What Okapi Partners Strategic does

Okapi Partners Strategic is a privately held proxy solicitation and investor response advisory firm founded in 2008 and headquartered in New York, with a European regional office in London launched in September 2023. The firm represents both sides of contested situations — public corporations (Fortune 500 to small cap) in annual meetings, M&A transactions, tender offers, and activism defense, and hedge fund/PE activists running proxy contests — and serves mutual funds, closed-end funds, and ETFs through dedicated investment-fund proxy services. Its client roster includes Elliott Management, Starboard Value, Third Point, Silver Lake, Aramark, Darden, UWM Holdings, and over 100 named corporate and investor relationships.

The firm's core technology is a proprietary shareholder intelligence platform operated through its wholly owned subsidiary Okapi Market Intelligence Group (acquired Feb 2018 from Market Intelligence Group LLC), which provides real-time stock surveillance, institutional investor identification, and ownership-change monitoring that underpins the firm's solicitation campaigns. Service delivery is human-advisor-led, with senior practitioners carrying 20-35 years of industry tenure sourced from predecessor firms Georgeson, MacKenzie Partners, ISS Corporate Solutions, and Strategic Governance Advisors. The firm has been ranked #1 globally for activist proxy representations by Bloomberg (2020, 2021, 2023) and by Activist Insight for three consecutive years (2016-2018).

Okapi generates revenue through professional services fees structured as base fees plus success/consummation-linked fees per engagement (disclosed base fee of $25,000 plus additional fees upon deal closing for the UWM/Two Harbors merger engagement). Distribution is direct: senior advisor relationships with corporate issuers, institutional investors, and investment management firms, supported by thought leadership content, financial media presence, and industry-event participation. The firm advised 34 contested campaigns in 2018 and 26 in 2017, and serves clients across North America, Europe (UK, France), and Asia (Japan) through its NYC + London footprint.

Name

Okapi Partners Strategic

Legal name

Okapi Partners LLC

Website

https://okapipartners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Okapi Partners Strategic is a privately held, New York-based proxy solicitation and investor response advisory firm representing both public corporations and shareholder activists in contested situations, with complementary stock surveillance services via its Okapi Market Intelligence Group subsidiary and a London office serving European clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Proxy Solicitation and Investor Response Advisory

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Miscellaneous Intermediation (52391)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Investment Management Advisory (RIA) (FSAEAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Investment & Wealth Introducers (RIA/Private Wealth Referrals) (FSAEAMAC)

Keywords

• Proxy solicitation services
• Investor response advisory
• Shareholder activism advisory
• Corporate governance consulting
• Information agent 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. Proxy Solicitation and Advisory Fees: Professional service fees for proxy solicitation campaigns, corporate governance advisory, shareholder activism defense, and M&A transaction support. Engagement terms vary by assignment; for UWM Holdings' Two Harbors merger solicitation, Okapi agreed to $25,000 plus additional fees upon consummation.
2. Information Agent Services: Services for corporate actions including tender offers, exchange offers, self-tenders, Dutch auctions, rights offerings, and spin-offs. Revenue generated through planning, document drafting, distribution of materials to shareholders, and follow-up communications.
3. Investment Fund Proxy Services: Solicitation campaigns for mutual funds, closed-end funds, and ETFs requiring shareholder approval for various corporate actions, director elections, rights offerings, and shareholder proposals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Okapi Partners is a professional advisory firm providing proxy solicitation, information agent, and corporate governance advisory services to public corporations, institutional investors, hedge funds, mutual funds, and private equity firms. The firm represents both issuers and activist investors in proxy contests, M&A transactions, tender offers, annual meetings, and shareholder engagement campaigns, combining senior advisor expertise with proprietary shareholder intelligence capabilities.

Product overview

Okapi Partners is a strategic proxy solicitation and investor response firm providing a full suite of professional services. The offering is a service-based model centered on human expertise rather than a technology product. Core services include Corporate Proxy Solicitation, Mergers & Acquisitions advisory, Investment Fund Proxy Services, Information Agent Services, Corporate Governance & Shareholder Engagement, Market Intelligence and Shareholder Analysis (via Okapi Market Intelligence Group), and Shareholder Activism Services. The firm combines expertise with extensive industry relationships and execution capabilities to serve corporations, institutional investors, mutual funds, private equity firms, and hedge funds.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Okapi Market Intelligence Group: Stock surveillance and shareholder intelligence subsidiary providing timely information on share ownership changes and investor identification services

