AEC Advisors
AEC Advisors is an investment banking and corporate finance advisory firm focused exclusively on the Architecture, Engineering, and Consulting industry, providing M&A advisory, corporate finance consulting, stock valuations, and a retainer-based Key Client Program to AEC firm leaders across North America.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What AEC Advisors does
AEC Advisors is a specialized investment banking and corporate finance advisory firm focused exclusively on the Architecture, Engineering, and Consulting (AEC) industry in North America. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in New York City with a second office in Miami Beach, the firm offers sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory, private equity transaction advisory, corporate finance consulting (including internal ownership transitions, critical-issue advisory, financial modeling, and stock valuations/appraisals), and a subscription-style Key Client Program that bundles advisory services for a fixed monthly retainer. Core products are delivered by a team of approximately 28 professionals led by four co-founders (Andrej Avelini, Joe Smetona, Josh Lahre, Tyler Albright) plus the firm's first non-founder partner, Yasmin Atefi.
The firm's underlying technology and competitive advantage is its proprietary industry data assets: a database of 400+ closed AEC M&A transactions and an annual KPI benchmarking dataset covering 300+ AEC firms representing roughly 90% of North American AEC revenue. These datasets underpin valuation opinions, benchmark comparisons, and thought-leadership products such as the annual State of the Industry Report and specific-issue surveys. The firm also operates two flagship annual events — the CEO Summit (253 attendees from 219 firms representing $180B+ in collective gross revenues at the 2025 event) and the invitation-only Private Equity Summit — which double as deal-sourcing channels and reinforce relationships with C-level decision-makers and financial sponsors.
The business model is professional services with recurring and event-based overlays. Revenue is generated from transaction success fees on M&A mandates, fixed monthly retainers under the Key Client Program, project fees for stock valuations and corporate finance work, and registration fees for the CEO Summit (tiered at $3,650-$5,500 per attendee based on firm size). AEC Advisors operates as AEC Advisors LLC with investment banking services delivered through AEC Transaction Services LLC, a separate FINRA/SIPC member affiliate. The firm is privately held by its founders and employees, with no disclosed external investors, and operates solely in the United States.
AEC Advisors firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AEC Advisors
- Legal name
- AEC Advisors LLC
- Website
- https://aecadvisors.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- AEC Advisors is an investment banking and corporate finance advisory firm focused exclusively on the Architecture, Engineering, and Consulting industry, providing M&A advisory, corporate finance consulting, stock valuations, and a retainer-based Key Client Program to AEC firm leaders across North America.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AEC Advisors industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Investment Banking Services
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- M&A Advisory (Buy-Side & Sell-Side) (BPAHAOAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Corporate Strategy Advisory (BPAHADAA), Capital Markets Advisory (IPO Readiness, SPAC, ECM/DCM Advisory) (BPAHAOAL)
Keywords
Where AEC Advisors is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
AEC Advisors business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- M&A Advisory Services: Confidential, thoughtful, and trusted approach to mergers and acquisitions, guiding clients through sale, merger, acquisition, or capital raise processes while protecting confidentiality
- Corporate Finance Consulting: Leverages relationships, knowledge, and data to solve corporate finance issues including internal ownership transitions, critical issue advisory, industry benchmarking, financial modeling, and stock valuations
- Key Client Program: Fixed monthly retainer program providing entire suite of corporate finance and M&A services, designed to maximize value-added services while breaking down transactional barriers
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | One-time | Larger Firms - Annual gross revenues >$250 Million |
| Other | One-time | Mid-Size Firms - Annual gross revenues $50 Million—$250 Million |
| Other | One-time | Smaller Firms - Annual gross revenues <$50 Million |
| Subscription | Monthly | Key Client Program |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
AEC Advisors product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AEC Advisors provides confidential Mergers & Acquisitions advisory (sell-side, buy-side, and private equity transactions) and Corporate Finance consulting (ownership transitions, critical-issue advisory, benchmarking, financial modeling, and stock valuations) exclusively to Architecture, Engineering, and Consulting (AEC) firms. Services are delivered by a 28-person deal team supported by proprietary databases of 400+ closed M&A transactions and KPI data from 300+ AEC firms, and are also offered through a fixed monthly retainer Key Client Program.
