Blackwood Capital Group

What Blackwood Capital Group does

Blackwood Capital Group is an FCA-registered, owner-managed corporate finance and M&A advisory boutique founded in 2002 by Ronny Grosman and Thomas Kardos. Headquartered in London (5 Welbeck Street, Marylebone) with a regional office in Frankfurt am Main, the firm operates with a small team (11-50 employees) and concentrates on cross-border M&A within the tech-enabled Business Services sector, with a dedicated vertical focus on Human Capital Services globally. Over 23+ years the firm has executed transactions across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa, anchored by long-running mandates with Adecco Group, Gi Group, and Groupe Crit. The firm is intentionally not a member of any international M&A alliance, positioning itself as an independent, conflict-free advisor where at least one Managing Partner is continuously involved in every transaction.

Service offerings span buy-side and sell-side M&A advisory, equity and debt private placements (transaction sizes EUR 5 to EUR 100 million), public takeover and defence advisory, capital structure and debt advisory, and general corporate finance services including valuation and fairness opinions. Commercially, Blackwood operates a pure professional-services model: revenue consists of transaction-based advisory fees with bespoke engagement pricing determined by transaction complexity and scope; no pricing is publicly disclosed. Distribution is exclusively direct — principals engage enterprise decision-makers personally, with no intermediaries, resellers, or digital channels. The firm sustains market presence through long-running sponsorships at Staffing Industry Analysts Executive Forum Europe (since 2012) and North America (since 2019), Tiara Awards UK & Ireland (since 2021), Tiara USA / Talent Tech Awards (since 2024), and APSCo Deutschland Awards (since 2024), alongside memberships in APSCo Deutschland, APSCo UK, and APSCo Outsource. There are no proprietary technology products, no apps, no APIs, and no AI/ML capabilities disclosed.

Name

Blackwood Capital Group

Legal name

Blackwood Capital Group (UK) Limited

Website

https://blackwoodcapital.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Blackwood Capital Group is an FCA-registered, owner-managed M&A advisory boutique founded in 2002 by Grosman and Kardos, specializing in cross-border transactions in tech-enabled Business Services with a primary focus on Human Capital Services globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Banking / M&A Advisory

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Finance & Capital Advisory (BPAHADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Equity Capital Advisory (Private Equity Placements, Growth Capital) (BPAHAOAE), Debt & Capital Advisory (Debt Raising, Refinancing, Private Credit) (BPAHAOAD), Capital Raising Advisory (Equity & Equity-Linked) (FSAEAGAC), Fairness Opinions & Independent Board Advice (FSAEAGAF)

Keywords

• Mergers and acquisitions advisory
• Corporate finance advisory
• Private placement services
• Human capital services advisory
• Cross-border M&A advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. M&A Advisory Fees: Transaction-based advisory fees for buy-side and sell-side M&A mandates. Services large multinationals to small and mid-cap companies, PE firms, and family offices on cross-border transactions.
2. Equity and Debt Private Placements: Capital raise advisory for equity and debt transactions ranging from EUR 5 to EUR 100 million. Includes process design, investor selection, valuation, and structuring services.
3. General Corporate Finance Advisory: Valuation exercises, fairness opinions, corporate governance advisory, financial reporting matters, and board presentations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Blackwood Capital Group provides independent M&A advisory and corporate finance services to clients in the Human Capital Services sector within tech-enabled Business Services. Offerings span buy-side and sell-side transaction advice, equity and debt private placements, takeover defence, capital structure advisory, and valuation and fairness opinions, delivered through its owner-managed partnership model based in London and Frankfurt.

Product overview

Blackwood Capital Group operates as a corporate finance and M&A advisory firm rather than a product company. The firm offers advisory services including M&A buy-side and sell-side advisory, equity and debt private placements, capital structure and restructuring, public takeover and defense, and general corporate finance advice. These services are delivered through a consulting/advisory model rather than a software product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Buy-side M&A Advisory Buy-side merger and acquisition advisory services advising corporate and financial buyers on the identification, evaluation, negotiation, and execution of acquisitions within the Human Capital Services sector.
• Sell-side M&A Advisory
• Equity Private Placements
• Debt Private Placements
• Takeover Defence Advisory
• Capital Structure Advisory
• Valuation and Fairness Opinions

Named customers8 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

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• APSCo DeutschlandcoreOthersMember of APSCo Deutschland (Association of Professional Staffing Companies) for professional networking and industry advocacy in the German staffing market
• APSCo UKcoreOthersMember of APSCo UK for professional networking and industry advocacy in the UK staffing market
• APSCo OutsourcecoreOthersMember of APSCo Outsource for professional networking in the outsourced staffing services sector

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Lincoln International: Global mid-market M&A advisory firm with a strong business services and cross-border practice. Directly comparable to Blackwood in transaction size range, deal types, and client mix, with a similar emphasis on sponsor-led mid-market mandates.
• Alantra: European-headquartered mid-market M&A advisor with deep business services and staffing sector coverage. Closely comparable to Blackwood in cross-border mid-market execution, sector focus, and boutique model.
• Clearwater International: European mid-market M&A advisory with offices across the UK and continental Europe. Directly comparable in size, cross-border execution model, and mid-market deal range, with overlap in business services and PE-backed mandates.
• Livingstone Partners: Global mid-market M&A advisor with strong sector specializations including business services. Comparable to Blackwood in cross-border mid-market execution, sponsor relationships, and sector-focused deal teams.
• Drake Star Partners: Tech-enabled and business services-focused M&A advisor with European roots and global execution. Comparable to Blackwood in the tech-enabled Business Services vertical, mid-market deal sizes, and cross-border mandate execution.
• Clairfield International: International mid-market M&A advisory with strong European presence. Comparable to Blackwood in cross-border mid-market deal execution, sector-focused teams, and SME-to-mid-cap client mix.
• Proventis Partners: German-speaking mid-market M&A advisor with cross-border reach. Directly comparable to Blackwood in size, German-market presence, and mid-market transaction focus, with overlap in business services and PE-backed mandates.
• Auctus Capital Partners: European mid-market M&A and capital advisory firm with German roots and pan-European execution. Comparable to Blackwood in size, European mid-market focus, and cross-border buy-side / sell-side advisory work.

Broad incumbents

• Houlihan Lokey: Large global investment banking firm with a strong mid-market M&A franchise and active business services / staffing sector coverage. Overlaps with Blackwood in sector and client type but operates at significantly greater scale and with broader product coverage.
• Robert W. Baird: Global investment bank with a sizable mid-market M&A practice. Overlaps with Blackwood in cross-border mid-market M&A and business services coverage but operates at substantially greater scale and as part of a broader capital markets franchise.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blackwood-capital-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Blackwood Capital Group