PacStar Capital Partners

What PacStar Capital Partners does

PacStar Capital Partners LLC is a veteran-owned, Cave Creek, Arizona-based financial advisory and management consulting firm founded in 2002. The firm provides M&A advisory (buy-side and sell-side), capital advisory including debt and equity private placement, due diligence, and a broad management consulting practice covering strategic planning, business process improvement, financial systems implementation, and organizational assessment. It focuses exclusively on middle-market transactions valued between $10 million and $200 million, with its principals having collectively advised on over $2 billion in transaction value across 20+ years.

The firm is led by two Managing Partners: Scott Dahne, with 35+ years of consulting and capital formation experience including prior roles at Deloitte, Westinghouse, Litton Industries, Texas Instruments, and the US Army Chemical Corps; and Gary Samuel, who heads Asia-Pacific operations with 30+ years of international experience spanning technology, construction, finance, mining, and infrastructure, originating from Arthur Anderson. PacStar differentiates itself through principal-led engagement delivery — senior professionals work directly on client transactions rather than delegating to associates — and through longstanding relationships with top global Private Equity firms that facilitate deal flow and capital introductions.

The business model is pure professional services with three revenue streams: M&A advisory (transaction success fees), capital advisory (placement fees and referral economics via a partnered commercial funding group offering 40 financing types), and management consulting (retainer or project-based fees). Pricing is quote-based and negotiated per engagement; no public pricing exists. The firm maintains operating geographies in the USA, Canada, and Asia-Pacific (notably Australia), and markets exclusively through relationship-based referral channels and a professional website, with no digital marketing or intermediary distribution model. The firm has no subsidiaries, no disclosed institutional investment, no M&A activity, and operates as a privately-held LLC under founder/principal ownership.

Name

PacStar Capital Partners

Legal name

PacStar Capital Partners LLC

Website

https://pacstarpartners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PacStar Capital Partners is a veteran-owned, Arizona-based financial advisory and management consulting firm founded in 2002, providing M&A advisory, capital advisory, and consulting services to middle-market companies on transactions valued between $10 million and $200 million, led by two Managing Partners with 30+ years of experience each.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mergers and Acquisitions Advisory

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Investment Banking and Securities Intermediation (523150)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Finance & Capital Advisory (BPAHADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Capital Raising Advisory (Debt/Equity/Private Capital) (BPAHADAG), Corporate Finance Advisory (Strategic Finance, Capital Structure & Recaps) (FSAEAGAE)

Keywords

• M&A advisory services
• Capital advisory services
• Management consulting
• Middle market finance
• Private equity advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Cave Creek

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. M&A Advisory Services: Buy-side and sell-side advisory services for mergers and acquisitions, including transaction structuring, negotiation, and execution for middle market companies with deal values from $10 million to $200 million.
2. Capital Advisory Services: Debt and equity private placement services, including introductions to Private Equity firms for growth capital, acquisition financing, and refinancing. Also includes arranging various loan types through partnered commercial funding group.
3. Management Consulting: Financial and management consulting engagements covering strategic planning, business process improvement, financial systems implementation, due diligence support, and organizational assessment for various industries.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

PacStar Capital Partners provides corporate financial advisory and management consulting services to middle market companies, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, capital advisory, financial recapitalizations, and management consulting. Engagements are led directly by senior principals and span transaction values from $10 million to $200 million, leveraging longstanding relationships with top global Private Equity firms to source capital and acquisition opportunities.