Product overview
AEC Advisors is an investment banking and corporate finance advisory firm serving the Architecture, Engineering, and Consulting (AEC) industry. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services centered on Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory and Corporate Finance Consulting, delivered through a Key Client retainer program. Supporting offerings include the State of the Industry Report, Specific Issue Surveys, CEO Summit, Private Equity Summit, and Webinars. The firm leverages proprietary databases of 400+ closed M&A transactions and KPI data from 300+ AEC firms to provide advisory services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory
Quantifiable outcome
- 158 completed M&A transactions representing $29+ billion in aggregate transaction enterprise value
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use AEC Advisors
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
AEC Advisors technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
AEC Advisors partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority)coreInvestment Banking Services are offered through AEC Transaction Services LLC, Member of FINRA and SIPC. Regulatory membership required for securities-related investment banking activities.
- SIPC (Securities Investor Protection Corporation)coreAEC Transaction Services LLC is a member of SIPC, providing customer account protection in the event of broker-dealer failure.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
AEC Advisors competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Brown, Gibbons, Lang & Company (BGL): Middle-market investment bank with services and industrial teams covering AEC. Overlaps in select AEC M&A engagements but operates across many industries.
- Houlihan Lokey: Global investment bank with significant AEC and infrastructure services coverage. Competes for larger AEC M&A mandates but lacks the niche specialization.
- Cain Brothers (KeyBanc Capital Markets): Healthcare and infrastructure-focused investment bank. Comparable as a sector-specialist M&A advisor serving professional services firms, though focused on healthcare; competes for AEC-adjacent mandates.
- Harris Williams: Middle-market M&A advisor with a building products and construction services group covering AEC. Overlaps in serving large AEC M&A mandates but serves a much broader set of industries.
- Lincoln International: Global middle-market investment bank with a dedicated building and infrastructure practice serving AEC firms. Comparable as a competing M&A advisor in the same deals but operating across broader industries; AEC Advisors' founders (notably Bob Perkaus) have Lincoln International pedigree.
Direct peers
- Morrissey Goodale: AEC-focused M&A and management consulting advisory firm that advises architecture, engineering, and consulting firms on M&A, ownership transitions, and strategic growth. Closest direct competitor given identical AEC vertical focus and overlapping service offerings.
- Zweig Group: AEC-focused advisory firm offering M&A, executive search, and management consulting. Comparable as another AEC-specialized advisor with overlapping M&A practice and industry research.
- FMI Corporation: Management consulting and investment banking firm focused on the built environment, including AEC and construction. Directly comparable for AEC M&A advisory and consulting; also operates industry research and surveys similar to AEC Advisors' State of the Industry Report.
- Scienta Advisors: AEC-focused M&A and corporate finance advisory firm. Among the closest direct peers given identical AEC vertical specialization and similar service mix.
Emerging players
- Marsh Berry: M&A and growth advisory firm serving insurance distribution and related professional services firms. Comparable as a vertical-specialist M&A advisor using a similar playbook (data-driven benchmarking, conferences, and recurring advisory programs), though in a different vertical.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
AEC Advisors financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AEC Advisors leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
AEC Advisors funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AEC Advisors M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about AEC Advisors
What does AEC Advisors do?
AEC Advisors provides confidential Mergers & Acquisitions advisory (sell-side, buy-side, and private equity transactions) and Corporate Finance consulting (ownership transitions, critical-issue advisory, benchmarking, financial modeling, and stock valuations) exclusively to Architecture, Engineering, and Consulting (AEC) firms. Services are delivered by a 28-person deal team supported by proprietary databases of 400+ closed M&A transactions and KPI data from 300+ AEC firms, and are also offered through a fixed monthly retainer Key Client Program.
Is AEC Advisors a public or private company?
AEC Advisors is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was AEC Advisors founded?
AEC Advisors was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is AEC Advisors based?
AEC Advisors is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does AEC Advisors make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. M&A Advisory Services are the primary driver. The others are corporate Finance Consulting and key Client Program.
Who are AEC Advisors's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Brown, Gibbons, Lang & Company (BGL), Houlihan Lokey, Cain Brothers (KeyBanc Capital Markets), Harris Williams and Lincoln International. Direct peers are Morrissey Goodale, Zweig Group, FMI Corporation and Scienta Advisors. Marsh Berry is listed as an emerging player.
Does AEC Advisors have an API?
No public API is recorded for AEC Advisors.
What industry is AEC Advisors in?
AEC Advisors's product category is Investment Banking Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAOAA, M&A Advisory (Buy-Side & Sell-Side), with a secondary code of BPAHADAA, Corporate Strategy Advisory. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.