Burnham Sterling & Company

What Burnham Sterling & Company does

Burnham Sterling & Company LLC is a Connecticut-based private financial advisory firm founded in 2010 that provides capital-raising and financial advisory services to CAPEX-intensive issuers, with a primary focus on aviation, aerospace, transportation, and export credit. The firm, together with its SEC-registered affiliate Babcock & Brown Securities LLC and registered investment adviser Burnham Sterling Asset Management LLC (BSAM), places private debt, equity, and sale-leaseback transactions valued between $50 million and $1 billion, executed in multiple currencies (USD, EUR, JPY, CNY, KRW). Its product suite includes proprietary branded structures — SAFE® (Structured Aircraft Financing Enhancement), EAIV® (Enhanced Asset Investment Vehicle), and CAP Notes® (Corporate Asset Preferred secured debt obligations with equipment-value upside participation) — alongside fixed-rate senior notes, syndicated term loans, mezzanine financing, Japanese operating leases (JOL), and sale-of-assets-on-lease transactions.

The firm's go-to-market is enterprise and relationship-driven: Burnham Sterling sources transactions directly through worldwide relationships, typically acting as the sole financial advisor, with named institutional clients including Airbus, Delta, Pratt & Whitney, Deutsche Post, Hawaiian Airlines, and Export Development Canada. Revenue is generated through advisory and placement fees on closed transactions, complemented by management and performance fees from BSAM's emerging asset management activities in energy transition investing, anchored by the SAFFA Fund's commitment of up to $30 million to the SAF One Middle East sustainable aviation fuel project. The minimum investor ticket size of $10 million and the Fortune Global 500 target client base constrain the addressable counterparty universe, but multi-year contractual payment streams and a regulated affiliate structure provide recurring cash flow characteristics atypical for a boutique advisory practice.

Name

Burnham Sterling & Company

Legal name

Burnham Sterling & Company LLC

Website

https://burnhamsterling.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Burnham Sterling & Company is a private financial advisory firm that places private debt, equity, and sale-leaseback transactions valued between $50 million and $1 billion for CAPEX-intensive issuers, primarily in aviation and aerospace, alongside affiliated Babcock & Brown Securities and Burnham Sterling Asset Management.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Advisory and Capital Raising Services

NAICS

Investment Banking and Securities Intermediation (523150)

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

Capital Raising Advisory (Equity & Equity-Linked) (FSAEAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Capital Markets Advisory (IPO Readiness, SPAC, ECM/DCM Advisory) (BPAHAOAL), Structured Finance & Securitization Placement (ABS/MBS/CLO) (FSAEALAK), Equity Capital Advisory (Private Equity Placements, Growth Capital) (BPAHAOAE)

Keywords

• Financial advisory services
• Capital raising services
• Structured asset financing
• Private debt placement
• Aviation financing

Headquarters

HQ city

Cos Cob

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Financial Advisory and Capital Raising Fees: Burnham Sterling provides financial advisory and capital raising services to CAPEX-intensive issuers, placing private debt, equity and sale/leaseback transactions. Revenue is generated through advisory fees and transaction placement fees on deals typically valued between $50 million and $1 billion.
2. Asset Management Fees: Burnham Sterling Asset Management (BSAM), a registered investment adviser and affiliate, conducts asset management activities in energy transition investing, generating management and performance fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Burnham Sterling & Company provides financial advisory and capital raising services to CAPEX-intensive issuers, placing private debt, equity and sale/leaseback transactions backed by assets. The firm specializes in transactions valued between $50 million and $1 billion, advising issuers, investors and sellers on financing options. Securities placements are executed through affiliate Babcock & Brown Securities (SEC-registered broker/dealer), while asset management activities are conducted by affiliate Burnham Sterling Asset Management (BSAM) focused on energy transition investing.

