What The Sage Group does

The Sage Group, LLC is an independent, privately held investment bank founded in 2000 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The firm provides corporate finance advisory services — sell-side and buy-side M&A, growth capital raising, recapitalizations, take-privates, and strategic advisory — focused exclusively on premium consumer brands and digitally native companies. Its client base spans apparel, footwear, accessories, beauty and personal care, health and wellness, specialty retail, home, food and beverage, and e-commerce. The firm does not develop or sell technology products; its output is bespoke advisory services delivered by senior bankers. Revenue is generated through transaction-based advisory fees, comprising retainers and success fees tied to deal value, with no publicly disclosed pricing. Marketing and deal sourcing rely on senior relationships, the firm's transaction track record, earned media coverage in outlets such as WWD, Forbes, and the Financial Times, and its owned website and newsletter.

In February 2022, Sage formed a global Consumer Investment Banking partnership with U.K.-based Spayne Lindsay & Co. LLP, combining the two firms' U.S. and European practices. The combined platform has roughly 50 investment banking professionals operating from offices in Los Angeles, New York, London, and Paris, and has completed over 300 transactions worth tens of billions of dollars across both markets. Both firms remain independently owned. The firm's broker-dealer affiliate, Sage Partners Securities, LLC, is a FINRA and SIPC member registered in multiple U.S. states. Named recent and historical transactions include the GUESS? take-private with the Marciano family and Authentic Brands Group (January 2026), the proposed sale of SPY+ and Serengeti to Safilo (April 2026), the Adrianna Papell recapitalization with Trive Capital (March 2026), the Guess?/WHP Global acquisition of Rag & Bone (2024), Honey Birdette's sale to PLBY Group for approximately $333 million (June 2021), Bombas's recapitalization with Great Hill Partners (2018), and Oribe Hair Care's sale to Kao Corporation. The firm is led by CEO Mark Vidergauz, and its ownership is described as founder/management-led with no disclosed external institutional investors.

Name

The Sage Group

Legal name

The Sage Group, LLC

Website

https://sagellc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Sage Group, LLC is an independent investment bank founded in 2000 that provides sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory, capital raising, and strategic advisory services exclusively to premium consumer brands and digitally native companies, operating from offices in Los Angeles, New York, London, and Paris through a global partnership with Spayne Lindsay & Co. LLP.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Banking

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Buy-Side M&A Advisory (FSAEAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fairness Opinions & Independent Financial Advice (BPAHAOAF), Corporate Development & Strategic Partnerships Advisory (JVs, Alliances, Carve-outs) (BPAHAOAG)

Keywords

• M&A advisory services
• Consumer sector investment banking
• Sell-side advisory
• Growth capital raising
• Strategic transaction advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. M&A Advisory Fees: Earned fees for serving as exclusive financial advisor on sell-side and buy-side M&A transactions, including success fees based on transaction value and advisory retainers.
2. Capital Raising: Fees from assisting companies in raising growth capital, including minority investments, majority stakes, and recapitalizations.
3. Strategic Advisory: Advisory fees for strategic advice including fairness opinions, restructurings, and take-private transactions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Sage Group, LLC is an independent investment bank that delivers sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory, growth capital raising, and strategic advisory services exclusively to premium consumer brands and digitally native companies. It acts as exclusive financial advisor to corporate founders, boards, and private equity owners, running competitive processes and earning transaction-based fees from successful deals.

Product overview

The Sage Group, LLC is an investment banking firm that provides financial advisory services. The company does not offer technology products, software platforms, or SaaS solutions. Services include sell-side M&A, growth capital raising, buy-side M&A, and strategic advisory.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sell-Side M&A Advisory Exclusive financial advisory for consumer brand and digitally native company owners seeking to sell their business or stake, including running competitive sale processes, identifying strategic and financial buyers, and managing negotiations to maximize transaction value.
• Growth Capital Raising Advisory for consumer and digitally native companies raising growth capital, including minority investments, majority stakes, and recapitalizations with private equity or strategic partners.
• Buy-Side M&A Advisory Buy-side advisory for consumer brands and digitally native companies seeking acquisitions, including target sourcing, due diligence, valuation, and transaction execution support.
• Strategic Advisory Strategic advisory services for consumer sector clients including fairness opinions, restructurings, and take-private transactions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300 completed transactions
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Spayne Lindsay & Co. LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 February 2022Global Consumer Investment Banking Partnership formed in February 2022 combining Sage's U.S. consumer expertise with Spayne Lindsay's European market knowledge. Combined entity has 50 investment banking professionals and has completed over 300 transactions worth tens of billions of dollars across Europe and the U.S. Partnership expands geographic reach and sector expertise across all consumer sub-sectors including apparel, footwear, accessories, beauty, food & beverage, and digitally native companies. Both firms remain independently owned but work in partnership on client engagements.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Moelis & Company: Publicly listed global advisory boutique offering M&A and capital markets advisory across sectors including consumer; comparable to Sage as a competing boutique though broader in sector coverage.
• Houlihan Lokey: Larger global investment bank with a dedicated consumer practice and M&A advisory franchise; comparable to Sage as a competitor for consumer M&A mandates though broader in scope and services.
• PJT Partners: Global advisory firm with M&A and restructuring practices serving consumer and retail clients; comparable to Sage as a competing boutique advisory platform, though larger and publicly listed.

Direct peers

• Allen & Company LLC: Highly relationship-driven boutique that historically advises consumer and media companies on strategic transactions; comparable to Sage as another independent advisory firm competing for premium consumer brand mandates.
• Centerview Partners: Independent investment banking boutique with a deeply integrated consumer/retail advisory practice advising on marquee consumer M&A; comparable to Sage as a relationship-led, sector-focused boutique competing for similar mandates.
• LionTree LLC: Independent advisory firm specializing in media, consumer, and technology sectors; directly comparable to Sage given shared focus on consumer M&A and similar boutique-style, partner-driven model.
• Peter J. Solomon Company: Independent advisory firm with a longstanding consumer products practice serving brands and retailers; comparable to Sage in boutique scale, sector specialization, and M&A advisory focus.
• Robey Warshaw LLP: UK-based independent advisory boutique with a strong consumer M&A franchise; comparable to Sage as a specialist advisor pursuing select mandates with partner-led delivery.
• TripleTree Holdings: Consumer-sector-focused boutique advising on M&A and capital raising for health, wellness, and consumer brands; directly comparable given near-identical vertical focus and boutique service model.
• Lincoln International: Global boutique investment bank with active consumer M&A practice; comparable to Sage as a similarly sized advisor competing for sponsor-led and strategic consumer transactions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 The Sage Group