Palomino Capital

What Palomino Capital does

Palomino Capital LLC is a privately held, middle-market investment banking firm founded in 2004 and headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The firm provides mergers and acquisitions advisory services to privately held U.S. companies with revenues between $20 million and $150 million, with a strict sell-side orientation that excludes buyer representation to avoid conflicts of interest. Its service portfolio spans four interconnected modules: core M&A advisory, sell-side representation, capital formation through private placements with institutional investors, and ongoing advisory work covering restructuring and balance sheet optimization. The firm operates across five industry verticals — Manufacturing & Industrials, Healthcare, Business Services, Logistics & Transportation, and Consumer — with senior banker-led execution on every mandate.

The firm's go-to-market is a high-touch, consultative enterprise field sales motion directed at business owners, founders, and family-held companies considering sale, recapitalization, or capital raises. Distribution is driven primarily by referral networks and word-of-mouth, supplemented by a professional website featuring case studies, testimonials, and thought-leadership resources. Pricing is engagement-based with success fees, retainers, or transaction-based compensation typical of middle-market investment banking, and no fee schedules are publicly disclosed.

Palomino is not a technology company — it does not operate a software platform, and AI/ML capabilities are not part of its offering. Its core assets are human: a senior team of three named professionals led by founder Chuck Butler, with 35+ years of combined investment banking experience, 130+ closed transactions, and over $2 billion in aggregate transaction value delivered to clients. Operating as an LLC under founder and partner ownership with no disclosed external investment, Palomino functions as a boutique advisory practice competing on principal-led execution depth, buyer network access, and process discipline rather than scale.

Name

Palomino Capital

Legal name

Palomino Capital LLC

Website

https://palominocap.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Palomino Capital is a Dallas-based middle-market investment bank founded in 2004, providing M&A advisory, sell-side representation, capital formation, and corporate finance services to privately held U.S. companies with $20-150M in revenue across five industry verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. M&A Advisory Fees: Palomino Capital generates revenue through advisory fees for merger and acquisition services, including sell-side representations, buy-side advisory, and general corporate finance engagements for middle-market companies. The firm works with business owners to create customized solutions that maximize value.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Palomino Capital is a middle-market investment bank that provides mergers and acquisitions advisory services to privately held companies with $20 million to $150 million in revenue. The firm exclusively represents sellers, offering sell-side representation, buy-side advisory, private capital placement, and strategic advisory services. A senior principal is involved in every transaction from commencement through closing.

Product overview

Palomino Capital is a middle market investment banking firm offering a unified suite of M&A advisory services rather than a software platform. The core offering is merger and acquisition advisory services, supplemented by three interconnected service modules: Sell-Side Services (representing business owners in transactions), Capital Formation Services (private placements and capital raises), and Advisory Services (strategic consulting). The company specializes in serving privately held companies with $20 to $150 million in revenue across five industry verticals: Manufacturing & Industrials, Healthcare, Business Services, Logistics & Transportation, and Consumer.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Merger and Acquisition Advisory Services
• Sell-Side Services
• Capital Formation Services Private placement services connecting clients with institutional capital sources including commercial banks, private equity funds, family offices, and mezzanine funds.
• Advisory Services Strategic assessments, restructuring advice, balance sheet optimization, and shareholder value maximization guidance for middle market companies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $2 billion of aggregate transaction value delivered to clients
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Lincoln International: Global middle-market investment bank advising on M&A, capital raises, and special situations. Directly comparable in serving founder-led and PE-backed companies in similar middle-market revenue tiers across multiple verticals.
• Cascadia Capital: Independent middle-market M&A advisory firm serving entrepreneurs, family-owned businesses, and PE firms. Directly comparable in business model, sell-side orientation, and middle-market company focus, with a similar vertical specialization approach.
• PMCF: Middle-market M&A advisory firm serving industrial, business services, and consumer clients in similar revenue ranges. Directly comparable in boutique investment banking model with sector-focused coverage and sell-side advisory orientation.
• Brown Gibbons Lang & Company: Middle-market investment bank providing M&A advisory and capital formation services to closely held and family-owned businesses. Directly comparable in target client profile, deal size range, and vertically organized coverage.
• Source Capital Group: Middle-market investment bank providing M&A advisory and capital raising services to private companies. Directly comparable as a boutique advisor serving founder-led businesses with similar transaction size profiles.
• Livingstone Partners: Global middle-market M&A advisory firm serving private business owners and corporate clients across similar size ranges. Directly comparable as a boutique-to-mid-size advisor focused on sell-side mandates for founder-led and privately held businesses.
• MarshBerry: Middle-market advisory firm specializing in M&A and growth consulting for the insurance distribution and broader business services sectors. Comparable as a vertical-focused middle-market advisor with sell-side M&A as a core offering.

Broad incumbents

• Houlihan Lokey: Large global investment bank with a substantial middle-market M&A practice. Comparable in core sell-side advisory offerings but operates at much greater scale, broader sector coverage, and with institutional backing.
• Robert W. Baird: Diversified wealth management and investment banking firm with a sizable middle-market M&A advisory practice. Comparable in serving middle-market companies on sell-side mandates but as part of a much larger diversified financial services platform.

Emerging players

• Stout: Growing advisory firm providing M&A, valuation, and consulting services to middle-market companies. Comparable in middle-market M&A orientation with a more diversified service mix and expanding footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/palomino-capital-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Palomino Capital