What Buttonwood Group Advisors does

Buttonwood Group Advisors LLC is a privately-held investment advisory firm founded in 2011 in New York by Joseph A. Alagna and Stephan A. Stein. The firm provides investment advisory services to a group of private investment funds (the Buttonwood Funds) that give individual accredited and institutional investors access to fast-growing, globally disruptive pre-IPO companies, as well as opportunistic real estate transactions seeking shorter liquidity timelines than traditional private equity. The firm's defining structural feature is that each fund series is specific to a single company at a specific valuation rather than a blind pool or blended fund, enabling investors and their advisors to construct custom private equity portfolios company-by-company over time. The investment approach is a follow-on strategy that screens portfolios of what BGA considers top-performing VC managers and applies criteria around management track record, product disruption, hyper-growth addressable markets, and favorable price/sales ratios.

Buttonwood's product surface consists of the Buttonwood First Access Fund (registered with the SEC in March 2026 to broaden retail access to private markets), the Buttonwood Titan QC Fund (a wholly-owned vehicle deployed in part through a $20M SAFE into Diakonos Oncology for glioblastoma clinical development), a Member Portal (invest.buttonwoodfunds.com) for authenticated investor access, and a Form 13F public-equity disclosure program. There is no proprietary technology platform described in available sources; the firm relies on conventional fund administration and a corporate website. Securities are offered exclusively through its affiliate Joseph Gunnar & Co., LLC, a FINRA-registered broker-dealer and SIPC member founded in 1997 by Alagna, which provides the regulatory and distribution infrastructure for all fund offerings.

The business model is subscription/recurring: Buttonwood earns management fees on the private investment funds it advises, with investor commitments tied to specific companies at specific valuations. The firm does not publicly disclose fee schedules, pricing, AUM, or revenue. Customer segments span accredited individual investors and institutional investors seeking pre-IPO exposure, with the First Access Fund explicitly targeting retail-eligible access. Headcount is reported in the 51-100 range. No funding rounds, M&A activity, or external institutional investment in the advisory firm itself are recorded in the available data; ownership appears founder-controlled.

Name

Buttonwood Group Advisors

Legal name

Buttonwood Group Advisors LLC

Website

https://buttonwoodfunds.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Buttonwood Group Advisors is a private investment advisory firm managing funds that provide individual and institutional investors access to pre-IPO companies through single-company fund series, distributing securities via affiliated broker-dealer Joseph Gunnar & Co., LLC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity Fund Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Investment Banking and Securities Intermediation (523150), Other Financial Vehicles (525990)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Equity Fundraising Placement (FSAEALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Equity Capital Advisory (Private Equity Placements, Growth Capital) (BPAHAOAE)

Keywords

• Investment advisory services
• Private equity funds
• Pre-IPO investments
• Portfolio management
• Fund management services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Investment Advisory and Fund Management Fees: Buttonwood provides investment advisory services to the Buttonwood Funds and earns management fees from private investment funds that provide individual and institutional investors access to pre-IPO companies. Investors purchase membership interests in fund series specific to a single company at a specific valuation, rather than a blind pool or blended fund.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Buttonwood Group Advisors provides investment advisory services to a group of private investment funds (the Buttonwood Funds) that offer individual and institutional investors access to fast-growing, globally disruptive pre-IPO companies and opportunistic real estate transactions. Investment is structured around single-company fund series at specific valuations rather than blind pools, enabling custom portfolio construction with a shorter period to liquidity than traditional private equity. Securities are offered through affiliated SEC-registered broker-dealer Joseph Gunnar & Co., LLC.

Product overview

Buttonwood Group Advisors operates as an investment advisory firm offering access to private investment funds focused on pre-IPO companies and opportunistic real estate transactions. The primary product is the Buttonwood First Access Fund, which provides investors the opportunity to build custom portfolios of private equity stakes in individual companies at specific valuations. Investment advisory services support the suite of private funds, and a Member Portal provides investor access. Securities are offered through affiliate Joseph Gunnar & Co., LLC, a FINRA-registered broker-dealer. Founded in 2011, the firm employs a follow-on investment strategy analyzing top-performing VC managers' portfolios to identify disruptive companies with proven management and favorable valuation metrics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Buttonwood First Access Fund: A fund that provides public access to private markets, targeting high-growth pre-IPO companies globally.

Products and services

• Buttonwood First Access Fund A private investment fund that provides individual and institutional investors access to fast-growing, globally disruptive, pre-IPO companies, with investment structured around specific companies at specific valuations rather than blind pools. The First Access Fund specifically targets democratized, public access to private markets for high-growth pre-IPO companies globally.
• Investment Advisory Services Investment advisory services provided to a group of private investment funds targeting pre-IPO companies and opportunistic real estate transactions, employing a follow-on investment strategy based on analysis of top-performing venture capital manager portfolios. Offers shorter liquidity periods than traditional private equity funds.
• Buttonwood Funds (Pre-IPO Fund Series) A family of private investment funds (the Buttonwood Funds) where each fund series is specific to a single company at a specific valuation, allowing investors and their advisors to build a custom portfolio of private equity over time. Investors purchase membership interests with the opportunity to receive company shares post-IPO.
• Member Portal A private investor portal providing members authenticated access to their investment accounts, fund information, and portfolio management tools for Buttonwood Funds.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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.

• Joseph Gunnar & Co., LLCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSecurities for Buttonwood Funds are offered through affiliate Joseph Gunnar & Co., LLC, a FINRA-registered Broker-Dealer and SIPC member founded in 1997. Joseph Gunnar & Co. serves as the distribution and regulatory infrastructure partner, enabling Buttonwood to offer fund membership interests to investors. Joseph A. Alagna is Chairman and CEO of Joseph Gunnar & Co., and Stephan A. Stein is President and COO of Joseph Gunnar & Co.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• StartEngine: Retail-focused private market platform using Reg A+ and Reg CF to broaden investor participation in private companies; comparable audience and regulatory pathway as Buttonwood's democratization strategy.
• Wefunder: Retail-access crowdfunding platform enabling broad public participation in private companies; comparable in democratizing private market access, though typically earlier-stage than Buttonwood's pre-IPO focus.

Broad incumbents

• Carta: Private market infrastructure platform covering cap table management, fund administration, and secondary trading; adjacent in serving private market issuers and investors at much larger scale.
• AngelList: Broader private market platform offering venture fund formation, deal syndication, and rolling funds; overlaps with Buttonwood's investment advisory and fund management activities.

Direct peers

• EquityZen: Online platform that provides individual and institutional investors access to pre-IPO company shares via fund structures; directly comparable in serving accredited and institutional capital seeking pre-IPO exposure.
• Republic: Retail-access private market platform offering investment opportunities in private companies and funds; comparable in expanding pre-IPO access to non-institutional investors.
• Microventures: Broker-dealer platform that structures single-deal private placement funds for retail and accredited investors; closely mirrors Buttonwood's single-company, single-valuation fund series approach.
• Hiive (formerly SharesPost): Private securities exchange and fund platform offering access to late-stage private companies; comparable in offering structured fund vehicles for individual investors.
• Forge Global: Private securities marketplace and liquidity provider for pre-IPO shares; directly competes as a venue for private market secondary transactions and fund-based access.

Others

• Yieldstreet: Alternative investment platform offering private market funds to individual investors; thematically comparable in delivering non-traditional investment access via structured fund products.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Buttonwoodfunds

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Buttonwood Group Advisors