What Cardin Partners does

Cardin Partners is a privately held, Vancouver-based boutique advisory practice operating since 2016 as a spin-out from Garibaldi Capital Advisors. The firm runs two integrated service lines: sell-side M&A advisory for technology and SaaS companies (typically at $10M-$20M+ enterprise value) and fee-only financial planning for entrepreneurs and high-income professionals. Service delivery is centered on a single senior practitioner, Andrew Jones, CFA, BEng, whose two decades of technology M&A experience — including transactions involving Salesforce, RTL Group, and Cendyn — anchor both service lines.

The firm's core M&A product is a defined 11-milestone "Seller's Journey" from engagement to close, supported by a proprietary CRM and deal automation platform with a curated database of 25,000+ SaaS strategic and financial buyers. Supporting collateral includes a standard 30-50 page Confidential Information Memorandum with a bottom-up three-year financial model, a one-page no-names teaser, and a full target list for each transaction. The financial planning practice delivers a "Personal CFO Approach" organized around four modules — Plan, Invest, Protect, and Retire — producing a 25-40 year whole-life plan with tax optimization, scenario modeling, estate planning guidance, and operating-business integration. Supplementary published tools include interactive SaaS valuation calculators (LTV, CAC, LTV:CAC ratio, Quick Ratio, CAC recovery time) used both in advisory work and as content marketing assets.

Cardin Partners operates a hybrid revenue model with two distinct streams. M&A advisory clients are charged a monthly work fee during the preparatory and deal-marketing phase plus an incrementally graduated success fee on close, with incentives aligned to exceeding seller expectations and earnout minimization. Financial planning clients pay a fixed annual fee starting at $5,000, billed annually, covering whole-life planning, tax optimization, quarterly savings reviews, and annual plan updates. The firm intentionally caps its client base, acquires all clients through direct website contact or referral, and reports no external capital, no parent entity, and no formal distribution partnerships. The operating model implies episodic M&A engagement revenue layered on top of a small but recurring planning book, run entirely through the firm's website and word-of-mouth.

Name

Cardin Partners

Legal name

Cardin Partners

Website

https://cardinpartners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cardin Partners is a Vancouver-based boutique advisory firm combining sell-side M&A advisory for technology and SaaS companies with fee-only financial planning for entrepreneurs and high-income professionals, operated as a sole practitioner practice by a CFA charterholder with two decades of dealmaking experience.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Fee-Only Advisory (FSAEAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Comprehensive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAA)

Keywords

• Fee-only financial planning
• M&A advisory services
• Technology M&A brokerage
• Wealth management advisory
• SaaS exit advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. M&A Advisory - Monthly Work Fee: Monthly work fee charged during the preparatory and deal marketing phase of M&A engagements.
2. M&A Advisory - Success Fee: Success fee paid upon deal completion (100% close). Incrementally graduated above thresholds of value, with compensation tied to exceeding deal expectations. Minimizing earnout provisions is a priority.
3. Financial Planning - Fixed Annual Fee: Fixed annual fee starting at $5,000 for whole-life financial planning services. Includes annual plan review and updates, tax optimization, scenario planning, quarterly savings reviews, and CFO-scope coverage including estate planning guidance and corporate integration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Cardin Partners delivers fee-only financial planning and sell-side technology M&A advisory services to entrepreneurs and high-income professionals. Financial planning is a 25-40 year whole-life plan with a fixed annual fee starting at $5,000, integrating tax optimization, estate planning, and operating business considerations. M&A advisory supports technology company founders through a defined exit process, typically closing in 6 months, leveraging a proprietary buyer database and deal automation platform.

Product overview

Cardin Partners is a fee-only financial planning practice for entrepreneurs and high-income professionals, offering a unified service that combines financial planning with M&A advisory capabilities. The core offering is the Personal CFO Approach—a whole-life financial planning service that integrates Plan, Invest, Protect, and Retire components. Additionally, the firm provides sell-side M&A advisory services for technology companies through a proprietary deal automation platform, helping clients navigate the full exit process from preparation through closing. The firm is operated by Andrew Jones, CFA, BEng, who brings two decades of technology M&A experience to his planning clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fee-Only Financial Planning A 25-40 year whole-life financial plan for entrepreneurs and high-income professionals, integrating tax optimization (TFSA, RRSP, holdco strategy), scenario planning, estate planning guidance, accounting and legal referrals, Corporate T2 review, and operating business integration, delivered via the Personal CFO Approach (Plan, Invest, Protect, Retire). Offered at a fixed annual fee starting at $5,000 with annual plan reviews and updates.
• M&A Advisory for Technology Companies Sell-side M&A advisory services for technology and SaaS company founders, including a proprietary CRM and deal automation platform, a database of 25,000+ strategic and financial buyers, and a defined 11-milestone Sell-Side Process from engagement to close, typically running 6 months. Targets companies with $10M-$20M+ USD implied enterprise value where most boutiques and investment banks do not engage.

Quantifiable outcome

• Typical M&A engagement closes in 6 months (16 weeks for optimally run processes)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Garibaldi Capital AdvisorsminorOthersAndrew Jones co-founded Garibaldi Capital Advisors (12 deals since 2013) before spinning out Cardin Partners. This predecessor firm is a prior business relationship, not an active partnership.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Morgan Stanley: Global investment bank and wealth manager with technology M&A advisory and private wealth management practices. A broad incumbent competitor rather than a niche-focused boutique, but overlaps with Cardin across both service lines.
• Personal Capital: Large-scale digital wealth management and financial planning platform serving high-net-worth individuals. Represents the scaled, technology-enabled incumbent that boutique fee-only planners like Cardin compete against for affluent clientele.

Direct peers

• GP Bullhound: Global technology-focused M&A advisory firm advising founders and growth-stage technology companies on cross-border transactions. Direct competitor in software/SaaS sell-side mandates globally.
• Facet Wealth: Fee-only financial planning platform serving high-income professionals and business owners with a flat-fee model. Directly comparable to Cardin's financial planning arm in target client, fee structure, and conflict-free positioning.
• Echelon Wealth Partners: Canadian boutique advisory firm focused on technology and growth companies, providing M&A advisory in mid-market deals similar to Cardin's $10M-$20M+ EV sweet spot.
• Cipher Wealth: Boutique wealth advisory firm specializing in tech employees and founders post-liquidity events. Closest analog to Cardin's Personal CFO offering for high-income technology professionals.
• Canaccord Genuity: Canadian-headquartered investment bank with a dedicated technology, media, and telecom M&A advisory practice. Directly comparable to Cardin in geography, sector focus, and mid-market SaaS deal size.
• Drake Star Partners: Global technology-focused M&A advisory firm advising on SaaS, digital media, and tech transactions. Competes with Cardin for the same founder-led sell-side mandates across geographies.
• Cascadia Capital: US independent investment bank with a strong technology and software M&A advisory practice serving founder-led growth companies, overlapping directly with Cardin's target client and deal profile.
• Stifel Financial: Named co-advisor with Cardin on the BuildDirect equity financing in 2014. Stifel's technology and software M&A advisory practice directly competes for sell-side SaaS and growth-stage mandates in the same EV range as Cardin.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cardin-partners
• Xx.com/CardinPartners

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Cardin Partners