerage & M&A Advisory Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Sell-Side M&A Advisory (FSAEAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

M&A Advisory (Buy-Side & Sell-Side) (BPAHAOAA), Buy-Side M&A Advisory (FSAEAGAB), Buy-Side Search & Acquisition Advisory (FSAEAIAD)

Keywords

• Business brokerage services
• Mergers acquisitions advisory
• Business valuation services
• Exit strategy planning
• Lower middle market

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices19 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Business Brokerage Commission: Fee is a percentage of the sale price and is only paid once a business is sold. No upfront fees or retainers required. Interests are aligned with sellers - Viking only gets paid when the seller gets paid.
2. M&A Advisory Services: Full-service M&A process for businesses valued at $10MM+. Works with private equity groups and strategic buyers. Similar commission-based structure with success fees upon closing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Viking Mergers & Acquisitions is a sell-side business brokerage and M&A advisory firm representing business owners in the lower and middle market (businesses valued $1MM to $150MM+). Core services include complimentary confidential business valuations, confidential marketing of businesses to thousands of pre-qualified buyers, NDA-driven buyer screening, offer negotiation, due diligence support, and closing coordination. The firm also provides M&A advisory for transactions above $10MM involving private equity groups, family offices, and strategic acquirers, plus exit strategy, succession planning, and acquisition financing guidance for buyers.

Product overview

Viking Mergers & Acquisitions is a business brokerage and M&A advisory firm offering a comprehensive suite of services for buying and selling businesses. The company operates two primary service tiers: Business Brokerage Services for businesses valued at $1MM–$10MM, and M&A Advisory Services for transactions in the $10MM–$150MM+ range. Core offerings include confidential business valuations (offered free of charge), confidential marketing to qualified buyers, buyer pre-screening with NDA requirements, offer negotiation support, due diligence assistance, and closing coordination. The company also provides exit strategy planning (including family succession, employee buyouts, and partner buyouts) and acquisition financing guidance. Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Charlotte, NC with 19 offices across the U.S., the firm has completed over 950 transactions since inception with an 85% closing rate.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Brokerage Services Full-service business brokerage for businesses valued between $1 million and $10 million, including initial consultation, free confidential business valuation, confidential marketing, buyer pre-screening with NDA requirements, buyer/seller meetings, offer negotiation, due diligence support, and closing coordination. Targeted at individual owner-operators and financial buyers.
• M&A Advisory Services Middle-market M&A advisory services for businesses valued over $10 million, handling transactions in the $10MM–$150MM+ range, including deal structuring, private equity group coordination, strategic buyer matching, and minority ownership deal structuring.
• Business Valuation Confidential, complimentary business valuation service using a proprietary approach customized to industry, trajectory, and unique business aspects. The process uses three valuation approaches: Cash Flow Analysis, Comparable Sales, and Industry Standards. Offered free of charge to qualifying business owners as a lead generation tool.
• Exit Strategy Services Wealth realization and exit planning services including family succession planning, employee buyouts, partner buyouts, and support for existing business sales.
• Business Acquisition Financing Assistance with SBA-backed loans, commercial business loans, and seller financing options for business buyers, specializing in businesses under $5 million.
• Buying Process Support Five-step acquisition process for qualified buyers, including NDA signing, business evaluation, offer submission, due diligence coordination, and closing support for buyers acquiring Viking-listed businesses.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% of asking price achieved on average
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• MD HoldingscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMD Holdings partnered with FactoryMation (a founder-led e-commerce distributor of electrical components) to accelerate strategic growth. The transaction, facilitated by Viking M&A, brings together a niche distributor with a long-term investment partner focused on operational growth and scalable infrastructure. FactoryMation founder Russ Sanders continues leading product strategy under the new partnership.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Acquire.com: Online marketplace focused on the acquisition of small internet businesses and SaaS startups. Niche but representative of the digital-first brokerage models that compete with traditional lower-middle-market brokers on smaller deals.
• BizBuySell: Online marketplace for buying and selling businesses and franchises, providing listing exposure and connecting buyers with sellers directly. Represents an emerging tech-enabled alternative to traditional broker-led processes that could pressure Viking's smaller-deal flow.

Broad incumbents

• Houlihan Lokey: Global investment bank with a large middle-market M&A advisory practice. Viking competes with Houlihan Lokey's middle-market group for larger $50M+ mandates, though Viking operates in a smaller, regional segment.

Regional players

• Cornerstone Business Services: Regional business brokerage and M&A advisory firm serving the Midwest US with a similar advisor-network model. Comparable in services and target deal sizes, though operating in a different geographic territory than Viking.

Direct peers

• Transworld Business Advisors: Major business brokerage, M&A advisory, and franchise consulting franchise with hundreds of offices across the US and globally. Transworld serves a similar $1M-$50M deal size band and uses a comparable advisor-network model, making it one of Viking's closest direct competitors.
• Generational Group: US-based business brokerage and M&A advisory firm focused on the lower-middle market with multiple offices nationwide. Highly comparable to Viking in deal-size focus, sell-side orientation, and advisor-network distribution model.
• Murphy Business & Financial Corporation: One of the largest business brokerage and franchise consulting networks in North America, with a multi-office franchise model focused on selling main-street and lower-middle-market businesses. Highly comparable to Viking in deal size focus, franchise-style advisor model, and commission-based fee structure.
• First Choice Business Brokers: California-based business brokerage franchise serving small and lower-middle-market businesses with a multi-advisor model. Comparable in deal-size focus and advisor-network distribution, although geographically weighted toward the West Coast.
• Sunbelt Business Brokers: One of the largest business brokerage networks in the world, with offices primarily across the US, focused on selling businesses generally valued below $5M. Strong overlap with Viking's lower-end brokerage practice and multi-office franchise model.
• VR Business Brokers: Established business brokerage firm with multiple US offices representing sellers of small and mid-sized businesses. Comparable to Viking in services offered and target deal sizes in the $1M-$10M range.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vikingmergers
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Vikingmergers
• Facebookfacebook.com/vikingmergers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vikingmergers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Viking Mergers & Acquisitions