Venture North Group

What Venture North Group does

Venture North Group is a privately held business brokerage and M&A advisory firm headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska, founded circa 1994 and led by Founding Member Neil Gunn. The firm operates exclusively within the Alaska market, serving business owners looking to sell, prospective buyers seeking acquisition targets, and entities or individuals pursuing growth capital. Its core service offerings are organized into four lines: sell-side advisory (business brokerage), buy-side advisory (with buyer confidentiality preserved during target search), capital-finding (domestic and international investor sourcing), and strategic advisory covering valuation, deal structuring, and exit planning. Notable transactions include the arrangement of $6.1M in equity financing for the $28M Baxter Senior Living assisted living community, with $1.8M of that equity supplied by its sister fund, Anchorage Equity Partners. VNG also references integration with the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) for state-backed financing access, and serves a portfolio spanning senior living, food/CPG, construction, and professional services clients such as Heather's Choice, Builders Choice, and Glacier Services.

The firm's revenue model is success-fee based, with no up-front fees, no monthly retainers, no exclusivity requirements, and payment due only on closing — typical of the 10-15% transaction-fee band for U.S. business brokers. Advisory and consulting work on more complex transactions may also carry retainers. VNG markets itself through content-driven thought leadership (a steady cadence of 2024 blog posts on Alaska M&A topics), SEO/organic search, and earned media coverage such as Axial's Q3 2024 Lower Middle Market Investment Banking League Tables, where it was ranked the #1 investment bank. Distribution is purely direct-advisory, with lead flow originating from the website, inbound calls/email, and local referral networks. The firm does not employ proprietary technology platforms; its offering is a human-advisory service differentiated by 30+ years of Alaska-specific deal-making experience, a regional buyer/seller network, and the embedded capital capability via Anchorage Equity Partners.

Name

Venture North Group

Legal name

Venture North Group

Website

https://venturenorthgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Venture North Group is an Anchorage, Alaska-based business brokerage and M&A advisory firm founded circa 1994, providing sell-side, buy-side, capital-finding, and strategic advisory services to Alaska business owners, buyers, and capital-seekers via a success-fee model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Anchorage

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Business Brokerage/Success Fees: Venture North Group charges success fees (commission) on completed business sales and acquisitions. Business brokers typically charge success fees ranging from 10% to 15% of the transaction value. The company also offers 'low commission structure' with no up-front fees, no monthly fees, and payment due only upon closing.
2. Advisory and Consulting Services: The firm provides sell-side advisory, buy-side advisory, and capital finding services. M&A advisors typically charge retainers and success fees for managing complex transactions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Venture North Group is a full-service business transaction firm providing mergers and acquisitions (M&A) services, business brokerage, strategic advisory, and investment consulting for privately held companies in Alaska. The firm connects buyers, sellers, and alternative investors, assists with confidential business sales and acquisitions, and helps clients find capital domestically and internationally for significant projects or business expansion.

Product overview

Venture North Group is a full-service business transaction firm providing merger and acquisition services, business brokerage, strategic advisory, and investment consulting. The company's service portfolio consists of four interconnected core offerings: Sell-Side Services (business brokerage for selling companies), Buy-Side Services (acquisition assistance with buyer confidentiality), Finding Capital (capital raising assistance domestically and internationally), and Strategic Advisory (valuation, deal structuring, and exit planning). The firm also provides investment consulting to connect investors with opportunities. Portfolio case studies include transactions across diverse industries such as senior living (Baxter Senior Living), food services (Heather's Choice), construction services (Builders Choice), environmental services (Glacier Services), and various other Alaska-based businesses. The company serves clients seeking to buy, sell, or find capital for privately held companies in Anchorage and throughout Alaska.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sell-Side Services Full-service business transaction offerings for business owners in Alaska seeking to sell all or parts of a company, including business brokerage and sale facilitation.
• Buy-Side Services Acquisition market assistance helping buyers in Alaska find target businesses without revealing the buyer's identity, providing confidentiality throughout the transaction process.
• Finding Capital Capital finding services assisting entities and individuals in Alaska seeking funds for significant projects or business expansion, with experience spanning domestic and international markets.
• Strategic Advisory Expert guidance on business valuation, deal structuring, negotiation, and exit planning tailored to Alaska's unique market conditions and seasonal economic factors.
• Investment Consulting Advisory services connecting investors with promising opportunities in Alaska's business landscape, including guidance on financing structures and deal structures.

Quantifiable outcome

• $6.1 million in equity financing secured for Baxter Senior Living project
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Lincoln International: Global mid-market investment bank offering M&A advisory and capital raising services. Comparable at the deal-services layer (M&A advisory, capital finding) but operates across larger transaction sizes and geographies than VNG's regional focus.
• Axial: Online platform connecting lower middle market advisors, investors, and business owners for M&A deal flow. Listed VNG as #1 in its Q3 2024 Lower Middle Market League Tables; comparable as a deal-origination and ranking infrastructure provider in VNG's ecosystem.
• KPMG Corporate Finance: Global Big Four M&A advisory practice serving mid-market and larger transactions. Comparable at the advisory service category but operates at a different scale and transaction size than VNG's regional Alaska brokerage focus.

Direct peers

• Sunbelt Business Brokers: Large international network of business intermediaries providing brokerage and M&A advisory for SMBs. Direct peer given overlapping business brokerage services, similar transaction sizes, and shared reliance on success-fee compensation.
• Murphy Business Sales: Business brokerage and M&A firm serving the lower middle market with a network of regional advisors. Comparable in customer segment (SMB and lower middle market business owners), service offerings (sell-side and valuation), and transaction-based revenue model.
• Generational Equity: M&A advisory firm specializing in lower middle market transactions with focus on privately held businesses. Comparable to VNG in target customer profile, transaction size band, and sell-side / capital-finding services.
• Performance Brokerage Services: Specialized M&A advisory firm focused on dealership and SMB acquisitions with deep regional expertise. Comparable to VNG in niche regional expertise, lower middle market focus, and full-service buy-side/sell-side advisory.
• VR Business Brokers: Business brokerage firm with multiple regional offices specializing in lower middle market M&A for main street and SMBs. Highly comparable to VNG in transaction size focus, success-fee pricing, and buyer/seller representation services.
• Transworld Business Advisors: Largest business brokerage franchise network in the US, offering sell-side and buy-side advisory services to small and mid-market businesses. Directly comparable to VNG in service mix (business brokerage, M&A advisory, franchise model) and target customer (lower middle market owners).

Others

• BizBuySell (CoStar): Largest online marketplace for SMB business-for-sale listings, owned by CoStar Group. Comparable as an adjacent marketplace that drives deal flow and competes with VNG's brokerage model for seller/buyer attention.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 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 Venture North Group