Sbliftoff

What Sbliftoff does

Sbliftoff (styled sbLiftOff) is a privately held lower middle-market M&A advisory firm founded in 2018 by CEO Sharon Heaton and headquartered in Reston, Virginia. The firm provides sellside, buyside, set-aside-specific, valuation, and consulting services to founder owners of companies with $10 million to $100 million in revenues, with a primary specialization in federal government contractors — including set-aside categories (SDVOSB, WOSB, HUBZone, 8(a)) — and secondary practices in software, SaaS, cybersecurity, intelligence community, logistics, facilities management, and commercial B2B services. The firm has expanded nationally from its DMV origins into Huntsville (Alabama), Tampa (Florida), and Dayton (Ohio) GovCon hubs, supported by a senior team of roughly 11–50 professionals including a President (Nancy Langer) and a Managing Director/CFO co-owner (Jordan Gersh, promoted March 2026).

The firm's business model is professional services: custom-quoted, transaction-based advisory fees (success-based plus retainer structures typical for the segment), with deal sourcing driven by relationship-based selling, industry conference speaking, a professional referral network (attorneys, accountants, bankers), and an active thought-leadership content engine that includes a weekly blog ('Saturday Send! The GovCon M&A Blog'), the 'GovCon M&A Talk' podcast, YouTube content, Forbes and Harvard Business Review articles, and the Forbes #1 New Release book 'LIFT OFF: 12 Things to Know Before Selling Your Business.'

Sbliftoff does not employ proprietary technology; the technology stack is described as 'Not applicable — professional services M&A advisory firm.' Competitive differentiation rests on domain specialization in set-aside federal contracting M&A, founder-led brand authority, board-level positioning across NVSBC, NVTC, SECAF, AM&AA, and ACG, and membership in the Cornerstone International Alliance for cross-border deal flow. The firm is co-owned by its founders and key executives, has no disclosed parent company, no external institutional capital, and has not raised funding rounds.

Name

Sbliftoff

Legal name

sbLiftOff

Website

https://sbliftoff.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

sbLiftOff is a privately held lower middle-market M&A advisory firm founded in 2018, serving founder owners of $10M–$100M-revenue federal government contractors, software, SaaS, and commercial B2B services companies with sellside, buyside, set-aside, and valuation services from offices in Reston, Huntsville, Tampa, and Dayton.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Banking and M&A Advisory

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

akta.pro primary industry

M&A Advisory (Buy-Side & Sell-Side) (BPAHAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sell-Side M&A Advisory (FSAEAGAA), Buy-Side M&A Advisory (FSAEAGAB)

Keywords

• Mergers and acquisitions advisory
• Investment banking services
• Business valuation services
• Government contracting M&A
• Sellside advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Herndon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. M&A Advisory Services: M&A advisory fees for sellside and buyside services including business valuation, transaction support, deal structuring, and closing. The firm serves as the quarterback of M&A transactions for middle-market business owners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sbliftoff is a lower middle market M&A advisory firm that advises founder owners on selling and acquiring companies with $10 million to $100 million in revenue across federal government contracting, software, SaaS, and commercial B2B services. Its core services cover sellside representation, buyside acquisition advisory, set-aside (SDVOSB, WOSB, HUBZone, 8(a)) M&A, deal consulting, and business valuation. The firm acts as quarterback of the M&A transaction, from valuation and buyer identification through negotiation and closing.