Product overview

PacStar Capital Partners is a corporate financial advisory and management consulting firm offering a unified suite of professional services centered around Transaction Advisory and Management Consulting. The core offerings include Corporate Financial Advisory Services (encompassing M&A buy-side and sell-side advisory, capital advisory, and financial recapitalizations), paired with Management Consulting Services for operational improvement. Supporting service modules include Growth Capital Services (connecting clients to private equity and 40+ financing types), Due Diligence Services (financial and operational assessment), Sale Advisory Services, and Acquisition Advisory Services. The firm focuses on middle market transactions valued between $10 million and $200 million.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate Financial Advisory Services Comprehensive M&A and capital markets advisory services for middle market companies, including buy-side and sell-side advisory, debt and equity private placement, capital advisory, financial recapitalizations, due diligence, sale advisory, and acquisition advisory. Transactions range from $10 million to $200 million.
• Management Consulting Services Advisory and consulting services helping organizations improve cash flow, productivity, shareholder value, and operational efficiency. Services include benchmarking, business plan preparation, business reengineering, coaching, cost analysis, financial systems implementation, forensic accounting, government grants and tax incentives, negotiations, organizational assessment, process modeling, project management, requirements analysis, strategic planning, and technology assessment and integration.
• Growth Capital Services Introduction to private equity firms and growth capital sources for companies seeking financing. Services include connections to over 40 different types of business financing including SBA loans, USDA loans, unsecured lines of credit, AR/PO financing, asset-based loans, leasing, bridge loans, and agricultural loans.
• Due Diligence Services Financial and operational due diligence services covering company description, history, financial information analysis, legal review, management and organization assessment, human resources evaluation, market and competition analysis, operations review, products/services analysis, and information technology infrastructure evaluation.
• Sale Advisory Services Sell-side M&A advisory services including assessing shareholders' options, determining business valuation ranges, developing confidential offering memoranda, identifying qualified buyers worldwide, negotiating and structuring transactions, and assisting with post-transactional issues.
• Acquisition Advisory Services Buy-side M&A advisory services including establishing acquisition goals and criteria, identifying and screening acquisition candidates, arranging and evaluating financing options, analyzing value drivers and synergies, creating financial models, and assisting with deal negotiations.

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Livingstone Partners: Boutique M&A advisory firm focused on middle market transactions with strong sector coverage and international reach; comparable in transaction size range, sponsor relationships, and senior-led delivery model.
• Generational Equity: M&A advisory firm focused on lower middle market transactions (typically $10M-$250M in enterprise value), serving founder and family-owned businesses; the closest direct competitor by deal size, target client, and principal-led delivery model.
• Intrepid Investment Bankers: Middle market M&A advisor focused on transactions generally in the $25M-$500M range, with strong consumer, business services, and healthcare sector coverage; comparable in deal size, sponsor relationships, and senior-led execution.
• Lincoln International: Middle market M&A advisory firm focused on transactions broadly in the $50M-$1B+ range with strong private equity sponsor relationships; directly comparable to PacStar in serving founder/owner-led companies with cross-border execution needs.
• Brown Gibbons Lang & Company: Middle market investment bank providing M&A advisory and capital raising services across a similar transaction size range; direct competitor for sell-side, buy-side, and private placement mandates in the lower middle market.

Broad incumbents

• Deloitte Corporate Finance: Advisory arm of a Big Four firm with M&A and corporate finance capabilities serving middle market and large-cap clients; competes for outsourced CFO/COO and transaction advisory mandates that PacStar also targets.
• BDO USA: Top-tier accounting and advisory firm with a corporate finance practice serving middle market M&A, capital raising, and management consulting needs; competes with PacStar's combined advisory + consulting positioning.
• Houlihan Lokey: Global middle market investment bank with deep M&A, capital markets, and financial restructuring practices; competes for the same $10M-$200M middle market mandates PacStar pursues but with materially larger deal teams, sector specialists, and cross-border execution capabilities.
• Robert W. Baird: Large diversified financial services firm with a substantial middle market M&A advisory practice; competes for sell-side and buy-side mandates at the upper end of PacStar's $10M-$200M range with deeper sector and capital markets capabilities.
• KeyBanc Capital Markets: Middle market M&A advisory and capital markets platform within a regional bank holding company; competes for the same $10M-$200M middle market mandates with the added credibility of balance sheet and lending capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pacstar-capital-partners

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 PacStar Capital Partners