Acanthus

What Acanthus does

Acanthus Capital Limited is a London-based private capital advisory firm founded in 1998 by Armando D'Amico. The firm specialises in raising capital for European mid-market private equity funds and providing secondary transaction advisory services to both general partners (GPs) and limited partners (LPs). Its core offering is a primary fund placement service for mid-market PE managers, supplemented by a dedicated Secondaries division (founded in 2020) that delivers LP Advisory, GP Advisory (continuation vehicles, GP-led tender offers, stapled transactions), and out-of-auction Sourcing services. Acanthus positions each fund distinctly using a corporate-finance driven approach and leverages deep relationships with the LP community across the UK, Continental Europe, and North America.

The firm operates as a partner-owned, FCA-regulated (FRN 630983) private limited company incorporated in England and Wales (Company Number 09125604), headquartered at 10-12 Blandford Street, London. Its documented team consists of approximately 12-14 professionals, including Managing Partner Wilf Wilkinson and Chairman Armando D'Amico, with senior staff drawn from top-tier investment banks and placement agents (Jefferies, LongAcre, Campbell Lutyens, EQT, Lazard, William Blair, BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole, TP ICAP, LGT, Adams Street, Rede Partners, Deloitte). Acanthus has no proprietary technology platform; the business is entirely relationship-driven, with marketing and business development conducted through its website, LinkedIn, and direct professional networking. Disclosed recent fund closes include Oriens III (€70M, 2024), Henko Partners II (€175M, 2024), Preservation Capital Partners II (€460M, 2024), Greenpeak III (€300M, 2025), and Crest III (€140M, 2025), among others.

Revenue is generated on a professional services fee basis, primarily through placement agent fees (typically a percentage of capital raised) on primary fund mandates and advisory fees on secondary transactions. Pricing is bespoke and quote-based, with no publicly disclosed fee schedule. Acanthus is a single-office, privately held boutique competing in a segment dominated by larger global placement agents; its differentiators are mid-market specialism, partner-led delivery, and long-tenured LP relationships.

Name

Acanthus

Legal name

Acanthus Capital Limited

Website

https://acanthus-pe.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Acanthus Capital is a London-based, partner-owned private capital advisory firm founded in 1998 that raises capital for European mid-market private equity funds and provides secondary transaction advisory (LP Advisory, GP Advisory, Sourcing) to GPs and institutional investors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity Advisory Services

NAICS

Investment Banking and Securities Intermediation (523150), Miscellaneous Intermediation (52391), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Equity Fundraising Placement (FSAEALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Equity Capital Advisory (Private Equity Placements, Growth Capital) (BPAHAOAE), Capital Raising Advisory (Equity & Equity-Linked) (FSAEAGAC), Equity Capital Markets Advisory (Equity Issuance Strategy & Readiness) (FSACAAAI)

Keywords

• Private equity advisory
• Fund placement services
• GP-led secondaries
• LP advisory services
• Mid-market fundraising

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fund Placement and Advisory Fees: Acanthus generates revenue through fees for advisory services provided to private equity managers seeking to raise funds. Services include strategic advice, investment grade documentation, fundraising process management, and investor relations support. The firm also earns fees for facilitating GP-led secondary transactions and LP liquidity solutions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Acanthus is a private capital adviser that raises capital for European mid-market private equity managers through primary fund placement and provides secondary transaction services for both Limited Partners and General Partners. Its services include strategic advice, investment-grade documentation, investor network access, and execution of LP-led secondaries, GP-led continuation vehicles, tender offers, and out-of-auction fund interest sourcing. The firm operates from London as a partner-owned independent advisory, FCA-regulated entity.