Products and services

• Corporate Proxy Solicitation Proxy solicitation services for corporate issuers including M&A deals, proxy contests, annual meetings, and special meetings. Senior advisors provide strategic counsel using experience working for investors to understand shareholder behaviors and motivations.
• Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory Proxy solicitation for mergers, acquisitions, tender offers, and special meetings. Services include providing information for friendly or hostile tender offers and defending corporate clients against hostile bids.
• Investment Fund Proxy Services Proxy solicitation services for mutual funds, closed-end funds, and ETFs. Includes solicitation campaigns for director elections, rights offerings, shareholder proposals, tender offers, and exchange offers.
• Information Agent Services Information agent services for corporate actions including acquisition-related tenders, exchange offers, self-tenders, Dutch auctions, rights offerings, and spin-offs. Includes campaign planning, document drafting, distribution, and shareholder communication.
• Corporate Governance & Shareholder Engagement Corporate governance advisory services including planning annual and special meetings, board structure, compensation-related proposals, say on pay initiatives, and engagement programs. Assists with regulatory navigation and proxy advisory firm engagement.
• Market Intelligence and Shareholder Analysis (Okapi Market Intelligence Group) Stock surveillance and shareholder intelligence services providing reliable information on share ownership changes and investor identification. Combines technology platform with analytical abilities to identify institutional investors and monitor shareholder base composition.
• Shareholder Activism Services Services for both activism defense and shareholder activists. Includes activism defense with shareholder base assessment, communications playbook development, and campaign execution. Also advises activist investors on campaign strategy, messaging, and institutional investor engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• 34 campaigns advised in 2018, including Third Point Partners' high-profile proxy contest with Campbell Soup and defense of HomeStreet against Roaring BlueLion Capital
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Investor Update Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 September 2023Okapi Partners formed a strategic partnership with Investor Update Ltd., a prominent London-based shareholder intelligence and Investor Relations and Advisory firm, in September 2023 to expand its London office and European proxy solicitation business. The partnership expanded Okapi's existing stockholder identification and market intelligence capabilities and complemented its ESG and Corporate Advisory offerings. Patrick Mitchell is Managing Partner of Investor Update. Tony Quinn, who headed Investor Update's Proxy Solicitation team since 2020, transferred to Okapi Partners as Senior Managing Director and Head of London office.
• Schulte Roth & Zabel (SRZ)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 October 2018Schulte Roth & Zabel, Activist Insight, and Okapi Partners jointly published the 2018 Shareholder Activism Insight report, a survey-based study of activist funds that have engaged almost 300 companies since 2013. The report provides key findings on activist capital-raising, settlement dynamics, geographic opportunity preferences, and industry focus. SRZ partners Marc Weingarten and Ele Klein provided expert commentary.
• Activist InsightminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 October 2018Activist Insight, a shareholder activism data and research provider, partnered with Schulte Roth & Zabel and Okapi Partners to publish the 2018 Shareholder Activism Insight report. The report surveyed activist funds that engaged almost 300 companies since 2013 and provided data on activist fund capital-raising, settlement trends, and industry preferences.
• Market Intelligence Group LLCcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 February 2018Okapi Partners acquired Market Intelligence Group LLC, a sophisticated stock surveillance and shareholder intelligence firm, in February 2018. Walt Schuplak, Founder and Managing Partner of Market Intelligence Group, became a Managing Director of Okapi Partners and head of its new subsidiary, Okapi Market Intelligence Group. The acquisition formalized Okapi's existing market intelligence offerings under a dedicated subsidiary with enhanced analytical capabilities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Morrow Sodali: Global proxy solicitation, shareholder engagement, and corporate governance advisory firm formed from the merger of Morrow & Co. and Sodali. Competes directly with Okapi across proxy contests, M&A solicitations, and ESG/governance advisory, with a strong European and emerging-markets footprint.
• Saratoga Proxy Consulting: Proxy solicitation and corporate governance advisory firm with a focus on both corporate and activist clients. Smaller than Okapi but a direct competitor in proxy contests and shareholder engagement mandates.
• Alliance Advisors: Proxy solicitation, investor communications, and corporate governance advisory firm serving U.S. and international public companies. Directly comparable to Okapi in core proxy solicitation services and competes for both activist and issuer-side mandates.
• MacKenzie Partners: Long-standing U.S. proxy solicitation and investor communications firm serving corporate clients and investors. Multiple Okapi senior leaders (e.g., Mark Harnett) were co-founders/presidents of MacKenzie, making it a direct competitor and source of ongoing talent and client overlap.
• Georgeson: One of the largest and most established proxy solicitation and corporate governance advisory firms globally, founded in 1935. Georgeson competes head-to-head with Okapi in M&A proxy solicitations, annual meetings, and activism defense, and is the incumbent against which Okapi's #1 ranking is measured.
• D.F. King & Co. One of the oldest proxy solicitation and information agent firms in the U.S. (founded 1942), providing the same core services as Okapi including M&A solicitations, tender offers, and shareholder identification. Established direct competitor particularly in the information agent space.
• Innisfree M&A: Proxy solicitation and investor response firm specializing in M&A transactions and shareholder activism. Closely comparable to Okapi in M&A proxy and tender offer work, with overlap in serving activist hedge fund clients.

Broad incumbents

• Glass Lewis: Major proxy advisory firm providing voting recommendations to institutional investors, alongside ISS. While not a direct solicitation competitor, Glass Lewis directly influences the outcomes Okapi is hired to drive, and the two proxy advisors together shape the engagement strategy Okapi executes for clients.
• Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS): Dominant proxy advisory firm providing voting policy recommendations and corporate governance analytics to institutional investors. Okapi engages with ISS/Glass Lewis on behalf of clients but also competes with ISS Corporate Solutions (where two former Okapi MDs previously worked) for governance advisory mandates.

Emerging players

• Strategic Governance Advisors (SGA): Governance and proxy advisory firm affiliated with Sard Verbinnen & Co. Founded by Mark Harnett, who is now Senior Managing Director at Okapi. Closely related operationally and talent-wise, and competes in overlapping advisory mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OkapiPartners
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/okapi-partners-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Okapi Partners Strategic