Product overview

Burnham Sterling & Company is a financial advisory and capital raising services firm offering a suite of proprietary financing products and transaction structures. The core offerings include SAFE® (Structured Aircraft Financing Enhancement) and EAIV® (Enhanced Asset Investment Vehicle) as branded financing vehicles, alongside CAP Notes® (Corporate Asset Preferred) as a proprietary secured debt instrument with upside participation. The firm places private debt, equity, and sale/leaseback transactions for CAPEX-intensive issuers, typically valued between $50 million and $1 billion. Securities-related transactions are executed through affiliate Babcock & Brown Securities, while investment management is handled by Burnham Sterling Asset Management (BSAM). Transaction structures support multiple currencies (USD, EUR, JPY, CNY, KRW) and include senior notes, term loans, mezzanine financing, and Japanese operating leases. Minimum investment sizes are typically $10 million.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SAFE® (Structured Aircraft Financing Enhancement)

Quantifiable outcome

• Billions of dollars placed in private debt, equity and sale/leaseback transactions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Tata ProjectscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2026India's Tata Projects serves as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) lead for the SAF One Middle East sustainable aviation fuel project. The facility will convert used cooking oil and waste oils into SAF.
• Honeywell UOPcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2026Honeywell UOP will provide its Ecofining process technology for the SAF One project. This proprietary technology enables conversion of used cooking oil and waste oils into sustainable aviation fuel.
• Babcock & Brown Securities LLCcoreOthers · 1 January 2026Babcock & Brown Securities is an SEC-registered broker/dealer and FINRA member firm affiliate that conducts all securities-related transactions for Burnham Sterling. Part of the affiliated entity group including Burnham Sterling & Company LLC and BSAM.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SkyWorks Capital: SkyWorks Capital is an aviation-focused financial advisory firm that arranges private debt, equity, and sale-leaseback financing for airlines, lessors, and aerospace companies. Directly comparable to Burnham Sterling in both target customer (CAPEX-intensive aviation issuers) and core service (placement of structured aircraft financings).
• Seabury Capital: Seabury Capital provides aviation-focused advisory, investment, and asset management services, including structured financings and aircraft leasing. Comparable to Burnham Sterling because it targets the same aviation CAPEX-intensive client base and offers both advisory and asset management across the capital stack.

Emerging players

• Avitas: Avitas is an aviation-focused consulting firm that advises airlines, lessors, and investors on fleet strategy, asset valuation, and aerospace transactions. Partially overlapping with Burnham Sterling's aviation client base, though its primary offering is advisory/research rather than capital placement.

Broad incumbents

• Houlihan Lokey: Houlihan Lokey is a global independent investment bank providing M&A, capital markets, and financial restructuring advisory. Comparable to Burnham Sterling as a financial advisory intermediary, though much broader in sector coverage and substantially larger in scale.
• PJT Partners: PJT Partners is a global advisory-focused investment bank with practices in M&A, capital markets, and restructuring. Comparable in function as a financial advisor and capital placement agent, though it operates across many industries at meaningfully larger scale than Burnham Sterling.
• Rothschild & Co: Rothschild & Co is a global financial advisory firm specializing in M&A, restructuring, and capital advisory across industries. Comparable to Burnham Sterling in advisory and capital raising scope, but with significantly broader sector reach and deal-size capacity.
• Lazard: Lazard is a global financial advisory and asset management firm providing M&A, capital markets advisory, and wealth management. Overlaps with Burnham Sterling on financial advisory and capital raising mandates, but operates at far larger scale and across multiple sectors.

Others

• AerCap: AerCap is the world's largest aircraft lessor, providing leasing, financing, and fleet management to airlines globally. Not a direct competitor but adjacent: AerCap frequently accesses the same private debt and structured finance markets that Burnham Sterling helps place, and is a potential investor counterparty on Burnham Sterling-led transactions.
• Aviation Capital Group: Aviation Capital Group is a major global aircraft lessor financing commercial aircraft for airlines. Operates as a potential issuer or investor counterparty in Burnham Sterling-style structured financings, rather than a direct advisory competitor.
• SMBC Aviation Capital: SMBC Aviation Capital is one of the world's largest aircraft leasing companies, owned by Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group. Comparable ecosystem participant to Burnham Sterling in aviation structured finance, but as a lessor/investor rather than a placement agent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/burnham-sterling

Compliance8 records

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 Burnham Sterling & Company