FIRMA

What FIRMA does

FIRMA, legally APTN FIRMA – Agência Portuguesa de Negócios, S.A., is a Lisbon-headquartered special-situations advisory firm founded in 2016 that positions itself as an exclusive impartial investment strategist, negotiator, and executor for Portuguese public and private entities. The firm operates across three service pillars: Funding (working capital, receivables, alternatives, structured credit), Acquisitions (corporate, assets, procurement), and Strategy (vetting, advocacy, impact, partnerships, surety and guarantees). Its flagship proprietary capability is FIRMA Vetting, a due-diligence investigative service launched in 2019 that assesses counterparty suitability in negotiation processes. Internationally, FIRMA extends its reach through the FIRMA Global Alliance partner network and through initiatives such as the 2022 Aon strategic partnership in funding and participation in India's Global SME Business Summit.

The firm is led by Managing Partners Bernardo Theotónio Pereira and Pedro Leitão, both founding members since 2016, supported by an extensive bench of Strategic Advisors, Partners, Directors, and a Foresight Board drawn from Portuguese business, policy, and academic elites. FIRMA runs the annual FIRMA & Future Award conference, closed by the President of the Republic in 2019, as its primary brand-building and reputational asset. The firm states it has been involved in over €1 billion of transactions since founding, though this figure represents cumulative deal volume, not company revenue. No technology platform, AI capabilities, or self-serve product has been disclosed.

Commercially, FIRMA operates as a bespoke professional services firm with non-publicly-disclosed, quote-based pricing, multi-year engagements, and exclusive mandates originated and executed directly by senior partners. Its distribution is single-channel direct sales with no resellers, marketplace, or self-serve motion, and its GTM is anchored on thought leadership, Portuguese economic media presence, and elite institutional relationships.

Name

FIRMA

Legal name

APTN FIRMA – Agência Portuguesa de Negócios, S.A.

Website

https://firma.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

FIRMA is a Lisbon-based, privately held Portuguese special-situations advisory firm founded in 2016 that acts as exclusive investment strategist, negotiator, and executor across funding, acquisitions, and strategy mandates for public and private entities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Advisory Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Strategic Partnerships, Alliances & JVs Advisory (BPAHADAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN)

Keywords

• Special situations advisory
• Corporate funding advisory
• Acquisition advisory services
• Due diligence vetting
• Investment strategy consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisboa

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Strategic Advisory & Transaction Execution: FIRMA charges fees for acting as exclusive investment strategist, negotiator and executor across funding, acquisition, and strategy engagements. Revenue is likely generated through advisory retainers and/or transaction success fees tied to deal closure. The firm works with both public and private entities across Portugal.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FIRMA is a Portuguese special situations firm that acts as an exclusive impartial investment strategist, negotiator, and executor for public and private entities. It delivers three integrated service pillars — Funding (Working Capital, Receivables, Alternatives, Structured Credit, Surety & Guarantees), Acquisitions (Corporate, Assets, Procurement), and Strategy (Vetting, Advocacy, Impact, Partnerships) — through bespoke exclusive mandates executed by a senior multidisciplinary team and the FIRMA Global Alliance worldwide partner network.

Product overview

FIRMA is a Portuguese special situations firm operating as an integrated business services platform rather than a single software product. The company offers three interconnected service pillars: (1) Funding Services covering Working Capital, Receivables, Alternatives, and Structured Credit; (2) Acquisition Services for Corporate, Assets, and Procurement; and (3) Strategy Services including Vetting, Advocacy, Impact, Partnerships, and Surety & Guarantees. The flagship sub-service, FIRMA Vetting, provides due diligence investigation services for companies in negotiation processes. Operating through its FIRMA Global Alliance worldwide network, the firm combines cutting-edge technology with local insight and multidisciplinary expertise to execute transactions exceeding one billion euros.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FIRMA Vetting: A vetting service that investigates the suitability of companies in negotiation processes, created in 2019.
• FIRMA & Future Award
• FIRMA Global Alliance

Products and services

• FIRMA Funding Services
• FIRMA Acquisition Services
• FIRMA Strategy Services
• FIRMA Vetting

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 billion euros of transactions completed for public and private entities since founding
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AON (Aon plc)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2021AON and FIRMA established a strategic partnership in the area of funding in September 2021 (with a follow-on announcement in September 2022). The partnership aims to offer the market global solutions for the funding needs of Portuguese companies, contributing to the relaunch of the economy and attraction of liquidity. FIRMA acts as the exclusive impartial investment strategist while AON provides global risk and reinsurance solutions.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Arcano Partners: Spain-headquartered independent financial advisory and asset management firm serving Iberian corporates, family offices and institutions. Comparable to FIRMA as a boutique Iberian advisor offering strategic advisory, M&A, and funding solutions with cross-border reach.
• PJT Partners: Boutique global advisory firm focused on strategic advisory, restructuring, and fund placement. Comparable to FIRMA in offering senior-led, relationship-driven advisory with cross-border reach but at materially larger scale.
• Evercore: Independent global investment banking advisory firm focused on M&A, restructuring, and strategic advisory. Comparable to FIRMA's senior-led, advice-only model and cross-border M&A capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Houlihan Lokey: Global investment bank specializing in M&A, capital markets, and financial restructuring advisory. Comparable to FIRMA on the acquisition advisory and corporate finance side, with overlapping client types in mid-market and special situations.
• Deloitte (Portugal): Big Four advisory practice in Portugal offering consulting, M&A advisory, and restructuring services. Comparable to FIRMA as an alternative for Portuguese corporates and public-sector clients seeking funding and transaction advisory.
• FTI Consulting: Global advisory firm with deep restructuring, corporate finance and strategic communications capabilities. Closely aligned with FIRMA's special-situations, M&A advisory and strategic positioning offerings, though at much greater scale.
• Lazard: Global financial advisory and asset management firm with a strong M&A and strategic advisory practice. Overlaps with FIRMA on cross-border M&A advisory and strategic counsel to corporates and public entities.
• Alvarez & Marsal: Global professional services firm specializing in turnaround, restructuring and special situations advisory. Comparable to FIRMA's special-situations positioning but at far larger scale and global footprint.
• KPMG (Portugal): Big Four advisory practice in Portugal offering deal advisory, consulting and risk services. Comparable to FIRMA in serving Portuguese corporates and public entities on funding, acquisitions, and strategic engagements at greater scale.

Others

• Aon: Global professional services firm providing risk, reinsurance, and capital solutions. Direct strategic partner of FIRMA since 2021 and an adjacent peer given overlapping client base in funding and risk advisory, though not a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FIRMA_PT
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/firma-pt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 FIRMA