Clearwater
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersAarhus, Denmark
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Clearwater firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Clearwater
- Legal name
- Clearwater Corporate Finance LLP
- Website
- https://www.clearwatercf.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Clearwater is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Aarhus
- HQ country
- Denmark
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices20 records
Markets served
Clearwater business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- M&A Advisory Fees: Transaction-based advisory fees from assisting clients with mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. Clearwater completed 202 transactions worth €11.2 billion and 88 cross-border deals.
- Debt Advisory: Raised more than €6 billion through debt advisory practice for clients, generating fees from arranging financing solutions.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Clearwater product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Clearwater is a European mid-market corporate finance firm providing mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisory and debt advisory services to business owners, private equity firms, and corporates. The firm delivers buy-side and sell-side transaction support across ten industry sectors including Automotive, Business Services, Consumer, Energy & Utilities, Financial Services, Food & Beverage, Healthcare, Industrials & Chemicals, Real Estate, and Tech & Tech Services, operating through 20 offices in 13 European countries.
Product overview
Clearwater is a mid-market M&A advisory firm offering two primary services: M&A Advisory and Debt Advisory. The firm operates across Europe with sector expertise in Automotive, Business Services, Consumer, Energy & Utilities, Financial Services, Food & Beverage, Healthcare, Industrials & Chemicals, Real Estate, and Tech & Tech Services. Additional specialized services include ESG Advisory and Modelling & Data Analytics (available in the UK), and Real Estate Advisory and Restructuring (available in Switzerland). The services are delivered through a partner-led team providing objective advice without other services to sell.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- M&A Advisory Mergers and acquisitions advisory providing buy-side and sell-side transaction support for business owners, private equity firms, and corporates across sectors including Automotive, Business Services, Consumer, Energy & Utilities, Financial Services, Food & Beverage, Healthcare, Industrials & Chemicals, Real Estate, and Tech & Tech Services.
- Debt Advisory Debt advisory services focused on raising financing for clients, providing strategic debt solutions and financing arrangements for corporate transactions. The firm raised more than €6 billion through its debt advisory practice in the past year.
- ESG Advisory Environmental, social, and governance advisory services available in the UK market, helping clients assess and integrate ESG considerations into their transactions and business strategies.
- Modelling & Data Analytics Financial modelling and data analytics services available in the UK, supporting transaction analysis and business valuation through quantitative modeling capabilities.
- Real Estate Advisory Real estate sector-specific advisory services offered in Switzerland, part of the local market offering for clients operating in or transacting within the Swiss real estate sector.
- Restructuring Corporate restructuring advisory services available in Switzerland, helping clients navigate complex reorganization situations.
Companies that use Clearwater
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Clearwater technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Clearwater partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- KeyBanc Capital Markets (KBCM)coreStrategic alliance with KeyBanc Capital Markets, the corporate and investment banking arm of US-based KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY). The partnership enables cross-border M&A between US and European markets, connecting US private equity sponsors with European acquisition targets while providing European clients access to the US M&A market. The collaboration began in 2020 and was formalized through an acquisition agreement in 2026, subject to FCA approval expected to close in H2 2026.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Clearwater competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- PwC Deals: Big 4 corporate finance practice directly competing with Clearwater in European mid-market M&A advisory — Clearwater tied with PwC for #2 by deal volume in Q1-Q3 2025, making it a head-to-head comparable.
- KPMG Corporate Finance: Big 4 M&A advisory practice with strong European mid-market presence; directly competes for the same sell-side, buy-side, and debt advisory engagements as Clearwater.
- Deloitte M&A: Big 4 corporate finance arm offering mid-market M&A and debt advisory across Europe; competes for the same business owner, PE, and corporate client base that Clearwater serves.
- EY-Parthenon: Big 4 strategy and transactions practice with a strong European mid-market M&A footprint; directly comparable to Clearwater on deal size, client profile, and sector coverage.
- Houlihan Lokey: Global mid-market M&A advisor with substantial European presence; comparable on deal size, sector breadth, and PE-focused mid-market client base, though with a stronger US franchise.
- Lincoln International: Global mid-market M&A advisor with strong European operations; closely comparable in deal size range, PE sponsor relationships, and cross-border execution capabilities.
- DC Advisory: European-headquartered mid-market M&A advisor (Daiwa subsidiary); closely comparable to Clearwater in geographic focus, deal size, and sponsor-led client base across Europe.
- Robert W. Baird: US-listed mid-market investment bank with European operations; comparable in deal size, sector breadth, and PE-focused client mix, with stronger US mid-market positioning.
Broad incumbents
- Lazard: Global bulge-bracket advisory firm with a strong European mid-market practice; comparable on M&A advisory services, though Lazard operates across a wider size range and includes higher-end restructuring and capital markets capabilities.
- Rothschild & Co: European-rooted global advisory firm with substantial mid-market M&A and debt advisory; overlaps with Clearwater on European sponsor and family-owned client mandates, while also serving larger-cap transactions.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Clearwater social profiles
Digital presenceClearwater financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Clearwater leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Clearwater funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Clearwater M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Clearwater
What does Clearwater do?
Clearwater is a European mid-market corporate finance firm providing mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisory and debt advisory services to business owners, private equity firms, and corporates. The firm delivers buy-side and sell-side transaction support across ten industry sectors including Automotive, Business Services, Consumer, Energy & Utilities, Financial Services, Food & Beverage, Healthcare, Industrials & Chemicals, Real Estate, and Tech & Tech Services, operating through 20 offices in 13 European countries.
Is Clearwater a public or private company?
Clearwater is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Clearwater founded?
Clearwater was founded in 2003. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Clearwater based?
Clearwater is headquartered in Aarhus, Denmark, in the Europe region.
How does Clearwater make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. M&A Advisory Fees are the primary driver. The others are debt Advisory.
Who are Clearwater's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are PwC Deals, KPMG Corporate Finance, Deloitte M&A, EY-Parthenon, Houlihan Lokey, Lincoln International, DC Advisory and Robert W. Baird. Broad incumbents are Lazard and Rothschild & Co.
Does Clearwater have an API?
No public API is recorded for Clearwater.