Cairus Advisory
Cairus Advisory is a French M&A and corporate finance advisory firm serving SME owners and business leaders across France with company acquisition, sale, due diligence, and financing services, operating 17 offices nationwide as a subsidiary of the MENTOR Group since 2023.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersStrasbourg, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Cairus Advisory does
Cairus Advisory is a French professional services firm specializing in M&A advisory, transaction services, and corporate financing for small and mid-market businesses. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Schiltigheim (Strasbourg), France, the firm operates 17 offices across France covering Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Lille, Toulouse, Strasbourg, and other major metropolitan areas, and has been a subsidiary of the MENTOR Group since 2023. CAIRUS targets business leaders and SME owners on both sides of M&A transactions — those seeking to acquire or pursue external growth, and those planning a sale, transfer, or exit — as well as growing companies needing financing.
The firm delivers its services through three integrated divisions. CAIRUS M&A provides company acquisition, company sale (cession), fundraising, and business valuation services covering the full equity-operation life cycle. CAIRUS Transaction Services delivers Vendor Due Diligence (VDD) and buy-side due diligence, producing financial, legal, tax, and social diagnostics that secure and accelerate transactions. CAIRUS Financement advises on working capital, leasing, private debt, asset refinancing, and investor matching, constructing mixed banking-and-alternative financing solutions. The underlying technology is conventional professional services tooling — the firm's expertise lies in financial engineering, valuation methodologies, and due diligence processes rather than proprietary software platforms; the only disclosed integration is Paperform for client intake.
CAIRUS generates revenue through professional services fees on a per-engagement basis across M&A advisory, due diligence, and financing mandates, with pricing not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market model is sales-led, relying on direct relationships, referrals from professional advisors (lawyers, accountants, notaries), and an established partnership network with major French banks and public lenders (BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole, Société Générale, BPI France, Caisse d'Épargne, Crédit Mutuel, CIC, LCL, Banque Populaire, and others). The customer base comprises roughly 50+ named SMB and mid-market clients across manufacturing, hospitality, insurance brokerage, agriculture, fishing/retail, professional services, and restaurants, with no apparent concentration in any single account. Marketing channels center on the cairus.com website, LinkedIn, YouTube testimonials, and the physical office network.
Cairus Advisory firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cairus Advisory
- Legal name
- CAIRUS ADVISORY
- Website
- https://cairus.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Cairus Advisory is a French M&A and corporate finance advisory firm serving SME owners and business leaders across France with company acquisition, sale, due diligence, and financing services, operating 17 offices nationwide as a subsidiary of the MENTOR Group since 2023.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cairus Advisory industry classification
Industry- Product category
- M&A Advisory Services
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- M&A Advisory (Buy-Side & Sell-Side) (BPAHAOAA)
Keywords
Where Cairus Advisory is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Strasbourg
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices17 records
Markets served
Cairus Advisory business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- M&A Advisory Services: CAIRUS generates revenue through professional consulting fees for M&A advisory services including company acquisition, company sale (cession), fundraising support, business valuation, acquisition auditing, Vendor Due Diligence (VDD), and financing advisory. Revenue is generated through transaction-based professional services fees.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Cairus Advisory product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cairus Advisory is a French consulting firm that advises business leaders on strategic equity-related operations. Its services cover company acquisitions, company sales (cession), fundraising, business valuation, acquisition auditing/Vendor Due Diligence (VDD), and corporate financing advisory. The firm operates three integrated service divisions (CAIRUS M&A, CAIRUS Transaction Services, and CAIRUS Financement) across 17 French offices, supporting SMEs and mid-market companies through the full M&A lifecycle.
Product overview
Cairus Advisory is a consulting firm offering three integrated service divisions: CAIRUS M&A (company acquisition, sale, fundraising, and valuation), CAIRUS Transaction Services (acquisition audits and Vendor Due Diligence), and CAIRUS Financement (corporate financing advisory). The firm provides a multidisciplinary approach covering the full spectrum of business transfers, from opportunity identification through deal closure. The three divisions work together to support executives through strategic equity operations, with national coverage across 15 French cities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CAIRUS M&A: Merger and acquisition advisory services including company acquisition, company sale, fundraising, and business valuation.
- CAIRUS TRANSACTION SERVICES
- CAIRUS FINANCEMENT
Products and services
- CAIRUS M&A Core advisory service covering company acquisition, company sale (cession), fundraising, and business valuation for business leaders and SME owners. Provides end-to-end support for strategic equity-related operations including target identification, transaction negotiation, and deal closure.
