GTO

What GTO does

GTO operates as a corporate advisory and private capital solutions platform, functioning as a division of GT Securities, Inc., a FINRA and SIPC member full-service investment banking firm headquartered at 430 Park Avenue in New York with additional offices in San Francisco, Boston, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The firm delivers bespoke private placement liquidity and corporate advisory services to late-stage privately held, venture-backed companies and their founders across enterprise software, mobility, industrial tech, sustainability, consumer, and fintech verticals. Its core offerings include growth capital, non-dilutive debt solutions, acquisitions and divestitures advisory, strategic joint ventures, outsourced business development, and structured shareholder liquidity solutions built around non-recourse financing that allows founders and option holders to access cash without selling shares and without impacting 409A valuations.

The differentiated service is the Shareholder Liquidity Solutions product, which advances cash via non-recourse financing with no set maturity, settled upon IPO, M&A, or tender offer, preserving voting rights and upside participation for the holder. This product targets late-stage companies on a path to exit and addresses tax-driven liquidity needs of founders, option holders within 90-day exercise windows, and institutional shareholders seeking diversification without secondary sales. The underlying technology stack is relationship-driven rather than platform-based; the firm emphasizes three decades of advisory experience, a cultivated network of financial and corporate relationships, and direct outreach via the [email protected] contact channel, with security transactions executed through the GT Securities broker-dealer platform.

GTO monetizes primarily through professional services and transaction fees, including advisory retainers, placement fees on growth capital and non-dilutive debt arrangements, and structuring fees on liquidity transactions. Its go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, targeting enterprise and late-stage startup clients through its multi-city footprint and showcase of portfolio and ecosystem companies (App Orchid, Noodoe, Freight Farms, Buffalo 3D, Nylas, Fork Farms, 18 Birdies, Sibros, DraftKings, Ripple, Carta, Windfall Bio, Boston Metal, Apex.AI). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, consistent with bespoke advisory mandates.

Name

GTO

Legal name

GT Securities, Inc.

Website

https://gto.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GTO is the corporate advisory division of GT Securities, Inc., providing private placement liquidity, growth capital, M&A advisory, and structured non-recourse shareholder liquidity solutions to late-stage venture-backed companies and their founders across enterprise software, mobility, fintech, and sustainability verticals in the US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Advisory & Investment Banking

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Development & Strategic Partnerships Advisory (JVs, Alliances, Carve-outs) (BPAHAOAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Finance Advisory (Strategic Finance, Capital Structure & Recaps) (FSAEAGAE), Private Banking Business Owners & Entrepreneur Solutions (Liquidity Events, Pre-IPO) (FSABADAK), Fairness Opinions & Independent Board Advice (FSAEAGAF)

Keywords

• Corporate advisory services
• Shareholder liquidity solutions
• Growth capital financing
• Non-dilutive debt solutions
• Mergers and acquisitions advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Corporate Advisory Fees: GTO generates revenue through comprehensive private capital solutions including corporate advisory services. The firm earns fees for advisory work related to growth capital, acquisitions and divestitures, strategic joint ventures, and structured liquidity solutions for shareholders and institutional investors.
2. Non-Dilutive Debt Solutions: GTO provides non-recourse financing structures that enable founders to unlock liquidity from their shares without selling them. Revenue is earned through structuring and arranging these financing solutions.
3. Structured Liquidity Solutions: GTO offers tax-efficient liquidity solutions enabling founders to diversify assets or prepare for major milestones. The structure is a non-recourse financing advancement of cash without selling shares, with settlement upon exit (IPO, M&A, or Tender Offer).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

GTO is the corporate advisory and capital markets division of GT Securities, Inc. that delivers bespoke private placement liquidity, shareholder liquidity solutions, growth capital, non-dilutive debt solutions, and M&A advisory to late-stage venture-backed companies and their stakeholders. The firm focuses on structuring transactions that preserve founder ownership while providing capital through private placements, acquisitions, divestitures, strategic joint ventures, and outsourced business development.

