What Freitag & Co does

Freitag & Co is an independent, Frankfurt-headquartered investment banking boutique founded in 2002, with a secondary office in Boston. The firm specializes in three core service lines: Mergers & Acquisitions advisory, Financial Restructuring, and Capital Markets & Corporate Control. It serves mid-market and larger corporates, financial institutions, and private equity sponsors across Germany, Europe, and the United States, and is ranked among the Top 20 M&A advisors in Germany with a disclosed track record of more than 100 completed transactions representing approximately €60 billion in aggregate deal volume.

The business model is engagement-based advisory, generating revenue through retainers and success fees tied to M&A transactions, restructurings, fairness opinions, and capital markets mandates. Notable mandates include advisory to Cerberus on the approximately €1 billion acquisition of HSH Nordbank, joint advisory with XMS Capital Partner on the $5.4 billion sale of Federal-Mogul to Tenneco, and mandates for clients such as Icahn Enterprises, freenet AG, WMF AG, Praktiker AG, and SOLARWATT. Roughly half of transactions are cross-border, supported by the Boston office, and the firm combines this international reach with execution of Germany's first protective shield proceeding for SOLARWATT during 2010-2013.

The firm operates with a lean team of 11 to 50 employees, with senior leadership and Managing Directors drawn from Lazard, McKinsey, Goldman Sachs, Rothschild, and Harvard/Stanford MBA programs. The franchise is privately held and independent, relying on senior banker relationships and a specialized mid-/upper-mid-market focus rather than balance sheet activity or product distribution. Revenue mechanics follow standard boutique economics: per-transaction fees typically scaled to deal value, with revenue inherently lumpy and tied to deal closing cadence.

Name

Freitag & Co

Legal name

Freitag & Co. GmbH

Website

https://freitagco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Freitag & Co is an independent Frankfurt- and Boston-based investment banking boutique founded in 2002, advising mid- and upper-mid-market corporates, financial institutions, and private equity sponsors on M&A, Financial Restructuring, and Capital Markets transactions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Banking Advisory

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

International Affairs (9721), Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

M&A Advisory (Buy-Side & Sell-Side) (BPAHAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cross-Border M&A Advisory (FSAEAGAH), Debt & Capital Advisory (Debt Raising, Refinancing, Private Credit) (BPAHAOAD)

Keywords

• Mergers and acquisitions advisory
• Financial restructuring services
• Capital markets advisory
• Investment banking boutique
• Corporate finance advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Advisory Fees: Professional fees generated from corporate finance advisory engagements including M&A transactions, financial restructuring, and capital markets advisory services. Revenue is derived from successful transaction completion fees and ongoing advisory retainers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Freitag & Co is an independent corporate finance advisory boutique providing Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) advisory, Financing/Refinancing & Financial Restructuring, and Capital Markets & Control services (including §27 WpÜG Fairness Opinions) to companies, families, funds, banks, and supervisory boards. With offices in Frankfurt and Boston, the firm has executed over 100 transactions totaling approximately €60 billion in aggregate volume since 2002.

Product overview

Freitag & Co is a leading German corporate finance advisory boutique offering a unified platform of three core service lines: Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Advisory for transactions and divestitures, Financing, Refinancing & Financial Restructuring for companies in financial distress, and Capital Markets & Control including fairness opinions pursuant to §27 WpÜG. The firm operates from Frankfurt and Boston with over 100 transactions totaling approximately €60 billion in aggregate volume.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Advisory Advisory services for company mergers, takeovers, and divestitures, providing strategic guidance through critical transaction phases for corporations, families, and funds.
• Financing, Refinancing & Financial Restructuring Advisory services for financial restructuring, debt reduction, debt/equity swaps, refinancing, and emergency financing for companies in financial distress.
• Capital Markets & Control Advisory on capital market issues, corporate governance awareness, defense advisory, and public tender offers, including independent fairness opinions for boards and management.
• Fairness Opinions Independent enterprise valuations (Fairness Opinions) issued pursuant to §27 of the German Securities Acquisition and Takeover Act (WpÜG) for management and supervisory boards in public takeover situations.

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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.

• XMS Capital PartnerminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2018Joint advisory relationship with XMS Capital Partner on the $5.4 billion Federal-Mogul transaction. XMS Capital Partner and Freitag & Co jointly advised Icahn Enterprises on the sale to Tenneco.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Evercore: Independent global advisory firm with M&A and restructuring capabilities across Europe and the US. Competes with Freitag & Co on cross-border mid-to-large-cap M&A and restructuring mandates, though at significantly larger scale and broader sector coverage.
• Rothschild & Co: Global independent financial advisory group with strong European M&A and restructuring practices. Dr. Andrej Oldenburg (Freitag & Co) previously worked at Rothschild, and the firm is a comparable competitor for German and European mid-market advisory mandates.
• Jefferies: Full-service global investment banking firm with a strong European mid-market advisory franchise, including restructuring. Competes with Freitag & Co for mid-market European M&A and capital markets mandates, particularly in the German Mittelstand.
• Lazard: Global independent advisory firm with a strong Frankfurt presence and full M&A, restructuring, and capital markets capabilities. Sebastian Freitag himself came from Lazard, and the firm competes for the same European mid-market and restructuring mandates, though at substantially larger scale.
• Perella Weinberg Partners: Independent global advisory firm with European M&A and restructuring capabilities. Directly comparable to Freitag & Co as an independent boutique competing for senior-led European and transatlantic mandates.
• Deloitte Corporate Finance: Big Four advisory practice with substantial M&A and restructuring advisory in Germany and Europe. Competes with Freitag & Co for mid-market German mandates where clients seek scale and cross-functional advisory capabilities.

Direct peers

• Lincoln International: Global mid-market M&A advisory firm with strong presence in Germany and across Europe. Directly comparable to Freitag & Co in targeting mid-market M&A mandates with senior-led execution and cross-border capabilities, particularly transatlantic transactions.
• Piper Sandler (formerly Piper Jaffray): US-headquartered investment bank with mid-market M&A focus. Matthew Pilon (Freitag & Co Boston) previously worked at Piper Jaffray. Operates a comparable mid-market model with sector specializations and competes for transatlantic mid-market deals.
• Houlihan Lokey: Independent global investment bank with leading restructuring advisory practice and strong mid-market M&A franchise. Highly comparable to Freitag & Co in its combination of restructuring expertise and mid-market M&A advisory, and a leading competitor for German distressed mandates.
• Oaklins: Global mid-market M&A advisory with significant presence in Germany through offices in Frankfurt and other European cities. Directly comparable boutique mid-market advisor targeting German Mittelstand and similar owner/family-owned business transactions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

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 Freitag & Co