What Rifai & Partners does

Rifai & Partners GmbH is a private Swiss boutique consulting firm founded in 2002 by Osama Rifai and headquartered in Zug, Switzerland. The firm specializes in two tightly related practice areas: International Corporate Finance (corporate financing including equity, loans, and mezzanine capital; mergers and acquisitions support from target search and valuation through post-merger integration; and corporate restructuring and profit improvement) and International Strategy & Business Development (strategy review and implementation, international market entry and expansion, and sales/procurement channel development). A third line — In-house Seminars and Executive Coaching — provides knowledge transfer and project preparation support, often via partnerships with business schools including SMBS (University of Salzburg), the Executive School of HSG St. Gallen, and the IVE Institute at Université de Fribourg.

The firm operates as a partner-led advisory practice with no proprietary software or platform; clients engage Rifai & Partners directly for conceptual advisory, and when requested partners also assume interim operational management responsibility. Its go-to-market is relationship-driven: engagements originate through the partners' professional networks, referrals, and connections within an international investor and financial institution ecosystem. Revenue is generated through professional services fees — consulting fees for advisory engagements, fees for coaching and training programs, and interim management fees — with no publicly disclosed pricing.

Rifai & Partners serves a deliberately broad client spectrum that includes start-ups, Swiss Mittelstand companies, and large multinational corporations. Named engagements span industrial manufacturing (Siemens, ABB, Leica, Stiebel Eltron, GEA, Rehau, Rohde & Schwarz, Ludwig Pfeiffer), banking and financial services (UBS, Credit Suisse, ABN AMRO, Barclays, Bank Sarasin, Luzerner Kantonalbank), logistics (Deutsche Bahn, DB Schenker), technology (SAP, Xylem), pharmaceuticals (Helsinn), agriculture/food (Regal Springs), and educational institutions. The firm has no subsidiaries, no external funding, and no public revenue disclosure; ownership remains with founder Osama Rifai.

Name

Rifai & Partners

Legal name

Rifai & Partners GmbH

Website

https://rifai-partners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rifai & Partners GmbH is a Zug, Switzerland-based boutique founded in 2002 that advises start-ups, Mittelstand firms, and multinational corporations on international corporate finance, M&A, restructuring, and international business expansion, also providing interim management and executive coaching.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Finance Advisory

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Strategic Partnerships, Alliances & JVs Advisory (BPAHADAI)

Keywords

• Corporate finance advisory
• Mergers and acquisitions
• International strategy consulting
• Business development services
• Executive coaching seminars

Headquarters

HQ city

Zug

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Advisory and Consulting Services: Consulting fees from conceptual and accompanying advisory engagements for corporate finance and international strategy projects.
2. Coaching and Training: Inhouse seminars, workshops, and one-on-one executive coaching sessions, including knowledge transfer, project preparation and implementation support.
3. Interim Management: Partners assume operational responsibilities in addition to conceptual advisory work, providing hands-on management support to clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Rifai & Partners is a consulting and advisory firm that delivers corporate finance services (funding solutions including equity, loans, and mezzanine capital; M&A support; and corporate restructuring), international strategy and business development services (strategy review and implementation, international expansion and market development, and sales/procurement channel building), and inhouse seminars with executive coaching. Partners combine conceptual advisory with operational interim management responsibility when required, serving start-ups, medium-sized businesses, and multinational corporations globally from their Swiss headquarters.

Product overview

Rifai & Partners is a consulting and advisory firm offering three core service areas: Corporate Finance (including Unternehmensfinanzierungen, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Corporate Restructuring), International Strategy & Business Development (covering Strategies, International Expansion, and Sales/Procurement), and Inhouse Seminars & Coachings. The firm operates as a unified consulting service rather than a software product portfolio, providing conceptual support, operational responsibility, and knowledge transfer to companies and entrepreneurs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate Finance (Unternehmensfinanzierungen) Funding solutions including equity, loans, and mezzanine capital for business expansion across all stages of the corporate life cycle, including private equity placements, classic bank loans, and capital market transactions for companies and entrepreneurs.
• Mergers & Acquisitions Support for companies and entrepreneurs throughout acquisition or disposal processes, including search for suitable targets, company valuation, contract negotiation, and post-merger integration (PMI).
• Corporate Restructuring Financial rehabilitation services including structure and process optimization, profit improvement schemes with employee involvement, and harnessing unexploited potentials.
• International Expansion International business expansion and market development services including identification of suitable markets, entrance concept elaboration, business partner relationship building, and creation of local operational structures.
• Sales and Procurement New market development services including identification of procurement and distribution channels, business partner search and selection, contract negotiation, financial setup assistance, and quality control with reporting.
• Strategy Review and Implementation Strategy review, development, and implementation support for companies' growth or international expansion strategy, including conceptual work and active involvement in implementation.
• Inhouse Seminars and Executive Coachings Inhouse seminars and workshops focused on knowledge transfer, project preparation, and implementation support, including one-on-one executive coaching for specific technical or leadership topics.
• Interim Management Partners assume operational responsibilities in addition to conceptual advisory work, providing hands-on management support to clients during transition periods or to deliver projects alongside strategic guidance.

Named customers22 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

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SMBS - Business School University of SalzburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership for executive education in corporate finance and business development. SMBS is the Business School of the University of Salzburg.
• Executive School of HSG St. GallencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the Executive School of the University of St. Gallen for executive education and training programs in Switzerland.
• IVE Institute of Université de FribourgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership with the IVE Institute for executive education and knowledge transfer programs.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Clairfield International: International M&A advisory partnership active across Europe, the Americas, and Asia serving mid-market and family-owned businesses — closely comparable in cross-border Mittelstand/cross-border transaction focus.
• IMAP: International M&A advisory partnership with deep European and emerging-market coverage serving mid-market companies on cross-border buy-side and sell-side mandates — comparable to Rifai's international corporate finance franchise.
• Lincoln International: Global mid-market M&A advisory firm with a strong presence in Europe and cross-border transactions for industrial and business services clients — the most direct functional peer to Rifai & Partners' M&A and corporate finance practice.
• Alantra: Independent financial advisory firm with a global mid-market M&A and corporate finance practice serving European corporates and entrepreneurs — directly comparable in deal size, sector breadth, and client type.
• DC Advisory: Cross-border mid-market M&A and corporate finance advisor with strong European and Asian coverage — competes head-to-head with boutique firms like Rifai for international mid-market mandates.

Broad incumbents

• Rothschild & Co: Global advisory house with deep European roots in M&A and restructuring — competes for the larger end of the corporate finance mandates that Rifai's clients (e.g., UBS, ABB, Siemens) might otherwise consider.
• Houlihan Lokey: Global investment bank with a dominant mid-market M&A and restructuring practice — overlaps with Rifai's restructuring and M&A advisory lines but operates at substantially greater scale and global reach.
• Lazard: Global financial advisory and asset management firm with an M&A practice that serves many of the same European multinational clients (banking and industrial) that appear in Rifai's reference list.
• Roland Berger: European-origin strategy and management consulting firm with a particularly strong DACH Mittelstand practice — overlaps meaningfully with Rifai & Partners' international strategy and corporate restructuring offerings, though at far greater scale.
• PwC Corporate Finance: Big 4 corporate finance advisory practice with substantial cross-border M&A and restructuring capabilities — competes with Rifai for Mittelstand and family-owned mandates seeking end-to-end advisory plus implementation support.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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 Rifai & Partners