The Yuba Group

What The Yuba Group does

The Yuba Group is a privately held, independent municipal advisory firm founded in 2010 by Linda Fan and headquartered in New York City, with additional offices in the Philadelphia and San Francisco regions and a Toronto, Canada office. The firm provides customized financial advisory services to public and private colleges, universities, academic medical centers, cultural institutions, and other not-for-profit entities, with practice areas covering capital markets and transaction advisory (tax-exempt and taxable debt issuance, public-private partnerships, derivatives), debt and credit management (rating agency strategy, counterparty risk, portfolio surveillance), governance and reporting (board materials, policy establishment, dashboards), and customized financial planning (projections, debt capacity assessments, peer analysis, cash forecasting).

The firm's underlying technology consists of proprietary Excel-based financial models and analytical tools for debt, swaps, and peer benchmarking, combined with the YubaTools client portal built on WordPress that delivers market data, financial dashboards, and analytical information customized per client. Data and software are sourced through licensed relationships with Bloomberg, LSEG, and DBC Finance for municipal market data and bond structuring. The firm operates as a registered Municipal Advisor with the SEC and MSRB and is subject to MSRB Rule G-42 fiduciary duties.

The Yuba Group generates revenue through municipal advisory fees with three disclosed compensation structures: contingent or transaction-based fees tied to closing and transaction size, hourly billing for personnel time, and fixed amounts established at the outset of engagement based on expected duration and complexity. Distribution is entirely direct: senior advisory professionals deliver services through long-term engagements to institutional clients, with no retail, e-commerce, or channel-partner motion, and marketing relies on professional reputation and referrals rather than digital advertising.

Name

The Yuba Group

Legal name

The Yuba Group LLC

Website

https://yubagroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Yuba Group is an independent, SEC- and MSRB-registered municipal advisory firm that provides capital markets, debt management, and financial planning advisory services to higher education and not-for-profit institutions across the United States and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Financial Advisory Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Pricing, Revenue & Commercial Analytics (BPAHALAM)

Keywords

• Municipal advisory services
• Higher education finance
• Debt management advisory
• Capital markets advisory
• Institutional financial planning

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Municipal Advisory Fees: Fees for independent municipal advisory services provided to higher education and not-for-profit institutions. Compensation structures include: (1) Contingent/transaction-based fees tied to successful closing and transaction size, (2) Hourly billing rates for personnel time, (3) Fixed amounts for engagements based on expected duration and complexity

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Yuba Group is an independent municipal advisory firm that delivers customized financial advisory services to higher education and not-for-profit institutions. Its offering spans four core service areas: Capital Markets and Transaction Advisory (debt issuance, P3 evaluation, derivatives execution, liquidity facilities), Debt and Credit Management (rating agency strategy, portfolio risk surveillance), Governance and Reporting (board materials, policy development, dashboards, cash forecasting), and Customized Financial Planning (debt capacity, peer analysis, financial projections, internal bank modeling). The YubaTools proprietary client portal complements these services by delivering real-time market data and financial dashboards.

Product overview

The Yuba Group is a financial advisory firm that provides customized advisory services and assistance with capital planning, financial strategy, and transaction execution to higher education and not-for-profit institutions. The firm's offering consists of four core service areas—Capital Markets and Transaction Advisory, Debt and Credit Management, Governance and Reporting, and Customized Financial Planning—which collectively address institutional finance and treasury functions. The proprietary YubaTools client portal complements these services by delivering market data and financial information through web-based dashboards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Capital Markets and Transaction Advisory Advisory services covering public and private taxable and tax-exempt debt issuance, public-private partnership evaluation, selection of banking and finance teams, commercial paper issuance, derivatives analysis and execution, and liquidity and credit facility procurement. Aimed at higher education and not-for-profit institutions.
• Debt and Credit Management Services including preparation of rating agency strategy and presentations, counterparty and banking partner relationship management, and debt and derivatives portfolio risk evaluations and surveillance. Targeted at higher education and not-for-profit issuers.
• Governance and Reporting Assistance with board presentation materials, establishment of debt and cash management policies, reporting tools and dashboards development, and operating cash and liquidity position management and forecasting. Aimed at institutional finance and treasury functions.
• Customized Financial Planning Financial dashboard development and benchmark monitoring, financial projection modeling for capital planning, debt capacity assessments, institutional and peer ratio analysis, internal bank modeling, and operating cash flow forecasting. Serves higher education and not-for-profit institutions.
• YubaTools Client-specific web portal providing market data and financial information to clients, including real-time market data, financial dashboards, and analytical tools. Built on WordPress and offered to higher education and not-for-profit clients as a complement to Yuba's advisory services.

Quantifiable outcome

• $B+ in transactions since 2010 serving 0+ institutions

Named customers16 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• BloombergminorOthersData provider utilized by Yuba for municipal finance data, license agreement in place with pass-through terms to clients
• LSEG (London Stock Exchange Group)minorOthersData provider utilized by Yuba for financial market data, subject to similar license agreements as other data providers

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Nuveen (TIAA): Large institutional asset manager affiliated with TIAA that serves higher education and not-for-profit clients with investment, debt, and real estate solutions — competes for a portion of Yuba's institutional wallet.
• Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe: Major law firm with a deep public finance practice serving higher education and municipal issuers as bond counsel and disclosure counsel — an adjacent incumbent on the same transactions and client relationships.
• Tiedemann Advisors: Independent investment advisor to not-for-profit institutions, foundations, and endowments, providing investment policy, manager selection, and fiduciary advisory — a broader incumbent that competes for the same not-for-profit clients' treasury and investment mandates.
• Hilltop Securities: Broker-dealer and investment bank with a public finance group serving state and local governments, higher education, and not-for-profit issuers — a broader incumbent that competes for advisory and underwriting mandates on the same transactions.

Direct peers

• Acacia Financial Group: Independent municipal advisory firm serving state and local governments, higher education, and not-for-profit issuers on debt issuance, swap management, and financial planning — comparable to Yuba in business model and target segments.
• CSG Advisors: Independent municipal advisor focused specifically on higher education and healthcare institutions, providing debt issuance, swap advisory, and treasury services — the closest direct peer to Yuba by vertical focus and service mix.
• Prager Sealy & Co. Municipal advisor and investment bank focused on higher education and not-for-profit institutions — the firm where Yuba's founder previously served as Managing Director, making it the most direct strategic and cultural peer.
• Kaufman Hall: Management consulting and financial advisory firm focused on higher education and healthcare institutions, providing capital planning, debt capacity, and treasury-related advisory services that overlap directly with Yuba's core offerings.
• PFM Group (PFM Financial Advisors LLC): One of the largest independent municipal advisory firms in the U.S., providing debt issuance, swap advisory, and financial planning services to state and local governments, higher education, healthcare, and not-for-profit clients — directly comparable to Yuba across the full service set and client base.
• George K. Baum & Company: Independent investment bank focused on higher education, healthcare, and municipal issuers, providing public finance, debt advisory, and underwriting services — directly comparable to Yuba in target market and core capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 The Yuba Group