What Raphael Financial Advisory does

Raphael Financial Advisory (legally RAPHAEL ADVISORY; rebranded to Raphaël Advisory in January 2026) is a Paris-headquartered M&A advisory boutique founded in 2015 by Benoît O'Mahony and Florent Haïk, both former managing partners of Rothschild & Co's mid-market division. The firm provides sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory, capital raising, LBO structuring, and restructuring services to entrepreneurs, family businesses, private equity funds, and blue-chip corporate buyers. Roughly 80% of its mandates are primary transactions and 70% are sell-side, with a stated sweet spot of €20–400M enterprise value on sell-side and €200M–2B on buy-side. The firm reports 209 completed deals since inception across logistics, adtech, cybersecurity, packaging, food distribution, IT services, and other sectors, including advising Firmenich on its €1.7 billion acquisition of DRT.

The firm is a professional services business with no software product or proprietary technology; its offering is exclusively human advisory services. Its product surface comprises a core M&A Advisory practice supplemented by a Sustainable Development/ESG advisory practice (launched 2023 under Rodolphe Bocquet) and a Debt Advisory/financing practice (launched 2025 under Nicolas Cofflard). Services span bespoke sale processes, equity story development, off-market proprietary deal sourcing, due diligence steering, capital structure optimization, and acquisition/growth/succession/refinancing advisory.

Revenue is generated through project-based advisory fees tied to transaction completion, negotiated per engagement with no publicly disclosed pricing tiers. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, relying on the founders' reputations, professional-network referrals, industry events, and direct outreach rather than broad marketing. The firm is privately held and controlled by its founding partners, structured as a French SAS with capital of €235,294, with no disclosed external funding or institutional investors. It operates from Paris (16th arrondissement) and, since January 2026, a Singapore regional office staffed with five professionals to develop cross-border Europe–Southeast Asia deals.

Name

Raphael Financial Advisory

Legal name

RAPHAEL ADVISORY

Website

https://raphael-fa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Paris-based M&A advisory boutique founded in 2015 by ex-Rothschild & Co partners, providing sell-side and buy-side advisory, LBO structuring, debt financing, and ESG advisory to entrepreneurs, family businesses, private equity funds, and corporate buyers in the mid-market.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities (523)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Finance Advisory (Strategic Finance, Capital Structure & Recaps) (FSAEAGAE), Capital Raising Advisory (Equity & Equity-Linked) (FSAEAGAC)

Keywords

• M&A advisory services
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Investment banking
• Debt advisory
• Private equity advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. M&A Advisory Fees: Fees earned from advising on mergers, acquisitions, disposals, LBOs, fundraising, and restructuring transactions. Revenue is generated through advisory fees tied to transaction completion.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Raphael Financial Advisory is an independent M&A advisory boutique founded in 2015 by former Rothschild & Co partners Benoît O'Mahony and Florent Haïk. The firm provides bespoke sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory, leveraged buyout structuring, debt/financing advisory, and sustainable development (ESG) advisory for mid-market transactions, with a sweet spot of €20-400M enterprise value on the sell side and €200-2,000M on the buy side. It has completed 209 deals since inception, primarily for entrepreneurs, family-owned businesses, private equity funds, and blue-chip corporate buyers.

Product overview

Raphael Financial Advisory is an M&A advisory boutique offering a unified suite of financial advisory services centered around its core M&A Advisory capability. The firm has expanded its offering over time to include Debt Advisory (launched 2025) and Sustainable Development/ESG Advisory (launched 2023). The firm specializes in primary transactions for entrepreneurs, families, and investment funds, with a distinctive 'Deal Different' methodology encompassing bespoke sale processes, creative teaser strategies, and tailored capital structure optimization. The company does not offer a software product; its offerings are exclusively professional advisory services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• M&A Advisory Bespoke sell-side and buy-side M&A transaction support for entrepreneurs, families, and investment funds, including tailored sale processes, equity story development, due diligence steering, negotiation management, and capital structure optimization. Approximately 80% of deals are primary transactions and 70% are sell-side mandates.
• Debt Advisory Financing advisory service covering acquisition financing, growth financing, succession financing, refinancing, and financial restructurings for private equity funds, debt funds, corporates, and banks.
• Sustainable Development / ESG Advisory Advisory supporting companies in their transition towards responsible and sustainable business models, assisting startups, SMEs, and investment funds with ESG-related financing, fundraising, and matchmaking challenges.

Quantifiable outcome

• €1.7 billion transaction - Firmenich acquisition of DRT
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nicolas LebardcoreOthers · 1 January 2026Nicolas Lebard joined as Managing Partner, Asia to lead the new Singapore office. He has over 20 years of experience in Southeast Asia, including roles at ED & F Man Malaysia, Aden, InVivo group, and Tiro Capital.
• Nicolas CofflardcoreOthers · 1 May 2025Nicolas Cofflard joined as Partner to lead and develop financing advisory services. Former Managing Director at DC Advisory with over 20 years of banking experience. Brought Simon Alexandre and Augustin Berger from DC Advisory.
• Rodolphe BocquetcoreOthers · 1 February 2023Rodolphe Bocquet joined as Partner to lead the new Sustainable Development practice. Founded Beyond Ratings (ESG rating agency acquired by London Stock Exchange in 2019), has 20+ years of environmental finance experience.
• Adrien LefevreminorOthersNew Director who previously worked at Sodica CF for 13 years, joining the M&A team.
• Simon AlexandreminorOthersAssociate who joined from DC Advisory alongside Nicolas Cofflard to develop debt advisory services.
• Augustin BergerminorOthersAnalyst who joined from DC Advisory alongside Nicolas Cofflard to develop debt advisory services.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• DC Advisory: Global mid-market M&A advisory with strong European presence. Raphael poached Nicolas Cofflard (former MD) and two juniors from DC Advisory, making it the most direct comparable on mandate type, team origin, and target mid-market clients.
• Clearwater International: Independent European M&A advisory firm with established mid-market focus and growing cross-border activity. Competes for similar PE-driven mandates in the €20-500M EV range.
• Clipperton: Paris-based M&A advisory boutique focused on Tech and Tech-enabled businesses. Comparable to Raphael on boutique positioning, deal size (often sub-€500M EV), and PE/corporate buyer mix.
• Oaklins: International M&A advisory with strong European franchise and growing Asia footprint, mirroring Raphael's boutique-mid-market positioning and cross-border ambitions.
• Lincoln International: Global mid-market investment bank with deep European M&A practice. Direct comparable on Raphael's €200-2000M buy-side sweet spot and PE-focused mandate mix.
• IMAP: Global mid-market M&A advisory network with strong European presence. Overlaps with Raphael on deal size and client segments (entrepreneurs, PE funds) but operates a partner-network model across more geographies.
• Cambon Partners: Paris-based M&A advisory boutique serving French mid-market companies and PE funds with sell-side and buy-side mandates, closely overlapping Raphael's core mandate profile and sweet spot.

Regional players

• Easton Corporate Finance: Independent European M&A boutique operating across multiple jurisdictions. Comparable boutique positioning and mid-market sell-side focus, with complementary but not overlapping European geography.

Broad incumbents

• Rothschild & Co: Where Raphael's founders were partners; global advisory with mid-market team. Overlaps on mandates Raphael targets but at much larger scale and broader service offering (R&W, strategic, debt capital markets).
• Lazard: Global financial advisory with strong European mid-market presence. Competes for the larger end of Raphael's buy-side sweet spot, with broader advisory capabilities including restructuring and capital markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInfr.linkedin.com/company/raphael-financial-advisory

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Raphael Financial Advisory