What FODIS does

FODIS is a privately-held advisory firm founded in 1982, headquartered in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, with additional offices in New Canaan, Connecticut and London, United Kingdom. The firm serves single-family offices, family business holding companies, and ultra-high net worth (UHNW) investors owning or seeking direct investments into private operating businesses that generate revenues between $25 million and $3 billion. Per the firm's stated track record, it has completed 350+ client engagements, facilitated $18B+ in capital transactions, and helped clients achieve $35B+ in equity value enhancement over its 40+ year history.

The firm's operating platform centers on a research-driven, proprietary database covering approximately 30,000 family-controlled businesses and approximately 33,000 middle-market companies across 12 industry segments. This dataset underpins a deal origination capability that the firm markets as enabling clients to bypass competitive auction processes when pursuing add-on acquisitions, new direct investment operating platforms, or industry-thematic investment strategies. FODIS delivers its services through three interconnected categories: facilitating proprietary direct investments, providing outsourced corporate development, financial performance improvement and governance support, and advising on liquidity planning and implementation for clients divesting or monetizing operating business holdings. Service delivery is led by in-house direct investment professionals and operating partners, supplemented by a curated network of boutique consulting firms.

FODIS generates revenue through professional advisory fees rather than disclosed transaction-based commissions or tiered subscription pricing. Go-to-market is consultative and relationship-based: direct outreach to family offices and UHNW investors, supported by a professional website and a LinkedIn company page. The firm does not disclose pricing, has no public listing, has reported no external funding rounds, and operates with a small team consistent with the 11-50 employee band indicated in firmographic data. Daniel Hillman is identified as Vice President. The overall model is consistent with a boutique, high-touch advisory practice whose principal commercial asset is the proprietary database and the reputational capital built across four decades of family office work.

Name

FODIS

Legal name

FODIS

Website

https://fodis.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FODIS is a privately-held advisory firm founded in 1982 serving single-family offices, family business holding companies, and UHNW investors with proprietary direct investment origination, corporate development, and liquidity planning services across 12 industry segments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Family Office Investment Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Office Advisory (Single/Multi-Family) (FSAEAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Family Office Investment Platforms & Direct Investing (PE/VC/Co-Invest) (FSAAADAH)

Keywords

• Family office advisory
• Direct investment services
• Private equity advisory
• Middle-market investments
• Wealth management consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Sewickley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advisory Services: Professional advisory fees for facilitating proprietary direct investments, corporate development, governance oversight, operational leadership, financial performance improvement, and liquidity planning and implementation for family offices and UHNW investors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

FODIS is a family office advisory firm that helps single-family offices, family business holding companies, and ultra-high net worth (UHNW) investors source proprietary direct investments in private U.S. operating businesses. It uses a research-driven process backed by a proprietary database of approximately 30,000 family-controlled businesses and approximately 33,000 middle-market companies to originate deals that bypass competitive auctions, and also delivers corporate development, governance, and liquidity planning advisory services.

Product overview

FODIS is a unified advisory services platform offering three interconnected service categories for single-family offices, family business holding companies, and ultra-high net worth investors: (1) Facilitating Proprietary Direct Investments—using a proprietary database of ~30,000 family-controlled businesses to enable clients to bypass auctions and originate investment opportunities; (2) Enhancing Corporate Development, Financial Performance & Governance—providing outsourced operating partners and professionals for business growth and oversight; and (3) Liquidity Planning and Implementation—advising on divesting or monetizing operating business holdings. The services are delivered through experienced direct investment professionals, operating partners, and a network of curated boutique consulting firms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Facilitating Proprietary Direct Investments Advisory service that uses a research-driven process supported by a proprietary database covering approximately 30,000 family-controlled businesses and approximately 33,000 middle-market companies across 12 industry segments (revenues $25 million to $3 billion). Helps single-family offices, family business holding companies, and UHNW investors originate proprietary direct investment opportunities—bypassing auctions—for add-on acquisitions, new direct investment operating business platforms, industry-thematic investment strategies, and co-investments with other families. Includes acquisition plan development, opportunity identification, and transaction support from negotiation and due diligence through financing and closing.
• Corporate Development, Financial Performance & Governance Enhancement Outsourced governance, oversight support, and corporate development guidance delivered by FODIS's experienced operating partners and corporate development professionals to accelerate business growth, financial performance improvement, and governance for clients' existing and newly acquired operating businesses.
• Liquidity Planning and Implementation Advisory service for clients seeking to divest or monetize an operating business holding to free up capital for reinvestment or to provide liquidity flexibility for some or all shareholders, including support for transitioning ownership across generations.

Quantifiable outcome

• $18B+ in capital transactions facilitated
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Rockefeller Capital Management: Large UHNW wealth and family office advisory firm offering investment management, private investments, and wealth planning. Overlaps with FODIS on family office direct investing but with broader service breadth and scale.
• J.P. Morgan Private Bank: Global private banking franchise serving UHNW individuals and family offices with investment advisory, direct investments, and banking services. Competes with FODIS for large single-family office mandates at much greater scale.
• Bessemer Trust: One of the largest U.S. multifamily offices serving UHNW families with investment management, wealth planning, and direct investment advisory. Overlaps with FODIS on family office advisory but at significantly greater scale and breadth.

Direct peers

• GenSpring Family Offices: Multi-family office platform serving UHNW families with investment management, direct investing, and family governance services. Closely comparable to FODIS in serving single-family offices with operating business direct investment capabilities.
• Aksia: Specialist advisor to institutional and family office investors on alternative investments, including private equity and direct deals. Comparable to FODIS in helping family offices source and evaluate private investment opportunities.
• Cambridge Associates: Investment advisory firm serving foundations, endowments, and UHNW families with deep direct investment and co-investment capabilities. Highly comparable to FODIS in advising families on private operating business investments and portfolio construction outside traditional auctions.
• Cerity Partners: Wealth management and family office services firm serving UHNW families with investment advisory, direct investments, and governance support. Direct overlap with FODIS in providing outsourced corporate development and family office advisory.
• HPM Partners: Independent wealth advisory firm with strong family office and direct investment capabilities for UHNW clients. Comparable to FODIS in serving families seeking direct private operating business exposure with outsourced corporate development support.
• Pitcairn: Multi-family office that evolved from a single-family office, serving UHNW families with direct investment management, wealth planning, and family governance. Comparable to FODIS in providing direct investment sourcing and operating business advisory to family offices.
• Strategic Investment Group: Investment consulting firm serving institutional and family office clients with OCIO, direct investment advisory, and manager research. Comparable to FODIS in helping UHNW families build direct investment portfolios in private operating businesses.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fodis-lp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 FODIS