East Wind Advisors
East Wind Advisors is a privately held New York boutique investment bank founded in 2002 that provides M&A, financing, and strategic advisory services to middle market, emerging growth, and venture stage companies and financial sponsors across six sectors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What East Wind Advisors does
East Wind Advisors, LLC is a privately held, boutique investment banking firm founded in 2002 and headquartered at 810 Seventh Avenue, 35th Floor, New York. The firm delivers strategic and M&A advisory services — including sell-side and buy-side M&A, debt and equity financing advisory, joint ventures, restructurings, valuations, fairness opinions, and strategic alliances — to middle market, emerging growth, and venture stage companies as well as financial sponsors. Its sector coverage is organized into six verticals: Education & Human Capital, Media & Entertainment, Consumer, Business Services, Healthcare, and General Industries (encompassing Aerospace & Defense, Building Products and Construction, Manufacturing, Natural Resources, Energy, Paper and Packaging, and Special Situations).
The firm's underlying technology is essentially its human capital and relationship network: principals collectively hold 250+ years of transaction experience at Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, UBS, and Bear Stearns. All securities transactions are executed through an affiliated broker-dealer, East Wind Securities, LLC, a FINRA and SIPC member, while the parent group includes East Wind Holdings, LLC. The firm has documented 60+ transaction tombstones across M&A, financing, and advisory mandates.
Revenue is generated almost entirely through transaction-based fees (retainers, success fees, and customary investment banking compensation structures) on bespoke, multi-year advisory engagements. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales executed by senior bankers who manage client relationships directly. The firm employs 11-50 professionals and is employee-owned, with Joshua Schwartz as Founder and Managing Partner and Ilan Kaufthal as Chairman.
East Wind Advisors firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- East Wind Advisors
- Legal name
- East Wind Advisors, LLC
- Website
- https://eastwindadvisors.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- East Wind Advisors is a privately held New York boutique investment bank founded in 2002 that provides M&A, financing, and strategic advisory services to middle market, emerging growth, and venture stage companies and financial sponsors across six sectors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
East Wind Advisors industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Investment Banking Advisory
- NAICS
- Investment Banking and Securities Intermediation (523150), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities (523)
- SIC
- Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211), Investment Advice (6282), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- M&A Advisory (Buy-Side & Sell-Side) (BPAHAOAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Capital Raising Advisory (Equity & Equity-Linked) (FSAEAGAC), Corporate Finance Advisory (Strategic Finance, Capital Structure & Recaps) (FSAEAGAE)
Keywords
Where East Wind Advisors is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
East Wind Advisors business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- M&A Advisory: Sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory services for middle market, emerging growth, and venture stage companies, including transaction execution for strategic and financial transactions.
- Financing Advisory: Debt and equity financing advisory services, including arranging capital for clients across various transaction types and sizes.
- Strategic Advisory: Joint ventures, restructurings, valuations, fairness opinions, and strategic alliance advisory services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom advisory engagements |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
East Wind Advisors product offering
Product offeringCore offering
East Wind Advisors is a boutique investment bank that provides M&A advisory (sell-side and buy-side) and financing advisory (debt and equity) to middle market, emerging growth, and venture-stage companies, plus financial sponsors. It also delivers strategic advisory services including joint ventures, restructurings, valuations, fairness opinions, and strategic alliances, organized around six industry sectors: Education & Human Capital, Media & Entertainment, Consumer, Business Services, Healthcare, and General Industries. Securities transactions are conducted through affiliate East Wind Securities, LLC.
Product overview
East Wind Advisors is an independent, industry-focused investment bank founded in 2002 that provides advisory services to middle market, emerging growth, and venture stage companies as well as financial sponsors. The firm offers a single integrated service offering focused on strategic and M&A advisory, including financings, M&A mandates, joint ventures, restructurings, valuations, fairness opinions, and strategic alliances. The firm operates across six industry sectors: Education & Human Capital, Media & Entertainment, Consumer, Business Services, Healthcare, and General Industries. East Wind Securities, LLC, an affiliate, handles securities transactions and is a member of FINRA and SIPC.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- M&A Advisory Sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory services for middle market, emerging growth, and venture stage companies, including transaction execution for strategic and financial transactions across the firm's six sector verticals.
