What Shea & Company does

Shea & Company is a software-focused investment bank founded in 2005 and headquartered in Boston, with a second office in San Francisco. The firm provides M&A advisory (sell-side and buy-side), divestitures, restructuring, private placements and capital raising (late-stage venture, growth equity, majority recapitalizations, IPO advisory), and corporate strategy services to software companies, private equity investors, and strategic acquirers. Shea & Company is a FINRA- and SIPC-member firm operating as Shea & Company, LLC, and does not develop or sell technology products; its offering is professional advisory services underpinned by senior-banker relationships, vertical-specific coverage across 15+ software subsectors, and rigorous transaction process execution.

The firm's revenue model is professional-services advisory fees, earned primarily on transaction completion (success-based retainers and closing fees) on a deal-by-deal basis. It does not publicly disclose pricing or fee schedules. Go-to-market is relationship-led, with mandates sourced through long-standing senior-banker networks, repeat PE sponsor relationships, and referenceability from prior clients. Distribution is direct enterprise engagement with software company founders, executives, boards, and investors; the firm supplements this with thought leadership content (market maps, quarterly software market reviews) and LinkedIn presence. Client segments span founder-owned companies seeking liquidity or growth investment, software-focused PE/growth/VC firms seeking exits or add-ons, strategic acquirers pursuing consolidation, and growth-stage software companies raising capital.

Since inception, Shea & Company states it has advised on more than $50 billion in completed transactions and 83+ closed mandates, with the senior team drawn from Credit Suisse First Boston, Hambrecht & Quist, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, and Robertson Stephens. Representative mandates include Absorb Software's sale to WCAS at greater than $500 million valuation, Prophix's majority investment from Hg, Rave Mobile Safety's acquisition by Motorola Solutions, and Gearset's $55 million investment from Silversmith Capital Partners. The firm is privately held, founder-controlled, and not backed by institutional capital.

Name

Shea & Company

Legal name

Shea & Company, LLC

Website

https://sheaco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Shea & Company is a software-focused investment bank founded in 2005 providing M&A advisory, capital raising, and corporate strategy services to software companies, private equity investors, and strategic acquirers across North America, Europe, Israel, and APAC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Banking Advisory (Software M&A)

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Development & Strategic Partnerships Advisory (JVs, Alliances, Carve-outs) (BPAHAOAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Strategic Partnerships, Alliances & JVs Advisory (BPAHADAI)

Keywords

• Investment banking advisory
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Capital raising services
• Software M&A advisory
• Corporate strategy consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Investment Banking Advisory Fees: Revenue generated from advisory fees for M&A transactions including sell-side and buy-side mandates, divestitures, and corporate strategy engagements. Typically earns success fees upon transaction completion.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Shea & Company is a software-focused investment bank (FINRA and SIPC member) that advises software companies, software-focused investors, and strategic acquirers on mergers and acquisitions (sell-side and buy-side), divestitures, carve-outs, restructuring, private placements, late-stage venture and growth equity capital raising, majority recapitalizations, IPO advisory, and corporate strategy engagements. Founded in 2005 with offices in Boston and San Francisco, the firm combines boutique-style subsector specialization across 15+ software verticals with bulge-bracket process execution rigor.

Product overview

Shea & Company is a software-focused investment bank (member FINRA and SIPC) providing advisory services to the software industry. Founded in 2005, the firm offers Mergers & Acquisitions (sell-side and buy-side advisory, divestitures, carve-outs, restructuring), Private Placements & Capital Raising (late-stage minority venture & growth equity, majority recapitalizations, IPO advisory), and Corporate Strategy services (comprehensive buyside & strategic advisory, balance sheet and capital structure review, board representation and fairness opinions). The firm has offices in Boston and San Francisco and has advised on over $50 billion in completed transactions across North America, Europe, Israel and APAC. Shea & Company does not offer software products; its offerings are advisory services for software companies, investors, and strategic acquirers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory Investment banking advisory on sell-side and buy-side M&A, divestitures, carve-outs, and restructuring for software companies, software-focused investors, and strategic acquirers. The firm provides comprehensive, objective advice on strategic and financial matters across all phases of an M&A transaction.
• Private Placements & Capital Raising Advisory on capital raising including late-stage minority venture and growth equity private placements, majority recapitalizations, and IPO advisory for software companies. The firm designs and executes capital raises and helps clients identify and approach the right investor base.
• Corporate Strategy Advisory Comprehensive buyside and strategic advisory, balance sheet and capital structure review, board representation, and fairness opinions for software companies, software-focused investors, and strategic acquirers.

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Clipper Advisors: Software-vertical boutique investment bank providing sell-side and buy-side advisory. Comparable peer serving founder-owned software companies and software-focused PE firms at similar transaction sizes.
• Qatalyst Partners: Elite boutique investment bank focused exclusively on technology and software M&A advisory. Comparable to Shea & Company in delivering high-touch, sector-specialized advisory to software founders, strategics and PE firms.
• Union Square Advisors: Technology-focused boutique investment bank advising software, internet and tech-enabled services companies on M&A and capital raising. Direct peer given overlapping coverage of mid-market software founders and PE sponsors.
• Armory Square Advisors: Boutique M&A advisor focused on software, data and tech-enabled services. Comparable as a small software-specialized firm pursuing similar deal sizes and founder/PE client relationships.
• Software Equity Group: Boutique advisory firm exclusively dedicated to software M&A with deep sector coverage across vertical SaaS, fintech, healthcare IT and security. Directly comparable in specialization, business model and target client base.
• MHT Partners: Software-vertical-specialized boutique investment bank providing M&A and capital raising to mid-market software companies. Closely mirrors Shea & Company's niche, deal-size band and client type.

Broad incumbents

• Houlihan Lokey: Large global investment bank with a dedicated Technology, Media & Telecom group covering software M&A and capital markets. Competes with Shea & Company on larger mandates while offering scale and cross-product capabilities.
• William Blair: Mid-market-focused investment bank with a long-standing software and technology services group. Overlaps with Shea & Company on growth-equity raises and mid-cap software M&A while providing a broader industry footprint.
• Lincoln International: Global investment bank with dedicated software and technology sector coverage providing M&A, capital raising and fairness opinions. Comparable competitor in the mid-market software advisory space.
• JMP Securities: Research- and advisory-focused investment bank (now part of TD Cowen) with a long-tenured software and technology equity research franchise and a software M&A advisory practice. Competitor for software sell-side mandates and capital raises.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shea-&-company-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Shea & Company