What Alignment Capital Group does

Alignment Capital Group (ACG) is a private equity consulting firm based in Austin, Texas, founded in 2000 by Austin M. Long, III and Craig J. Nickels. The firm provides strategic advisory services to large institutional investors in private equity, including public pension funds, endowments, and foundations. ACG operates as a pure strategic consultancy, deliberately structured to avoid the conflicts of interest inherent in firms that simultaneously advise plan sponsors and manage private equity portfolios. Its service offering comprises seven modules: portfolio evaluation and critique, asset and sub-asset allocation studies, cash flow projection, optimal commitment pacing, customized benchmarking, investment process review and rationalization, and due diligence assistance, including quantitative screening that filters an annual flow of approximately 400 deals down to roughly 30 for further diligence.

The firm's analytical capabilities are anchored by proprietary quantitative methods, including two issued U.S. patents (7,058,583 for performance attribution and 7,421,407 for OCOM plot analysis) and the Index Comparison Method (ICM), introduced by the founders in 1996 and later adopted industry-wide as the Public Market Equivalent (PME). ACG supplements these with Monte Carlo simulation for cash flow and valuation forecasting, and proprietary statistical tools for commitment pacing. The firm has reviewed, negotiated, and closed more than 150 partnership agreements over its history and markets through quarterly research briefs, peer-reviewed publications, and industry conferences rather than traditional sales channels.

ACG generates revenue through professional services fees from consultative advisory engagements with institutional clients. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The firm is a privately held Texas LLC with no external funding, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and a single Austin headquarters, operating exclusively in the United States. Co-founder Craig J. Nickels is now Director of Private Equity at Washington University in St. Louis, leaving Austin M. Long, III as the sole active principal.

Name

Alignment Capital Group

Legal name

Alignment Capital Group, LLC

Website

https://alignmentcapital.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Alignment Capital Group is an Austin, Texas-based private equity consulting firm that provides strategic advisory services, including portfolio evaluation, asset allocation, and due diligence, to large institutional investors in private equity.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Capital Raising Advisory (Debt/Equity/Private Capital) (BPAHADAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate Finance Advisory (Strategic Finance, Capital Structure & Recaps) (FSAEAGAE)

Keywords

• Private equity consulting
• Strategic advisory services
• Institutional investor advisory
• Portfolio evaluation
• Private equity benchmarking

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Strategic Advisory Services: ACG provides strategic advisory services to institutional investors in private equity. The firm operates as a pure strategic consultancy without the conflicts of interest inherent in advising plan sponsors while simultaneously managing portfolios. Revenue is generated through consulting fees for advisory services including portfolio evaluation, asset allocation studies, cash flow projection, commitment pacing optimization, customized benchmarking, investment process review, and due diligence assistance.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Alignment Capital Group provides strategic advisory services to large institutional investors in private equity. Its core offering encompasses evaluation and critique of existing portfolios, asset and sub-asset allocation studies, cash flow projection, optimal commitment pacing, customized benchmarking, investment process review and rationalization, and due diligence assistance. These advisory engagements are delivered as a unified consulting practice rather than as separate software products.

Product overview

Alignment Capital Group offers a unified suite of private equity advisory services centered on strategic consulting for institutional investors. The core offering comprises strategic advisory services encompassing seven service modules: Portfolio Evaluation and Critique, Asset and Sub-Asset Allocation, Cash Flow Projection, Optimal Commitment Pacing, Customized Benchmarking, Investment Process Review and Rationalization, and Due Diligence Assistance. These services are underpinned by proprietary analytical technologies including Performance Attribution (Patent 7,058,583), OCOM Plot Analysis (Patent 7,421,407), and the Index Comparison Method (ICM/PME). The firm also publishes research including the forthcoming book 'Inside Private Equity.'

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Advisory Services for Institutional Private Equity Investors

Quantifiable outcome

• The firm filters an annual flow of 400 deals down to approximately 30 that are eligible for further due diligence through quantitative screening
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• Aon Investments: Aon's investment practice includes private equity advisory, OCIO, and manager research for institutional investors globally. As a broad incumbent, it competes with ACG for the same PE advisory RFPs at larger plan sponsors.
• NEPC (New England Pension Consultants): NEPC is an independent investment consulting firm serving public pensions, endowments, and foundations with private markets advisory and asset allocation services. It competes with ACG in the U.S. public fund PE advisory market.
• Cambridge Associates: Cambridge Associates advises endowments, foundations, and pensions on PE allocation, manager selection, and portfolio construction as part of a full-spectrum investment consulting practice. It overlaps ACG's PE advisory modules while serving a much broader client mandate.
• Mercer Investment Management: Mercer is a global investment consulting powerhouse that provides institutional asset owners with PE advisory, asset allocation, and manager research as part of a broader balanced-funds mandate. It competes with ACG at the LP advisory level while offering much wider service scope.

Direct peers

• Cliffwater: Cliffwater is an alternative-investment advisory firm specializing in private equity, private debt, real assets, and hedge fund research for institutional investors. Its LP advisory focus directly mirrors ACG's services in portfolio evaluation and due diligence assistance.
• TorreyCove Capital Partners: TorreyCove is an independent investment consulting firm providing private equity and alternative investment advisory services to institutional clients. Its boutique LP-focused model and PE specialization make it a closely comparable peer to ACG.
• Hamilton Lane: Hamilton Lane provides private markets investment management and advisory/consulting services to institutional LPs, including portfolio construction, manager research, and pacing. It overlaps with ACG in LP-focused PE advisory despite also managing capital.
• StepStone Group: StepStone is a private-markets-focused investment advisory firm that provides LP advisory, portfolio construction, due diligence, and monitoring services to institutional investors. It is a direct peer to ACG in the niche of advising LPs on private equity portfolio management.
• Pavilion Alternatives Group: Pavilion Alternatives Group provides alternative investment consulting, manager research, and due diligence for institutional investors. As a boutique alternatives-focused consultancy, it is a direct competitive peer to ACG's PE advisory practice.
• Meketa Investment Group: Meketa is an investment consulting firm focused on institutional investors, offering private equity advisory, asset allocation, and manager research. It is a focused mid-sized peer that competes with ACG for U.S. public fund and endowment PE mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alignment-capital

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

Investments4 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alignment Capital Group