AEC Advisors

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.

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

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

• Investment banking services
• Corporate finance advisory
• Mergers acquisitions advisory
• Ownership transition consulting
• Industry benchmarking services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. 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
2. 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
3. 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

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core 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

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority)coreOthersInvestment 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)coreOthersAEC 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

Broad 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

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 AEC Advisors