What Sperry, Mitchell & Company does

Sperry, Mitchell & Company is a privately held investment banking firm founded in 1986 and headquartered at 595 Madison Avenue in New York. The firm exclusively provides sell-side merger and acquisition advisory services to owners of privately held middle-market businesses, with transaction values historically ranging from $10 million to $550 million. Since inception, Sperry Mitchell has completed over 400 transactions cumulatively across nine industry verticals: Aerospace & Defense, Business & Residential Services, Consumer, Distribution & Logistics, Healthcare, Industrial, Packaging, Specialty Distribution & Retail, and Technology/Telecommunications. Notable mandates include advising Apple Montessori Schools, Planet Fitness franchise operator ECP-PF Holdings, Medical Technology Associates, Glass Egg Digital Media, and Start Elevator. The firm does not publish revenue, has no funding rounds, and operates without parent company ownership, indicating founder/management ownership under co-founders Beatrice Mitchell (Managing Director) and Paul Sperry (President).

Name

Sperry, Mitchell & Company

Legal name

Sperry, Mitchell & Company

Website

https://sperrymitchell.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sperry, Mitchell & Company is a boutique investment banking firm founded in 1986 that exclusively advises owners of privately held middle-market businesses on sell-side M&A transactions valued $10M–$550M.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Banking Advisory

NAICS

Miscellaneous Intermediation (523910)

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

Main Street Business Brokerage (SMB/Owner-Operated) (FSAEAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Business Transfer Intermediation (Introducers/Deal Sourcing Networks) (FSAEAIAL)

Keywords

• Middle-market M&A advisory
• Sell-side investment banking
• Merger and acquisition services
• Private company sales
• Business valuation advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. M&A Advisory Fees: The firm generates revenue through advisory fees for sell-side M&A transactions. As an investment banking firm specializing in sell-side middle-market transactions, fees are likely structured as success fees tied to transaction completion, with potential retainer components.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sperry, Mitchell & Company provides sell-side merger and acquisition advisory services to owners of privately held middle-market businesses. The firm represents only sellers, ensuring independent advice aligned with seller interests, and engages a Principal on every transaction from commencement through closing. Services span transaction positioning, valuation, buyer identification, negotiation, and deal execution across transaction values typically ranging from $10 million to $550 million.

Product overview

Sperry, Mitchell & Company is an investment banking firm offering sell-side M&A advisory services exclusively for sellers of privately held businesses. The firm operates as a single unified service offering—sell-side merger and acquisition advisory—specializing in middle-market transactions. Their core product is principal-led transaction advisory, where senior bankers personally guide clients through the complete sale process from initial positioning through closing. The company does not offer technology products or software platforms; its services are purely advisory and relationship-based, covering transaction strategy, valuation, buyer identification, negotiation, and deal execution across multiple industry verticals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sell-Side M&A Advisory Services Representation of sellers of privately held middle-market businesses in M&A transactions, providing independent advice, transaction positioning, valuation, buyer identification, negotiation support, and closing assistance from commencement through completion.
• Middle-Market Transaction Advisory Specialized advisory for middle-market transactions typically valued between $10 million and $550 million, providing expertise in valuation, positioning, buyer identification, and execution across multiple industries.
• Industry-Specific Advisory Services Advisory services across multiple industry verticals including Aerospace & Defense, Business Services, Consumer, Distribution & Logistics, Healthcare, Industrial, Packaging, Specialty Distribution & Retail, and Telecommunications & Technology.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2021 transactions totaled $765 million in cumulative value
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Harris Williams: A larger, multi-office middle-market M&A advisory firm covering consumer, healthcare, industrials, and technology. Directly comparable to SMC's middle-market sell-side focus but with materially greater scale, sector specialization, and global sponsor relationships.
• Lincoln International: Global mid-market investment bank providing M&A advisory, capital raising, and fairness opinions. Overlaps with SMC's middle-market transaction size and sell-side activity, but at materially larger scale and global footprint.
• Houlihan Lokey: Large global investment bank with a deep middle-market M&A practice serving private business owners and sponsors. Overlaps with SMC in transaction profile but offers broader services (capital markets, restructuring) and significantly greater scale.

Direct peers

• Brown Gibbons Lang & Company: Middle-market investment bank providing M&A advisory and capital-raising services to closely held and family-owned businesses. Closely mirrors SMC's sell-side, owner-operator focus across similar transaction sizes and industry verticals.
• Livingstone Partners: Global mid-market M&A advisory firm serving private business owners and corporates. Highly comparable to SMC on transaction size range and the sell-side, senior-led service model, with stronger international reach.
• Generational Group: U.S.-focused M&A advisory firm dedicated to representing sellers of privately held businesses, particularly family-owned and owner-operated companies. Directly comparable to SMC's sell-side-only, owner-operator value proposition.
• Transworld Business Advisors: Business brokerage and M&A franchise network focused on lower middle-market and main street business sales. Comparable to SMC in serving private business owners selling their companies, though typically at smaller transaction sizes.
• Calder Capital: Middle-market M&A advisory firm representing sellers of privately held businesses across the U.S. Comparable to SMC in target customer (private owners), transaction size range, and sell-side advisory positioning.
• Peakstone Group: Boutique middle-market investment bank focused on sell-side M&A for private companies across consumer, industrial, and business services. Directly comparable on principal-led engagements and owner-operator client base.
• Grace & Associates: Boutique advisory firm specializing in representing owners of private, mid-sized businesses in sale transactions. Closely comparable to SMC on the sell-side, owner-operator model and middle-market transaction range.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Sperry, Mitchell & Company