Meridian Capital
Meridian Capital (now CLA Meridian Capital) is a Seattle-based middle-market investment bank providing M&A advisory, capital raising, and strategic advisory to privately held, family-owned, and founder-led businesses across consumer, industrials, and technology verticals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Meridian Capital does
Meridian Capital is a Seattle-headquartered middle-market investment bank founded in 1995, providing merger and acquisition advisory, capital raising, buy-side advisory, and strategic advisory services to privately and closely held businesses, including family, founder, and entrepreneur-owned companies. Following its April 2026 acquisition by CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, the firm operates as CLA Meridian Capital, the investment banking division of CliftonLarsonAllen Wealth Advisors, LLC — an SEC-registered investment advisor and broker-dealer (FINRA/SIPC member). The firm is organized around three industry verticals — Consumer, Industrials, and Technology & Services — with dedicated sector bankers and a cross-border capability branded "REACH" delivered through the Global M&A Partners network.
The firm's service portfolio covers the full transaction lifecycle: sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory, debt and equity capital raising, and ongoing strategic advisory. Underlying the offering is no proprietary technology platform; the business is a traditional professional services franchise built on senior banker relationships, industry specialization, and a transaction-execution playbook. Distribution is consultative field sales — senior bankers originate and run engagements end-to-end. Deal teams are augmented by proprietary M&A market research published across sub-sectors (HR Tech, HealthTech, Mechanical Services, MRO/Aftermarket, AdTech, Baked Goods & Confectionery, etc.), which functions as a top-of-funnel content marketing channel.
Revenue is generated primarily through transaction-based fees — success fees tied to M&A closings, placement fees on capital raises — supplemented by strategic advisory retainers. Pricing is engagement-by-engagement and not publicly disclosed; multi-year contracts are common on the advisory side. The firm employs 11–50 staff across Seattle and Portland (the latter added via the 2022 acquisition of Orca Capital), and is now embedded within CLA's broader accounting, wealth advisory, and consulting platform, giving it cross-sell access to CLA's middle-market client base.
Meridian Capital firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Meridian Capital
- Legal name
- CliftonLarsonAllen Wealth Advisors, LLC
- Website
- https://meridianllc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Meridian Capital (now CLA Meridian Capital) is a Seattle-based middle-market investment bank providing M&A advisory, capital raising, and strategic advisory to privately held, family-owned, and founder-led businesses across consumer, industrials, and technology verticals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Meridian Capital industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Middle-Market Investment Banking
- NAICS
- Investment Banking and Securities Intermediation (52315), Investment Banking and Securities Intermediation (523150), Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage (5231)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282), Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)
- akta.pro primary industry
- M&A Advisory (Buy-side/Sell-side) (BPAHADAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Corporate Finance & Capital Advisory (BPAHADAB), Equity Capital Advisory (Private Equity Placements, Growth Capital) (BPAHAOAE), Capital Raising Advisory (Debt/Equity/Private Capital) (BPAHADAG), Industry-Specialist / Sector-Focused M&A Advisory (FSAEAGAJ)
Keywords
Where Meridian Capital is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Meridian Capital business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- M&A Advisory Fees: Transaction-based fees for merger and acquisition advisory services, typically including success fees tied to transaction completion.
- Capital Raising Services: Fees for capital raising and financing advisory, including placement fees for equity or debt capital raises.
- Strategic Advisory Retainers: Strategic advisory engagements, potentially including retainer-based ongoing advisory relationships.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom engagement-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Meridian Capital product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Meridian Capital, operating as CLA Meridian Capital since April 2026, is a middle-market investment bank that advises business owners on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, buy-side transactions, and strategic corporate finance challenges. The firm delivers these services through industry-specialized banker teams across Consumer, Industrials, and Technology & Services verticals, supplemented by cross-border M&A capability through the Global M&A Partners network and proprietary sector research.