Product overview

GTO operates as a single, unified financial advisory and liquidity solutions platform (GTO.io), a division of GT Securities. The core offering is Bespoke Private Placement Liquidity & Corporate Advisory, which encompasses multiple service modules including Growth Capital, Non-Dilutive Debt Solutions, Acquisitions and Divestures, Strategic Joint Ventures, and Outsourced Business Development. The primary product offering is Shareholder Liquidity Solutions, which provides tax-efficient non-recourse financing enabling founders to access liquidity without selling shares. This is complemented by Equity or Option Liquidity services targeting late-stage private companies. All services are delivered through a network of offices in New York City, San Francisco, Boston, and Los Angeles, with the company operating as a full-service investment banking platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bespoke Private Placement Liquidity Customized private placement transactions providing liquidity for shareholders of late-stage venture-backed companies. Targeted at founders, executives, and existing investors seeking to monetize equity positions without public market exposure.
• Shareholder Liquidity Solutions Structured liquidity programs enabling private company shareholders to realize value on their holdings through secondary transactions, tender offers, and structured buyouts. Serves founders, employees, and early investors of venture-backed companies.
• Growth Capital Advisory Advisory services for raising growth-stage capital, including structuring equity, mezzanine, and hybrid financing rounds. Designed for late-stage venture-backed companies seeking non-dilutive or minimally dilutive growth funding.
• Non-Dilutive Debt Solutions Advisory and placement services for venture debt, structured debt, and other non-dilutive financing instruments that allow companies to raise capital without issuing new equity. Targeted at growth-stage companies and their founders seeking to preserve ownership.
• Acquisitions and Divestitures Advisory M&A advisory services for buyers and sellers, including sell-side representation, buy-side advisory, divestitures, and strategic transaction execution. Targeted at venture-backed companies pursuing inorganic growth or exit transactions.
• Strategic Joint Ventures Advisory and structuring services for strategic joint ventures, partnerships, and corporate alliances. Targeted at growth-stage companies exploring partnership-based growth strategies.
• Outsourced Business Development Fractional or outsourced business development services for companies needing senior sales leadership or strategic partnership support on a temporary or part-time basis.
• Equity or Option Liquidity Transaction structuring for holders of private company equity or stock options seeking liquidity prior to a liquidity event. Targeted at employees, founders, and investors holding illiquid equity or option positions.

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Windfall BiominorOthersFeatured company in GTO's ecosystem working on transforming methane into organic fertilizer. GTO showcases this company as an example of transformative sustainability innovation they are connected to.
• Grain EcosystemminorOthersCarbon removal community platform featured in GTO's ecosystem. GTO showcases this company as part of their sustainability and climate tech connections.
• Apex.AIminorOthersInternational developer of safety-certified base software for software-defined vehicles and mobility. Featured as part of GTO's mobility and automotive technology ecosystem.
• Spare-itminorOthersWaste intelligence platform transforming how organizations measure and reduce in-building waste. Featured in GTO's sustainability/cleantech ecosystem.
• AirSeed TechnologiesminorOthersCompany leveraging advanced hardware and software for biodiverse planting projects and ecosystem restoration. Featured in GTO's sustainability portfolio.
• Boston MetalminorOthersCommercializing Molten Oxide Electrolysis (MOE) technology platform to decarbonize steelmaking. Featured as part of GTO's industrial tech and sustainability ecosystem.
• GT Securities, Inc.coreOthersGTO is a division of GT Securities, a full-service investment banking platform. Security transactions are conducted through GT Securities, Inc., member of FINRA and SIPC. This is a parent company/regulatory structure relationship.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Woodside Capital Partners: Silicon Valley-based boutique investment bank serving technology and growth companies with M&A and capital raising. Directly comparable in target client profile (late-stage venture-backed tech) and product mix.
• Berkery Noyes: Middle-market M&A advisory boutique covering financial technology, healthcare IT, and software. Comparable boutique scale, sector focus, and M&A advisory mandate profile to GTO.
• Cascadia Capital: Middle-market tech and cleantech-focused M&A advisory boutique with similar vertical focus (industrial tech, sustainability, software) and comparable deal-size sweet spot.
• Drake Star Partners: Tech and media-focused investment bank with M&A and private capital advisory across enterprise software, fintech, mobility, and sustainability. Highly comparable by sector mix and deal profile.
• Hampleton Partners: Tech-focused M&A advisory boutique serving enterprise software, fintech, and digital asset companies. Closely comparable in size, sector focus, and relationship-driven, sell-side advisory model.
• GP Bullhound: Global tech-focused advisory firm providing M&A, growth capital, and equity research across software, fintech, digital media, and mobility. Comparable sector coverage and advisory product set to GTO.
• Needham & Company: Tech-dedicated investment bank with M&A, equity capital markets, and growth capital services. Directly comparable product suite and longstanding focus on growth-stage technology issuers.

Emerging players

• Forge Global: Tech-enabled private share liquidity platform offering secondary market access for late-stage private company shareholders. Comparable end-customer (founder/employee liquidity) but operates via marketplace model versus GTO's non-recourse debt structure.
• EquityZen: Pre-IPO and late-stage private share liquidity provider. Targets the same founder/employee liquidity use case as GTO via secondary transactions, making it a partial-overlap emerging competitor.

Broad incumbents

• PJT Partners: Elite boutique investment bank with M&A advisory, capital markets, and shareholder advisory capabilities. Broader scale and league-table position than GTO, but overlapping corporate advisory mandate set.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gto-io

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 GTO