SBCF & Cie.

What SBCF & Cie. does

SBCF & Cie. GmbH is a Munich-based, partner-led boutique advisory firm founded in 2009 that provides corporate finance, mergers & acquisitions, and business strategy solutions to mid-market entrepreneurs, corporates, funds and investors, family offices, startups/scale-ups, and real estate asset managers across Germany. Its core offerings cover M&A sellside and buyside advisory, real estate investment banking, growth financing and fundraising, restructuring and turnaround (including IDW S6 opinions), strategy consulting, and in-house interim management (CEO/CFO/CRO). The firm operates through three German offices (Munich headquarters, Düsseldorf, Augsburg) and serves clients across industries including consumer goods, chemicals, metals, and asset management — disclosed reference clients include WMF, GARDENA, Röhm GmbH, Wieland-Werke AG, VEM Vermögensverwaltung, and Schneider Geiwitz & Partner. The senior team comprises Managing Director Dr. Michael Schuster (formerly Droege Group, HBB Capital Advisers, BayernLB, Lazard), Partner Heinz Matthes (developer of the proprietary Future Accounting® methodology), and Senior Advisors Prof. Dr. Frank Borowicz (formerly KarstadtQuelle, A.T. Kearney) and Philipp Bensch (formerly Evonik, Fiege, Kuehne+Nagel); the firm states 15+ years of M&A experience and 100+ transactions with €3 Bn+ aggregate volume.

The firm differentiates on three dimensions: (1) a partner-led delivery model in which senior advisors personally execute every mandate rather than delegating to junior teams; (2) proprietary technology-enabled modules — "Target Scanner" (AI-enabled market and target screening for capital providers and acquisition targets) and "Exit Readiness Check" (AI-enabled transaction-readiness assessment) — that automate screening and readiness diagnostics typically done manually; and (3) a modular "Einzellösungen & Bausteine" structure allowing clients to commission standalone modules (valuation, negotiation, growth session, succession mediation, Target Scanner, Exit Readiness Check) rather than only full mandates. Revenue is generated exclusively through professional-services advisory fees, priced individually per mandate (no public rate card; multi-year project contracts), with the first introductory call provided free of charge and unbinding. The firm maintains no external investors, is privately held by its partners, and pursues top-of-funnel growth primarily through senior-partner networks, academic lectureships, and memberships in ACG, AmCham Germany, Wirtschaftsbeirat Bayern, and Stifterverband rather than mass digital marketing.

Name

SBCF & Cie.

Legal name

SBCF & Cie. GmbH

Website

https://sbcf.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SBCF & Cie. is a Munich-based partner-led boutique advisory firm founded in 2009 that delivers M&A, corporate finance, and strategy services to German mid-market entrepreneurs, corporates, funds, family offices, and scale-ups, with proprietary AI-enabled screening and exit-readiness modules.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting (M&A and Corporate Finance Advisory)

NAICS

Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities (523)

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Finance Advisory (Strategic Finance, Capital Structure & Recaps) (FSAEAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Buy-Side M&A Advisory (FSAEAGAB), Capital Markets Advisory (IPO Readiness, SPAC, ECM/DCM Advisory) (BPAHAOAL)

Keywords

• Mergers and acquisitions advisory
• Corporate finance consulting
• Strategic management consulting
• Restructuring advisory services
• Growth financing advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

München

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advisory and Consulting Fees: SBCF & Cie. generates revenue through fees for bespoke M&A advisory, corporate finance, strategy, restructuring, and interim management mandates. As an independent boutique, remuneration is tailored individually to the scope and nature of each project. No product or SaaS revenue model applies; all revenue is professional services-based.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SBCF & Cie. is a partner-led boutique advisory firm that delivers Strategy, M&A, and Corporate Finance services from a single platform. Its core offerings cover sellside and buyside M&A transactions, real estate investment banking, strategy and transformation consulting, restructuring and turnaround (including IDW S6 opinions), growth financing and fundraising, and interim management. The firm also offers modular standalone components such as the AI-enabled Target Scanner and Exit Readiness Check, allowing clients to commission targeted solutions or full mandates.

Product overview

SBCF & Cie. is a partner-led boutique advisory firm offering a modular advisory approach that combines strategic capabilities, M&A process expertise, and corporate finance know-how. The core offerings include M&A-Transactions (Sellside and Buyside), Real Estate Investment Banking, Strategy & More, Restructuring, Growth Financing/Fundraising, and Interim-Management. The firm also provides individual modules (Einzellösungen & Bausteine) that can be commissioned standalone or combined with full mandates. Two modules feature AI-enabled technology: the Target Scanner for market/target screening and investor matching, and the Exit Readiness Check for transaction readiness assessment. The modular structure allows clients to start with focused solutions and expand into comprehensive advisory engagements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• M&A-Sellside / Unternehmensverkauf (Company Sale)

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ transactions advised since 2009
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• HBB Capital AdviserscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009HBB Capital Advisers was a joint venture of the US investment bank Robert W. Baird & Co., Helaba (Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen), and BayernLB. SBCF Managing Director Dr. Michael Schuster previously provided M&A advisory through HBB Capital Advisers before founding SBCF & Cie. in 2009. This partnership provided foundational M&A experience and network access for SBCF's founding partner.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IMAP: Global mid-market M&A advisory network with strong presence across Europe including Germany. Provides buy-side, sell-side, and corporate finance advisory for mid-sized companies, directly comparable to SBCF's core M&A and corporate finance service lines.
• Warth & Klein Grant Thornton: German M&A and corporate finance advisory firm operating within the Grant Thornton international network. Provides M&A, transaction advisory, and restructuring to German mid-market companies directly comparable to SBCF's service mix.
• goetzpartners: Munich-headquartered independent corporate finance and M&A advisory boutique serving mid-market clients in Germany, Europe, and internationally. Most directly comparable to SBCF on size, geography, and partner-led boutique model with M&A, restructuring, and strategy offerings.
• Lincoln International: Global mid-market investment bank with strong European and German practice covering M&A advisory, restructuring, and capital markets. Comparable to SBCF on mid-market client focus but operates at meaningfully greater scale.
• DC Advisory: Cross-border M&A advisory firm (Daiwa-owned) with strong European and German practice. Comparable on M&A advisory focus and mid-market orientation, though DC Advisory operates at larger scale with broader international reach.
• Clairfield International: International mid-market M&A advisory firm with active German coverage. Closely comparable on target customer profile (Mittelstand), transaction size, and the mix of M&A buy-side/sell-side and corporate finance services.
• FOCUS GmbH Corporate Finance: Düsseldorf-based independent M&A and corporate finance boutique serving German mid-market companies. Closely comparable on geography (Düsseldorf being a major SBCF hub), boutique positioning, and service lines including succession advisory.

Broad incumbents

• Lazard: Global bulge-bracket investment bank with significant German M&A advisory franchise. Provides the same M&A, restructuring, and corporate finance advisory as SBCF but at substantially larger deal sizes and with global reach; SBCF's Managing Director previously worked at Lazard.
• Houlihan Lokey: Global investment bank with leading mid-market M&A, restructuring, and financial advisory practices and a strong European presence. Comparable to SBCF on advisory service mix but operates at much larger scale with broader geographic footprint.

Emerging players

• Atreus GmbH: German interim management provider that pairs executives with companies during transitions, restructurings, and transformations. Comparable on the interim management service line that SBCF also offers, though Atreus operates a dedicated interim pool rather than providing in-house partner-led interim engagements.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 SBCF & Cie.