Product overview
CLA Meridian Capital operates as a middle-market investment banking division offering a unified suite of advisory services organized around three core verticals: Consumer, Industrials, and Technology & Services. The firm's core service offerings include M&A Advisory, Capital Raising, Buy Side Advisory, and Strategic Advisory, all delivered through industry-specialized bankers. The company differentiates through its REACH cross-border M&A capability powered by the Global M&A Partners network, and supplements its advisory work with proprietary M&A market research reports covering multiple industry sectors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- M&A Advisory Merger and acquisition advisory services including deal structuring, valuation, negotiation support, and transaction execution for middle-market business owners. Delivered by industry-specialized bankers across Consumer, Industrials, and Technology & Services verticals.
- Capital Raising
- Buy Side Advisory
- Strategic Advisory
- REACH: Cross-border M&A
Companies that use Meridian Capital
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Meridian Capital technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Meridian Capital partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA)flagshipMeridian Capital's team joined CliftonLarsonAllen LLP in April 2026, forming CLA Meridian Capital. This strategic integration enables CLA to provide a broader range of services including mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, and strategic advisory, with a focus on middle-market companies. The integration aims to better support private business owners through financial transactions and ownership transitions.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights5 records
Meridian Capital competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cascadia Capital: Seattle-based middle-market M&A advisory firm with similar sector focus and comparable team size. Direct competitor for the same family/founder-owned business owner mandates in the Pacific Northwest.
- Lincoln International: Global middle-market M&A advisor with comparable transaction size range and sector-specialist model. Directly competes for mid-market sell-side and buy-side advisory mandates.
- Stout Capital: Middle-market M&A advisory firm with similar transaction size profile. Directly competes for sell-side mandates from founder/family-owned businesses.
- BGL Corporate Advisors: Middle-market investment bank focused on M&A advisory for private and family-owned businesses. Comparable target customer base and engagement style.
- Livingstone Partners: Global middle-market M&A advisory firm with similar sector-specialist structure and transaction size range. Directly competes for sell-side and buy-side mandates.
Broad incumbents
- D.A. Davidson: Large regional broker-dealer with a significant middle-market M&A and capital markets practice. Competes for similar sell-side mandates and offers broader services including research, fixed income, and wealth management.
- Houlihan Lokey: Global investment bank with a deep middle-market M&A franchise. Frequently competes for the same middle-market sell-side and capital raising mandates and offers broader sector coverage.
- Piper Sandler: Diversified middle-market investment bank with strong sector-specialist coverage. Competes for capital raising and M&A mandates from similar middle-market clients.
- Raymond James: Diversified financial services firm with a substantial middle-market M&A and capital markets practice. Offers comparable advisory services plus research, sales, and trading infrastructure.
Regional players
- MarshBerry: Investment banking and consulting firm focused on financial services and insurance distribution. Adjacent in mission and size but serves different end-markets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Meridian Capital social profiles
Digital presenceMeridian Capital compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Meridian Capital financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Meridian Capital leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles21 records
Meridian Capital funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Meridian Capital M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments8 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Meridian Capital
What does Meridian Capital do?
Meridian Capital, operating as CLA Meridian Capital since April 2026, is a middle-market investment bank that advises business owners on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, buy-side transactions, and strategic corporate finance challenges. The firm delivers these services through industry-specialized banker teams across Consumer, Industrials, and Technology & Services verticals, supplemented by cross-border M&A capability through the Global M&A Partners network and proprietary sector research.
Is Meridian Capital a public or private company?
Meridian Capital is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Meridian Capital founded?
Meridian Capital was founded in 1995. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Meridian Capital based?
Meridian Capital is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Meridian Capital make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. M&A Advisory Fees are the primary driver. The others are capital Raising Services and strategic Advisory Retainers.
Who are Meridian Capital's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cascadia Capital, Lincoln International, Stout Capital, BGL Corporate Advisors and Livingstone Partners. Broad incumbents are D.A. Davidson, Houlihan Lokey, Piper Sandler and Raymond James. MarshBerry is listed as a regional player.
Does Meridian Capital have an API?
No public API is recorded for Meridian Capital.
What industry is Meridian Capital in?
Meridian Capital's product category is Middle-Market Investment Banking. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHADAC, M&A Advisory (Buy-side/Sell-side), with a secondary code of BPAHADAB, Corporate Finance & Capital Advisory. Its NAICS code is 52315 and its SIC code is 6282.