Product overview

sbLiftOff is a lower middle market M&A advisory firm offering a comprehensive suite of advisory services for companies with $10 million to $100 million in revenues. The core offerings include Sellside Services, Buyside M&A Services, Set-Aside M&A, M&A Consulting Services, and Valuation Services. The firm specializes in federal government contracting (GovCon), software, SaaS, and commercial B2B services. Additionally, sbLiftOff provides educational content through its bestselling book 'LIFT OFF: 12 Things to Know Before Selling Your Business' and the 'GovCon M&A Talk' podcast series. The firm operates nationally from its Reston, Virginia headquarters with a focus on founder owners looking to transition their businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sellside Services Advisory services for business owners selling their companies, including valuation, marketing materials development, buyer identification, negotiation, and closing support. Aimed at founder owners of lower middle market government contracting, software, SaaS, and commercial B2B services companies.
• Buyside M&A Services Advisory services for buyers seeking to acquire companies, including target identification, due diligence support, and acquisition structuring. Aimed at strategic and financial buyers pursuing lower middle market targets.
• Set-Aside M&A Specialized M&A advisory for small business set-aside companies (SDVOSB, WOSB, 8(a), HUBZone) navigating federal contracting market transitions, including contract transfer mechanics and recertification issues.
• M&A Consulting Services Strategic consulting throughout the M&A process, including process management, deal team coordination, and transaction support for founder owners and acquirers.
• Valuation Services Business valuation analysis to determine fair market value, considering recurring revenue, contract backlog, technology stack, IP, and buyer appetite for lower middle market targets.
• LIFT OFF: 12 Things to Know Before Selling Your Business A bestselling book by CEO Sharon Heaton covering the 12 key lessons for business owners preparing to sell their company, available on Amazon in a second edition.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $12 billion in aggregate deal value transferred over CEO's career
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Center for the Middle MarketcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with this think tank located at The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business on research and policy. The Center's Director wrote the Forward to LIFT OFF, sbLiftOff's CEO's book.
• Cornerstone International AlliancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorsbLiftOff is a member of this global association of M&A Owners which includes the United States, Canada, Europe, and South America.
• SECAFminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSharon Heaton sits on the Board of Directors at SECAF (a government contracting industry organization).
• Association for Corporate Growth (ACG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJennifer deCamp of sbLiftOff serves on the Association for Corporate Growth's National Capital Membership Committee.
• National Veteran Small Business Coalition (NVSBC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnersbLiftOff's President Nancy Langer serves on the NVSBC Board and is active on Committees. She helped grow the organization, started the first fundraising committee, and helped score large foundation grants.
• Indian American International Chamber of Commerce (IAICC)minorGTM or Marketing PartnersbLiftOff works closely with Dr. Shankar Rachakonda and the IAICC on educational events and training for members in the DMV region.
• Stars & Stripes NOVA CommitteeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnersbLiftOff is proud to partner with and support the Stars & Stripes NOVA Committee, a local Fairfax charity serving veteran, military and military families facing food insecurity and hardship.
• Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNancy Langer, sbLiftOff's President, serves on the Board of the Northern Virginia Technology Council GovCon Community of Interest.
• Alliance of M&A Advisors (AM&AA) DC/MD/VA ChapterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSharon Heaton, sbLiftOff's CEO, has served as the Chair of the Executive Committee of the AM&AA DC/MD/VA Chapter for the past three years.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• KippsDeSanto & Co. KippsDeSanto & Co. is a middle-market M&A advisory firm focused on the defense, government services, and technology sectors. It is directly comparable to sbLiftOff: both serve GovCon founder-owners in similar revenue bands, run comparable sellside/buyside mandates, and have appeared on each other's thought-leadership platforms (KippsDeSanto's Kate Troendle was a GovCon M&A Talk guest).
• The McLean Group: The McLean Group is a middle-market investment bank and M&A advisory firm with a dedicated Aerospace, Defense & Government Services practice. It competes head-to-head with sbLiftOff for lower middle-market GovCon sellside and buyside mandates in the same revenue range, making it a strong direct peer.
• Atlas Advisors: Atlas Advisors is a lower middle-market M&A advisory firm focused on founder-led businesses, with practices overlapping sbLiftOff's software/SaaS and business services verticals. Comparable deal size band and founder-owner orientation make it a directly competitive boutique.
• Dinan & Company: Dinan & Company is a boutique lower middle-market M&A advisor serving founder-led companies. It targets a similar $10M-$100M revenue seller profile and competes for advisory mandates in the same lower middle-market segment as sbLiftOff.

Broad incumbents

• BDO USA: BDO is a top global accounting and advisory network with a substantial middle-market M&A practice (including BDO's '50 Most Influential Women in M&A' recognition that also honored sbLiftOff's CEO). BDO is a broad incumbent that competes for the same lower middle-market sellside mandates with greater bench depth and cross-border reach.
• KPMG Corporate Finance: KPMG's Corporate Finance practice is a large incumbent middle-market M&A advisor serving technology, government services, and industrial clients. It overlaps sbLiftOff's buyer/seller universe with a global platform and integrated tax/consulting capabilities.
• Deloitte M&A Advisory: Deloitte's M&A Advisory practice is a broad incumbent serving middle-market and large-cap transactions across tech, government services, and SaaS. It is comparable as a scaled competitor for the same founder-owner and corporate-divestiture mandates sbLiftOff pursues.
• Jefferies Group: Jefferies is a global investment bank with a strong middle-market M&A franchise, particularly in aerospace, defense, and technology — directly overlapping sbLiftOff's GovCon and SaaS verticals with greater balance-sheet and capital-markets capabilities.
• Baird: Baird is a global middle-market investment bank with a large M&A practice serving technology, business services, and industrial founder-led companies. It competes with sbLiftOff on lower middle-market sellside mandates with significantly more resources and a global buyer network.

Emerging players

• Pivot Partners: Pivot Partners is a lower middle-market advisory firm with overlapping GovCon and technology mandates. It is comparable as a younger/smaller boutique that targets similar founder-owner sellers, making it an emerging competitor to sbLiftOff in the same niche.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCJgKs0KhGkwDpxUReIpPqtg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sbliftoff
• Xx.com/sbliftoff
• Facebookfacebook.com/sbliftoff

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Sbliftoff