Architect Partners LLC

What Architect Partners LLC does

Architect Partners LLC is a Palo Alto-headquartered boutique investment banking and M&A advisory firm specializing in the digital asset and crypto sector. Founded by Eric F. Risley and Steve Payne, with offices in New York, San Francisco, Austin, and Denver, the firm operates five core service lines — Seller M&A Advisory, Acquirer Advisory, Corporate Divestitures, Strategic Financing, and Debt Advisory — and earns revenue primarily through transaction and retainer-based advisory fees tied to crypto and emerging-technology clients. The firm has completed 38+ transactions with cumulative disclosed value exceeding $1B, with greater than 50% of activity being cross-border across the US, Australia, Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Europe.

The firm has no proprietary technology platform and does not sell software; its value proposition rests on senior-partner-led execution, deep domain expertise honed across multiple market cycles, and an extensive content franchise comprising 400+ M&A Alerts and Ecosystem Insights, weekly and quarterly market snapshots, and two published books ("GØLDCHAIN: Towards Blockchain Nirvana" and "recøde: Innovation — Transformation — Mindset"). Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven: prospective clients engage directly with partners for mandates including crypto M&A, strategic capital raises, and corporate divestitures. Representative clients span high-profile transactions such as the acquisition of Coinme by Polygon Labs (~$250M combined), Caleb & Brown's sale to Swyftx ($100M-$200M), Figure Markets' merger with Figure Technology Solutions, FairX's sale to Coinbase, and OSL Group's acquisition of Banxa ($62M), alongside financing mandates such as Champ Titles' $18M Series C from Point72 Ventures.

Architect Partners is structured as a private partnership led by Founder & Managing Partner Eric F. Risley and Co-Founder & Partner Steve Payne, with partners Todd White and Peter Golder, Managing Director Glenn Gottlieb, Vice President Ryan McCulloch, three senior advisors, and two senior financial analysts. Securities transactions are effected through Weild & Co. (FINRA/SIPC member) under a regulatory channel partnership.

Name

Architect Partners LLC

Legal name

Architect Partners LLC

Website

https://architectpartners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Architect Partners LLC is a boutique, partner-led M&A and strategic financing advisory firm serving crypto and emerging-technology clients, specializing in sell-side and buy-side mandates across digital assets and fintech with global cross-border reach.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Banking / M&A Advisory

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211), Investment Advice (6282), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Sell-Side M&A Advisory (FSAEAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Buy-Side M&A Advisory (FSAEAGAB), Institutional Consulting RIAs (OCIO/Endowments/Foundations/Pensions) (FSAAACAG)

Keywords

• Cryptocurrency M&A advisory
• Digital asset investment banking
• Strategic financing advisory
• Mergers and acquisitions advisory
• Crypto capital markets advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Palo Alto

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. M&A Advisory Fees: Fees earned from serving as exclusive financial advisor on M&A transactions, including buy-side and sell-side mandates. The firm has completed 38+ transactions exceeding $1B+ in total value.
2. Strategic Financing Advisory: Fees from advising on equity raises, debt solutions, and strategic capital raises for digital asset and fintech companies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Architect Partners is a boutique M&A and strategic financing advisory firm serving digital-asset, cryptocurrency, fintech, and emerging-technology companies and their investors. The firm advises on sell-side M&A, acquirer-side acquisitions, corporate divestitures, equity and debt strategic financing, and debt advisory mandates, earning fees as exclusive financial advisor on transactions in the crypto ecosystem. Service delivery is partner-led, with senior partners engaged on every mandate, and is complemented by a large proprietary research and publication franchise covering weekly, quarterly, and long-form crypto M&A and financing analysis.

