NEOMA
NEOMA is a Hamburg-based M&A advisory firm that exclusively serves digital small and medium-sized enterprises (digitaler Mittelstand) in Germany, providing sell-side, buy-side, and investor search services through a team of 25 within the HWB Gruppe holding.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersHamburg, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What NEOMA does
NEOMA GmbH is a Hamburg-based mergers and acquisitions advisory firm founded in 2022 as a subsidiary of the HWB Gruppe, a German enterprise consulting holding. The firm exclusively serves digital small and medium-sized enterprises (the so-called "digitaler Mittelstand") across Germany, covering software companies, IT service providers, industrial tech firms, digital media companies, and internet/e-commerce businesses. Three co-founders — Dr. Björn Schäfers, Max Köhler-Karstens, and Helmut Bauer — lead the practice, each bringing more than 15 years of M&A and digital business-building experience; Schäfers previously held a Managing Director role at Otto Group's corporate company-building unit, and Bauer is a trained banker and former technology CFO.
NEOMA's core offering is a full-service M&A advisory engagement spanning company valuation, preparation, investor and buyer search, negotiation, due diligence, and closing. The firm runs a dual sell-side and buy-side practice, with sell-side mandates focused on succession planning and exits for digital SME founders and buy-side mandates supporting strategic acquirers and private equity platforms pursuing add-on acquisitions. Its core technology consists of self-developed M&A software and proprietary investor/buyer databases, which the firm claims enable faster and higher-success-rate investor searches compared to manual methods, combined with digitized transaction management (data rooms, document handling, investor outreach). Supporting assets include a free online company valuation calculator and a recurring series of published M&A market reports covering Software & SaaS, IT-Services, and Cybersecurity.
Revenue is generated through professional service fees, typically structured as success fees tied to transaction completion with retainer components for ongoing mandates; pricing is negotiated on a case-by-case basis and is not publicly disclosed. The firm claims over 120 M&A mandates completed in the last five years, together with the HWB Gruppe, across a team of 25 employees operating out of its Hamburg headquarters. Go-to-market is primarily sales-led through direct outreach, referrals, and partner channels, supplemented by content marketing (gated market reports, glossary, blog) and a product-led growth tool (the valuation calculator) for inbound lead generation. The firm is currently active and continues to publish deal announcements and market updates through 2026.
NEOMA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- NEOMA
- Legal name
- NEOMA GmbH
- Website
- https://neo-ma.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- NEOMA is a Hamburg-based M&A advisory firm that exclusively serves digital small and medium-sized enterprises (digitaler Mittelstand) in Germany, providing sell-side, buy-side, and investor search services through a team of 25 within the HWB Gruppe holding.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
NEOMA industry classification
Industry- Product category
- M&A Advisory Services
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- M&A Advisory (Buy-side/Sell-side) (BPAHADAC)
Keywords
Where NEOMA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hamburg
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
NEOMA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- M&A Transaction Advisory: NEOMA generates revenue through professional fees for M&A advisory services, including sell-side mandates (company sales), buy-side mandates (company acquisitions), and investor search services. Fees are typically structured as success fees tied to transaction completion, with retainer components for ongoing advisory relationships. The firm covers the full transaction lifecycle from valuation and preparation through negotiation, due diligence, signing, and closing.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom M&A Advisory Engagement |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
NEOMA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NEOMA is a boutique M&A advisory firm that provides sell-side and buy-side advisory services to digital SMEs in the DACH region, including company valuation, investor and buyer search, transaction preparation, negotiation, due diligence, and closing support. The firm leverages self-developed M&A software, in-house databases, and a curated network of strategic and financial investors to source and execute transactions for digital businesses. Services are delivered by a team of 25 professionals operating as a subsidiary of the HWB Gruppe holding company.
Product overview
NEOMA is an M&A advisory firm, not a software product company. It offers a suite of consulting services for digital SMEs: (1) Investor/buyer search, (2) company valuation and value enhancement, and (3) acquisition advisory. The firm also publishes periodic market research reports on M&A trends in Software/SaaS, IT-Services, and Cybersecurity sectors. Additionally, a free online company value calculator tool is available. All services are delivered through a team of 25 employees with proprietary M&A software and processes, without a platform-plus-modules product architecture.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- M&A Advisory Services Full-service M&A advisory for digital SMEs, covering the entire transaction lifecycle from initial valuation and preparation through negotiation, due diligence, signing, and closing on both sell-side and buy-side mandates.
- Investor and Buyer Search Identification, screening, and approach of strategic and financial investors and buyers for digital SME clients, using proprietary databases and the HWB Gruppe holding company network.
- Company Valuation and Value Enhancement Enterprise valuation services and strategic consulting to increase company value before a transaction, including a free online valuation calculator (Unternehmenswert-Rechner) for business owners.
- Acquisition Advisory Development of comprehensive acquisition strategies, target identification, discreet approach, and negotiation support for corporate buyers acquiring digital companies.
- M&A Market Research Reports Periodic market reports on Software & SaaS, IT-Services, and Cybersecurity M&A trends published by NEOMA as gated thought-leadership content for founders, investors, and corporate buyers.
- Unternehmenswert-Rechner (Company Value Calculator) Free, no-obligation online tool that allows digital business owners to receive a rough estimate of their company's value in minutes, available at https://www.neo-ma.de/rechner.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 120 M&A mandates successfully completed in the last five years
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use NEOMA
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
NEOMA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
NEOMA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- HWB Gruppe (Holding)coreNEOMA is part of the HWB Gruppe (HWB Group), an enterprise consulting firm with a focus on M&A that celebrated its 15th anniversary. The HWB Gruppe provides NEOMA with a team of 25 employees for comprehensive in-house consulting, including M&A transactions, financing, and certified business valuations (CVA). NEOMA operates as a subsidiary within this holding structure.