- Financing Advisory Debt and equity financing advisory services, including arranging capital for clients across various transaction types and sizes.
- Strategic Advisory Advisory on joint ventures, restructurings, valuations, fairness opinions, and strategic alliances for clients across the firm's six sector verticals.
Companies that use East Wind Advisors
Customer profileSegments9 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
East Wind Advisors technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
East Wind Advisors partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- East Wind Securities, LLCcoreAffiliate company and broker-dealer that conducts all securities transactions. East Wind Securities is a member of FINRA and SIPC, handling all transactions involving the offering or sale of securities. East Wind Advisors works closely with this affiliate to provide comprehensive investment banking and securities-related services.
- East Wind Holdings, LLCcoreAffiliate company within the East Wind group of companies. Part of the corporate structure alongside East Wind Advisors, LLC and East Wind Securities, LLC.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
East Wind Advisors competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Lincoln International: Global mid-market investment bank providing M&A and financing advisory, closely overlapping East Wind's middle-market, sector-focused advisory model.
- Harris Williams: Middle-market M&A advisory firm with sector-focused coverage in Consumer, Healthcare, TMT, and Industrials, mirroring East Wind's sector-boutique approach.
- Houlihan Lokey: Publicly-traded global investment bank with strong middle-market M&A, capital markets, and financial restructuring advisory — a direct competitor for similar mandates.
- GCA Advisors: Independent, global M&A advisory firm focused on middle-market transactions, directly comparable in boutique positioning and deal size range.
- Citizens Capital Markets: Middle-market investment bank providing M&A and capital markets advisory to similar client types — corporates, sponsors, and growth-stage companies.
Broad incumbents
- Guggenheim Partners: Diversified financial services firm with investment banking capabilities spanning M&A and capital markets, competing for middle-market and sector mandates.
- Jefferies: Full-service investment bank with significant middle-market M&A and capital markets capabilities; broader scope but overlapping target clients in growth and mid-cap segments.
- Robert W. Baird: Employee-owned investment bank with strong middle-market M&A advisory practice, overlapping with East Wind's middle-market, sector-focused model.
- Stifel: Diversified financial services firm with investment banking division covering middle-market M&A and financing — overlapping target clients across multiple sectors.
- Cowen: Diversified investment bank with middle-market M&A and capital markets focus; competes for similar emerging-growth and sponsor-backed mandates.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
East Wind Advisors social profiles
Digital presenceEast Wind Advisors financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
East Wind Advisors leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
East Wind Advisors funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
East Wind Advisors 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 East Wind Advisors
What does East Wind Advisors do?
East Wind Advisors is a boutique investment bank that provides M&A advisory (sell-side and buy-side) and financing advisory (debt and equity) to middle market, emerging growth, and venture-stage companies, plus financial sponsors. It also delivers strategic advisory services including joint ventures, restructurings, valuations, fairness opinions, and strategic alliances, organized around six industry sectors: Education & Human Capital, Media & Entertainment, Consumer, Business Services, Healthcare, and General Industries. Securities transactions are conducted through affiliate East Wind Securities, LLC.
Is East Wind Advisors a public or private company?
East Wind Advisors is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was East Wind Advisors founded?
East Wind Advisors was founded in 2002. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is East Wind Advisors based?
East Wind Advisors is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does East Wind Advisors make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. M&A Advisory is the primary driver. The others are financing Advisory and strategic Advisory.
Who are East Wind Advisors's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Lincoln International, Harris Williams, Houlihan Lokey, GCA Advisors and Citizens Capital Markets. Broad incumbents are Guggenheim Partners, Jefferies, Robert W. Baird, Stifel and Cowen.
Does East Wind Advisors have an API?
No public API is recorded for East Wind Advisors.
What industry is East Wind Advisors in?
East Wind Advisors's product category is Investment Banking Advisory. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAOAA, M&A Advisory (Buy-Side & Sell-Side), with a secondary code of FSAEAGAC, Capital Raising Advisory (Equity & Equity-Linked). Its NAICS code is 523150 and its SIC code is 6211.