Product overview

Architect Partners LLC operates as a digital asset and M&A advisory firm offering a unified platform of advisory services rather than a software product. The firm's core offerings consist of five advisory service lines: Seller M&A Advisory, Acquirer Advisory, Corporate Divestitures, Strategic Financing, and Debt Advisory. Complementing these advisory services is an extensive research and publication platform that includes weekly M&A Snapshots, Private Financing Weekly Snapshots, Crypto Public Companies Snapshots, M&A Alerts, Quarterly Crypto M&A and Financing Reports, and Ecosystem Insights publications. The firm has also published two books—'GØLDCHAIN: Towards Blockchain Nirvana' and 'recøde: Innovation — Transformation — Mindset'—which explore blockchain technology and digital asset innovation in global capital markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Seller M&A Advisory Advisory services helping innovative technology-based companies catalyze and assess a full range of sale options from strategic acquirers and private equity firms; Architect Partners serves as exclusive financial advisor on sell-side mandates.
• Acquirer Advisory Complete strategy, advisory, and execution services to help identify, qualify, evaluate, and close strategic acquisitions for buyer-side clients in digital-asset and emerging-technology sectors.
• Corporate Divestitures Advisory services for strategically important corporate business unit divestitures, working with large public and private clients to manage effective and crisply executed divestitures in digital-asset and emerging-technology sectors.
• Strategic Financing Advisory services identifying financing options that deliver strategic benefits including sales and distribution partnerships, joint development programs, and brand development initiatives via world-class partners, for digital-asset and emerging-technology companies.
• Debt Advisory Advisory services to help design and implement various debt solutions tailored to specific business needs, with a focus on recognizing that equity can be the most expensive layer of the capital stack, for digital-asset and emerging-technology companies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 38+ successful transactions completed
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• Weild & Co.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSecurities transactions are effected through Weild & Co., member FINRA/SIPC. Architect Partners works in conjunction with Weild & Co. for regulatory purposes.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• FT Partners: FT Partners is the leading boutique investment bank focused exclusively on fintech M&A and financing. Most direct comparable to Architect Partners given the similar boutique, sector-specialist model, transaction-fee revenue mix, and senior-banker-led execution — though FT Partners covers broader fintech while Architect Partners concentrates on crypto/digital assets.
• AGC Partners: AGC Partners is a boutique investment bank focused on technology, software, and digital media M&A with growing crypto and Web3 coverage. Directly comparable as a senior-banker-led tech M&A boutique competing for similar mid-market mandates.
• Drake Star Partners: Drake Star is a tech-focused boutique investment bank with dedicated digital media and crypto practice groups. Highly comparable given the parallel boutique, sector-focused, senior-led model covering technology M&A including digital assets.
• Broadhaven Capital Partners: Broadhaven Capital Partners is a boutique investment bank focused on financial services and fintech M&A. Comparable boutique competitor with similar senior-led model and overlap in fintech and emerging digital-asset mandates.
• Nomura Greentech: Nomura Greentech is the boutique M&A advisory arm of Nomura focused on sustainable technology and infrastructure. Comparable boutique competitor with similar senior-banker model and overlap in technology M&A — also a former employer of an Architect Partners analyst.

Broad incumbents

• Galaxy Digital: Galaxy Digital is a crypto-native financial services firm with M&A advisory, asset management, and trading desks. While larger and broader than Architect Partners, Galaxy is a credible competitor and counterparty in crypto M&A mandates where Architect Partners has acted.
• Houlihan Lokey: Houlihan Lokey is a global investment bank with strong technology M&A and emerging digital assets advisory capabilities. Relevant as a larger incumbent competing for the upper end of crypto and fintech M&A mandates Architect Partners targets.
• PJT Partners: PJT Partners is a global advisory-focused investment bank with active fintech and digital assets coverage. Comparable as a higher-end advisor competing for tech and crypto M&A engagements with deeper resources.
• Lazard: Lazard is a global financial advisory and asset management firm with a dedicated digital assets practice. Comparable as a larger incumbent serving crypto M&A mandates where Architect Partners also competes, particularly on the buy-side.
• Moelis & Company: Moelis is a global independent investment bank with technology and digital assets advisory capabilities. Relevant as a larger boutique-bank competitor for mid-to-large crypto and fintech M&A mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/archptnrs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/architect-partners-llc

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 Architect Partners LLC