- CAIRUS Transaction Services Due diligence service covering acquisition auditing (buy-side due diligence) and Vendor Due Diligence (VDD). Provides comprehensive diagnostic of financial, legal, tax, and social aspects of target companies to secure transactions and accelerate sales processes.
- CAIRUS Financement Corporate financing advisory service covering working capital (BFR), leasing, private debt, asset refinancing, and investor matching. Constructs optimal financing mixes combining banking and alternative financing solutions for SMEs and mid-market companies.
- Business Valuation Standalone business valuation service for SMEs using an in-house methodology that accounts for market specifics and sector realities, distinct from traditional valuation approaches.
Companies that use Cairus Advisory
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Cairus Advisory technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Cairus Advisory partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- MENTOR GroupcoreParent company since 2023. CAIRUS became a subsidiary of MENTOR Group to accelerate expansion in France and abroad.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Cairus Advisory competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Rothschild & Co: Rothschild & Co is a global financial advisory firm with a strong French mid-market and large-cap M&A practice. It competes for larger French M&A mandates than Cairus typically handles and represents the scaled incumbent benchmark.
- Lazard: Lazard is a global financial advisory and asset management firm with significant French M&A operations. It is a broad incumbent that competes with Cairus at the upper end of the French mid-market M&A segment and sets the benchmark for senior advisory talent and fees.
Direct peers
- Corporate Finance Associates (CFA): Corporate Finance Associates is a global middle-market M&A advisory network with European presence. It competes with Cairus for SME sell-side, acquisition, and financing advisory mandates in France and Europe.
- Cambon Partners: Cambon Partners is a French independent M&A advisory firm focused on small-cap and mid-market transactions in France. Both firms compete for the same SME sell-side, buy-side, and fundraising mandates with similar multi-office French regional coverage models.
- Lincoln International: Lincoln International is a global mid-market M&A advisory firm with strong European operations including France. It competes with Cairus for cross-border and French mid-market M&A mandates and represents the scaled mid-market competitor Cairus would need to grow into.
- DC Advisory: DC Advisory (formerly Deutsche Bank Mid-Market) is a global mid-market M&A advisor with significant French presence. It directly competes with Cairus for mid-market M&A mandates in France while offering international reach that Cairus currently lacks.
- Eight Advisory: Eight Advisory is a French-founded independent M&A and transaction advisory firm serving mid-market clients in France and across Europe. Like Cairus, it provides M&A advisory and financial due diligence services, making it a direct competitor for SME and mid-market mandates in France.
- Natixis Partners: Natixis Partners is the French mid-market M&A advisory subsidiary of Natixis/BPCE banking group. It is a direct competitor for SME and mid-market M&A mandates in France, and benefits from a similar banking-partner-driven origination model.
- Clipperton: Clipperton is a Paris-based independent M&A advisory firm specializing in technology and digital mid-market transactions. While more sector-focused, it competes for many of the same French mid-market M&A mandates and represents an adjacent comparable for Cairus's overall mid-market advisory positioning.
- Oaklins: Oaklins is a global mid-market M&A advisory franchise with member firms across Europe including France. It directly competes with Cairus for SME and mid-market sell-side, buy-side, and financing mandates in the French regional markets.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks3 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cairus Advisory social profiles
Digital presenceCairus Advisory compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Cairus Advisory financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cairus Advisory leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Cairus Advisory funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cairus Advisory 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 Cairus Advisory
What does Cairus Advisory do?
Cairus Advisory is a French consulting firm that advises business leaders on strategic equity-related operations. Its services cover company acquisitions, company sales (cession), fundraising, business valuation, acquisition auditing/Vendor Due Diligence (VDD), and corporate financing advisory. The firm operates three integrated service divisions (CAIRUS M&A, CAIRUS Transaction Services, and CAIRUS Financement) across 17 French offices, supporting SMEs and mid-market companies through the full M&A lifecycle.
Is Cairus Advisory a public or private company?
Cairus Advisory is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Cairus Advisory founded?
Cairus Advisory was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Cairus Advisory based?
Cairus Advisory is headquartered in Strasbourg, France, in the Europe region.
How does Cairus Advisory make money?
One revenue line is on record: M&A Advisory Services.
Who are Cairus Advisory's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Rothschild & Co and Lazard. Direct peers are Corporate Finance Associates (CFA), Cambon Partners, Lincoln International, DC Advisory, Eight Advisory, Natixis Partners, Clipperton and Oaklins.
Does Cairus Advisory have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cairus Advisory.
What industry is Cairus Advisory in?
Cairus Advisory's product category is M&A Advisory Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAOAA, M&A Advisory (Buy-Side & Sell-Side). Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.