Berenson & Company

What Berenson & Company does

Berenson & Company is a New York-based merchant bank established in 1990 that provides strategic advisory, M&A, capital advisory, and restructuring and special-situations services to corporate clients and private equity sponsors. The firm operates through three integrated service lines — Strategic Advisory + M&A, Capital Advisory, and Restructuring and Special Situations — delivered by a small, senior-partner-led team that engages directly with clients across the full transaction lifecycle. Its client base spans tier-1 private equity sponsors (including GTCR, Genstar Capital, Insight Partners, Bain Capital, Apollo, Blackstone, and Carlyle) and corporate clients in verticals such as defense technology, software, consumer/retail, industrials, and energy/sustainability; representative mandates include the ~$3.7B Getty Images / Shutterstock merger of equals and the $2.65B HBC / Neiman Marcus acquisition.

The firm is structured as Berenson & Company, LLC, a wholly-owned operating subsidiary of Berenson & Company, Inc., with FINRA/SIPC memberships supporting its broker-dealer activities. Revenue is generated exclusively through professional service fees — success fees, retainers, and transaction-based advisory fees on bespoke, quote-based engagements — with no technology licensing or recurring subscription revenue. Distribution is relationship-driven: all client engagements are led personally by senior partners without intermediaries, digital channels, or resellers. The firm does not develop proprietary technology products; it leverages accumulated deal-making experience, institutional knowledge, and analytical frameworks as its core 'platform.'

In June 2026, the firm's ownership transitioned materially: tech/specialty M&A bankers Brendan Ryan and Jon Steele, formerly global co-heads of technology and services investment banking at Raymond James Financial, joined by acquiring a 50% stake to co-lead the firm alongside founder and CEO Jeffrey L. Berenson, suggesting a strategic emphasis on scaling technology and growth-equity coverage. Historical activity includes the 2018 acquisition of Skience, a financial-services workflow firm, indicating occasional forays into technology-adjacent assets, though no recurring product franchise has emerged from that move.

Name

Berenson & Company

Legal name

Berenson & Company, LLC

Website

https://berensonco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Berenson & Company is a New York-based merchant bank established in 1990 providing strategic advisory, M&A, capital advisory, and restructuring services to private equity sponsors and corporate clients across nine end markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Banking

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage (5231)

SIC

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

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHADAC

M&A Advisory (Buy-side/Sell-side)

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Strategy & Corporate Finance Advisory

SECONDARYFSAEAGAA

Sell-Side M&A Advisory

Financial & Insurance/Financial Advisory, Brokerage & Intermediation/M&A Advisory & Corporate Finance

SECONDARYFSAEAGAB

Buy-Side M&A Advisory

Financial & Insurance/Financial Advisory, Brokerage & Intermediation/M&A Advisory & Corporate Finance

SECONDARYBPAHAOAF

Fairness Opinions & Independent Financial Advice

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/M&A, Transaction & Restructuring Advisory

SECONDARYBPAHAOAG

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

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/M&A, Transaction & Restructuring Advisory

Keywords

• Investment banking services
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Capital advisory
• Restructuring advisory
• Merchant banking

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Strategic Advisory and M&A: Fees earned for providing strategic advisory services and executing M&A transactions including buy-side and sell-side mandates, fairness opinions, and board advisory work.
2. Capital Advisory: Bespoke solutions balancing capital requirements, cost of capital and risk mitigation at various points in clients' business evolution.
3. Restructuring and Special Situations: Advisory fees for navigating complex restructuring situations working with companies, boards, shareholders and creditors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Berenson & Company is a New York-based merchant bank established in 1990 that provides senior-partner-led strategic advisory, M&A, capital advisory, and restructuring services. The firm serves private equity sponsors and corporations across multiple end markets, executing buy-side and sell-side mandates, fairness opinions, and complex stakeholder negotiations. Engagements are bespoke, fee-based, and led directly by senior partners throughout the transaction lifecycle.

Product overview

Berenson & Company is a merchant bank established in 1990 that provides advisory services rather than a traditional software product. The firm operates as a single integrated offering comprising three core service lines: Strategic Advisory + M&A (leveraging deal-making experience and analytical capabilities), Capital Advisory (developing bespoke capital solutions), and Restructuring and Special Situations (navigating complex stakeholder issues). These services collectively address client needs across the full business lifecycle from strategic planning through execution and transformation. The firm specializes in serving industries including Business Services, Consumer, Data & Analytics, Government Services, Healthcare, Industrials, Real Estate, Software, and Transportation & Logistics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Advisory + M&A

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully advised on transactions valued at approximately $3.7 billion (Getty/Shutterstock merger), $2.65 billion (HBC/Neiman Marcus), and numerous other middle-market transactions

Named customers16 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Moelis & Company: Global independent advisory firm providing M&A, capital advisory, and restructuring services to corporates and sponsors; comparable senior-led, sector-agnostic model.
• Lincoln International: Mid-market-focused boutique investment bank providing M&A and capital advisory; comparable in size, PE sponsor focus, and middle-market transaction profile.
• PJT Partners: Boutique advisory firm focused on M&A, restructuring, and fund placement, with deep PE sponsor relationships; closely comparable service model and client roster to Berenson.
• Greenhill & Co. Independent M&A advisory firm serving corporate and PE sponsor clients; comparable boutique positioning and senior-led engagement model, though larger scale.
• Houlihan Lokey: Public elite boutique investment bank with leading M&A, capital advisory, and restructuring practices serving middle-market and large-cap clients including PE sponsors — directly comparable in business mix and client base to Berenson.
• Evercore: Independent advisory firm specializing in M&A advisory, capital advisory, and restructuring; serves a similar blue-chip PE sponsor and corporate client base, making it a closely comparable elite boutique peer.

Broad incumbents

• Stifel Financial: Diversified broker-dealer with a substantial middle-market M&A and capital advisory practice serving PE sponsors and corporates; comparable middle-market deal flow but with broader capital markets capabilities.
• Lazard: Global financial advisory and asset management firm with a leading M&A and restructuring practice serving corporates and PE sponsors; overlaps with Berenson across M&A advisory and restructuring but operates at significantly larger scale.
• Jefferies: Global investment bank with strong middle-market and large-cap M&A advisory and capital markets capabilities; competes with Berenson for sponsor-led mandates but at significantly greater scale and sector breadth.
• Raymond James Financial: Diversified financial services firm with a sizable investment banking division covering M&A advisory across sectors; Berenson recently acquired two former Raymond James tech-banking leaders, indicating overlapping practice areas.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments2 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Berenson & Company