- Deutsche UnternehmerbörseminorNEOMA places listings/advertisements on the Deutsche Unternehmerbörse (German Business Exchange), a platform that connects businesses for sale with potential buyers and investors, serving as a deal sourcing and marketing channel.
- UniCreditminorUniCredit is a banking partner of NEOMA, likely providing financing connections and co-advisory on transactions where debt financing is part of the deal structure.
- SparkassenminorNEOMA is a partner of the Sparkassen (German savings banks), a large network of regional banks that serves German SMEs and can refer clients to NEOMA for M&A advisory services on business sales and succession.
- Verein für Unternehmensnachfolge (VfU)minorNEOMA is a member of the Association for Business Succession (Verein für Unternehmensnachfolge), which focuses on facilitating business succession planning for SMEs in Germany, providing another referral channel for NEOMA's sell-side mandates.
- ECC ClubminorNEOMA is a member of the ECC Club (E-Commerce Club), a network for e-commerce professionals in Germany, which serves as a community and referral network for reaching digital company owners in the e-commerce segment.
- IFH Köln / ECC HandelminorDr. Kai Hudetz, Managing Director of IFH Köln (Institute for Trade Research) and ECC Handel, provided a testimonial endorsing NEOMA's combination of M&A experience and building digital companies, particularly valuable for the digital Mittelstand.
- Reimers RechtsanwälteminorReinhold Schmid-Sperber, insolvency administrator and partner at Reimers Rechtsanwälte (law firm), provided a testimonial about NEOMA's efficient and constructive collaboration on a company sale within insolvency proceedings. The firm likely serves as legal counsel on complex transactions.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
NEOMA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- goetzpartners: German-headquartered corporate finance and M&A advisory with a deep technology practice serving DACH mid-market. Comparable to NEOMA as a domestic competitor for German digital SME sell-side and strategic advisory mandates.
- Livingstone Partners: Global mid-market M&A advisor with a strong technology, media, and digital business practice serving European SMEs and growth-stage companies. Directly comparable to NEOMA in deal-size focus and vertical specialization on tech-enabled businesses, though larger and pan-European.
- Clipperton: European tech-focused M&A advisory boutique specializing in digital, software, and internet businesses. Comparable to NEOMA in target customer profile (founders/shareholders of digital SMEs) and advisory methodology, with a stronger pan-European footprint.
- Silverpeak: Independent technology and digital media M&A advisory firm serving European growth-stage and mid-market companies. Closely comparable to NEOMA on deal-size sweet spot, vertical specialization, and founder/seller-led engagement model.
- Hampleton Partners: Technology-focused M&A advisory boutique covering software, IT services, digital media, and e-commerce across Europe. Closely comparable to NEOMA in vertical specialization on digital SMEs and use of content marketing and sector reports as lead-generation channels.
- FCF Fox Corporate Finance: European tech-focused M&A advisory firm with deep coverage of DACH software, IT-services, and digital Mittelstand. Direct competitor for sell-side mandates in NEOMA's core German market, with overlapping sector focus on SaaS and cybersecurity.
Emerging players
- Clipdealer M&A Advisory: DACH-focused corporate finance advisory covering digital and technology SMEs. Comparable on target market (German Mittelstand digital companies) and service offering (sell-side and succession advisory), though smaller and less established than NEOMA.
Regional players
- Pareto Securities: Nordic-headquartered investment bank with technology and digital sector M&A capabilities across the Nordic and broader European region. Comparable to NEOMA in tech-sector specialization, but with a different geographic focus (Nordics vs. DACH).
Broad incumbents
- BDO Corporate Finance: Global accounting-network advisory with mid-market M&A capabilities across Germany and Europe, including technology and digital sector coverage. Competes with NEOMA for German SME digital sell-side mandates at the lower end of the mid-market.
- Houlihan Lokey: Global investment bank with a substantial technology, media, and telecom M&A practice. Competes with NEOMA for larger German digital mandates and buy-side relationships with international PE and strategics.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
NEOMA social profiles
Digital presenceNEOMA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
NEOMA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
NEOMA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
NEOMA M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about NEOMA
What does NEOMA do?
NEOMA is a boutique M&A advisory firm that provides sell-side and buy-side advisory services to digital SMEs in the DACH region, including company valuation, investor and buyer search, transaction preparation, negotiation, due diligence, and closing support. The firm leverages self-developed M&A software, in-house databases, and a curated network of strategic and financial investors to source and execute transactions for digital businesses. Services are delivered by a team of 25 professionals operating as a subsidiary of the HWB Gruppe holding company.
Is NEOMA a public or private company?
NEOMA is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was NEOMA founded?
NEOMA was founded in 2022. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is NEOMA based?
NEOMA is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does NEOMA make money?
One revenue line is on record: M&A Transaction Advisory.
Who are NEOMA's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are goetzpartners, Livingstone Partners, Clipperton, Silverpeak, Hampleton Partners and FCF Fox Corporate Finance. Clipdealer M&A Advisory is listed as an emerging player. Pareto Securities is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are BDO Corporate Finance and Houlihan Lokey.
Does NEOMA have an API?
No public API is recorded for NEOMA.
What industry is NEOMA in?
NEOMA's product category is M&A Advisory Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHADAC, M&A Advisory (Buy-side/Sell-side). Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.