What Greif & Co. does

Greif & Co. is a privately held, boutique investment banking firm headquartered on the 65th floor of 633 West Fifth Street in downtown Los Angeles, founded in 1992 by Lloyd Greif after his tenure as Vice Chairman and Head of Investment Banking at Sutro & Co. The firm operates as "The Entrepreneur's Investment Bank" and delivers six integrated advisory services: sell-side M&A, buy-side M&A, equity financings, debt financings, recapitalizations and restructurings, and valuations and fairness opinions. It maintains a deliberate conflict-free posture by exclusively representing entrepreneurial, closely-held sellers and refusing to represent private equity firms or strategic buyers. Approximately half of its clients are family-owned businesses, and roughly one-third of its transactions are cross-border, executed through its exclusive West Coast membership in Globalscope Partners Ltd., an association of 55 independent investment banks across 48 countries. Notable historical mandates include the $1.3 billion sale of C.R. Laurence to CRH plc (2016), the $9.4 billion Skechers go-private with 3G Capital (2025), the $205 million sale of Bumble Bee Seafoods, and a nine-figure growth equity investment into AI software company Trinamix (2026).

The firm's underlying delivery model is relationship-intensive and senior-led: deal teams are staffed with professionals drawn from finance, management consulting, law, accounting, and operating roles at firms including Morgan Stanley, Lazard, Moelis, UBS, Goldman Sachs, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KippsDeSanto, and Bain Capital portfolio companies. Senior bankers remain engaged throughout the entire transaction lifecycle rather than being replaced by junior staff after the pitch, a practice the firm explicitly markets as a differentiator against larger banks that "bait and switch." Revenue is generated entirely through transaction-based advisory fees on completed deals, with no disclosed recurring revenue, subscription, or retainer model. The firm operates on a referral-only go-to-market motion, generating 100% of its pipeline from word-of-mouth referrals from past clients and professional counterparties without any cold-calling activity. Team size is small (11\u201350 employees) and the firm is founder-controlled, with Lloyd Greif serving as CEO since inception.

Name

Greif & Co.

Legal name

Greif & Co.

Website

https://greifco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Greif & Co. is a Los Angeles-based boutique investment bank founded in 1992, providing sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory, equity and debt financing, and restructuring services to closely-held, entrepreneurial middle-market companies, primarily family-owned businesses, via a referral-only, conflict-free model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Banking Advisory

NAICS

Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities (523)

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Finance Advisory (Strategic Finance, Capital Structure & Recaps) (FSAEAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Debt Advisory & Financing Advisory (FSAEAGAD), Corporate Finance & Capital Advisory (BPAHADAB)

Keywords

• Investment banking services
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Corporate financing advisory
• Middle-market advisory
• Private placement services

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Investment Banking Advisory Fees: The firm generates revenue through advisory fees for mergers and acquisitions, corporate financing, and strategic consulting services. Revenue is transaction-based with fees earned upon successful deal completion.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Greif & Co. is a boutique investment bank that advises entrepreneurial, closely-held, middle-market companies on mergers and acquisitions (both sell-side and buy-side), equity and debt financings, leveraged recapitalizations, financial restructurings, and valuations and fairness opinions. The firm earns transaction-based advisory fees, with senior bankers personally executing each engagement from initial valuation through deal closing.

Product overview

Greif & Co. is The Entrepreneur's Investment Bank, offering a unified suite of investment banking services rather than a software product platform. The firm's core offerings include Sell-Side M&A, Buy-Side M&A, Equity Financings, Debt Financings, Recapitalizations & Restructurings, and Valuations & Fairness Opinions. These services work together as an integrated investment banking capability, with the firm serving as financial advisor, strategic advisor, and deal executor for entrepreneurial companies navigating mergers, acquisitions, financing, and ownership transitions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sell-Side M&A Sell-side merger and acquisition advisory for entrepreneurial, closely-held companies, including valuation assessment, go-to-market strategy, marketing material preparation, buyer identification and outreach, due diligence oversight, and complete transaction execution from beginning to closing.
• Buy-Side M&A Buy-side M&A advisory including evaluating market opportunities, identifying potential acquisition targets, conducting acquisition searches, raising acquisition financing, and assisting in structuring, negotiating, and closing transactions.
• Equity Financings Arrangement of private placements of equity securities for privately held companies, including determining optimal capital structure, identifying potential investors, and raising financing on optimal terms. Specializes in connecting middle-market growth clients with growth capital investors and minority equity positions.
• Debt Financings Debt financing services through a global network of capital resources providing senior debt, second lien, and mezzanine capital. Includes funding de novo growth and acquisitions, restructuring or refinancing existing debt, dividend recapitalizations, and recapitalizations.
• Recapitalizations & Restructurings Leveraged recapitalization services that enable companies to monetize a portion of their ownership while retaining majority or minority ownership. Also includes complex financial restructuring transactions including Chapter 11 planning, negotiating plans of reorganization, and representing buyers and sellers of distressed companies.
• Valuations & Fairness Opinions Business valuations and fairness opinions for owners, boards of directors, and executives of middle-market companies, providing advice on equitable pricing of mergers, acquisitions, ESOPs, security issuances, financial restructurings and recapitalizations, and related party transactions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30% greater purchase price achieved vs. client target on C.R. Laurence transaction
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 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.

• Globalscope Partners Ltd.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive West Coast member of Globalscope Partners Ltd., an international association of 55 independent investment banks in 48 countries on all six continents, providing eyes, ears and boots on the ground worldwide for cross-border transactions.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lincoln International: Global middle-market M&A advisory firm with a strong cross-border network and sector-focused bankers. Closely comparable to Greif on entrepreneurial sell-side mandates and international deal flow through partnership affiliations.
• Stout: Middle-market advisory firm offering M&A, valuation, and fairness opinions across multiple sectors. Directly comparable services and middle-market client profile, with Greif's valuations & fairness opinions practice closely aligned to Stout's valuation capabilities.
• Houlihan Lokey: Public investment bank with one of the largest dedicated middle-market M&A advisory practices globally. Directly comparable on sell-side advisory for entrepreneurial and family-owned businesses, though at materially larger scale and with broader service offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Piper Sandler: Diversified middle-market investment bank with M&A advisory, capital markets, and equity research. Comparable on middle-market M&A mandates, though with broader capital markets capabilities and significantly greater scale.
• Robert W. Baird & Co. Private, employee-owned investment bank with a substantial middle-market M&A advisory practice. Comparable on entrepreneurial / family-business sell-side advisory, though operating at considerably larger scale.
• Jefferies: Full-service global investment bank with a dedicated middle-market advisory franchise. Overlaps with Greif on middle-market sell-side M&A, particularly for transactions requiring capital markets execution.
• Oppenheimer & Co. Diversified investment bank with a middle-market M&A advisory practice serving closely held and family-controlled companies. Comparable client focus, though with a broader equity research and capital markets platform.
• Raymond James: Diversified financial services firm with a substantial middle-market investment banking practice. Comparable on entrepreneurial and family-business advisory mandates, especially in consumer and industrial sectors.

Emerging players

• Brundage Group: LA-based boutique investment bank focused on middle-market sell-side M&A. Directly comparable practice and client profile to Greif & Co., though at smaller scale and earlier stage of development.

Regional players

• Performance Equity Partners: Los Angeles-based private equity firm. Adjacent rather than directly competitive, but operates in the same LA middle-market ecosystem and could be a counterparty or co-advisor on Greif-led transactions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Greif & Co.