Product overview

Acanthus is a private equity advisory firm offering a unified platform of fund placement and secondary transaction services. The core offering comprises Primary Fundraising Services for mid-market European PE funds, supplemented by a dedicated Secondaries division covering LP Advisory, GP Advisory, and Sourcing services. These services work together to support GPs throughout the fund lifecycle—from initial fundraising through to liquidity solutions at fund end.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Primary Fundraising Services
• Secondaries Services A unified secondary transaction platform offering LP Advisory, GP Advisory, and Sourcing services. It facilitates bespoke liquidity solutions for Limited Partners and General Partners across buyout, growth, venture, real estate, infrastructure, private debt, and fund-of-funds strategies. Aimed at GPs and LPs needing liquidity or portfolio management solutions.
• LP Advisory Advisory services for Limited Partners seeking liquidity for illiquid holdings, covering non-core portfolios, tail-end funds, and single-line interests across buyout, growth, venture, real estate, infrastructure, private debt, and fund-of-funds strategies. Aimed at institutional LPs needing to monetize fund interests.
• GP Advisory Advisory services for General Partners delivering creative solutions including continuation vehicles, investor replacement, stapled transactions, and GP-led tender offers to facilitate liquidity and manage fund lifecycles. Aimed at PE fund managers needing structured portfolio or fund-level liquidity events.
• Sourcing Services Out-of-auction fund interest sourcing services for buyers, enabling acquisition at potentially better prices with guaranteed execution and no sell-side fees. Aimed at secondary buyers seeking proprietary deal flow.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple successful fundraises completed including One Peak III ($1B), Corten Capital II (€680M), Preservation Capital Partners II (€460M), Greenpeak III (€300M), and others

Named customers15 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

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Lazard: Global investment bank with private capital advisory and fund placement capabilities. Competes with Acanthus for PE fundraising mandates, particularly at the larger end of mid-market; Sebastian Cutler joined Acanthus from Lazard's Investment Banking division.
• Jefferies: Global investment bank with a private capital group offering fund placement, secondary advisory, and capital solutions for GPs. Competes with Acanthus on mid- and large-cap PE mandates; Wilf Wilkinson joined Acanthus from Jefferies.
• Eaton Partners (Stifel): Fund placement and private capital advisory firm (acquired by Stifel in 2024), advising GPs on fundraising, secondaries, and co-investments globally. Competes with Acanthus across mid-market PE mandates, now with the backing of a large capital markets platform.
• Houlihan Lokey: Global investment bank with a fund placement and secondary advisory practice (formerly Campbell Lutyens before acquisition). Competes with Acanthus across mid-market PE fundraisings and GP-led secondaries, with substantially larger deal teams.
• Evercore (Park Hill): Park Hill is Evercore's private capital advisory and fund placement group, providing GP fundraising, secondary advisory, and LP solutions globally. Competes with Acanthus on larger mid- and upper-mid-market mandates, with much broader scale and balance-sheet resources.

Direct peers

• MVision Private Equity Advisers: Independent global private funds placement agent advising GPs on fundraising and secondaries across private equity, private credit, and infrastructure. Direct competitor to Acanthus in fund placement with similar cross-border LP coverage.
• LongAcre Partners: Boutique specialist adviser focused on European mid-market private equity and private debt fundraising and secondary transactions. Closely comparable in size, focus, and service offering to Acanthus; Wilf Wilkinson previously worked at LongAcre.
• Campbell Lutyens: One of the largest independent private capital advisory and fund placement firms globally. Directly competes with Acanthus on mid-market European PE fund placements and secondaries mandates; multiple Acanthus alumni (Jamie Roxborough, Thumi Sivayogarajan) joined from Campbell Lutyens.
• Rede Partners: Independent London-based private funds placement agent focused on European mid-market PE, VC, and private credit fundraising. Direct competitor to Acanthus in the same niche and geography, with an overlapping LP coverage model.

Emerging players

• Park Hill (Blackstone): Private capital advisory and placement agent within Blackstone, providing GP fundraising, secondaries, and LP advisory services. Competes with Acanthus on larger and more complex mandates, leveraging Blackstone's LP relationships.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/company/acanthus-capital

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Acanthus