Knight Corporate Finance

What Knight Corporate Finance does

Knight Corporate Finance is a UK boutique corporate finance advisory firm founded in 2008 by Adam Zoldan and Paul Billingham, providing M&A, fundraising and exit planning services exclusively to business owners, entrepreneurs and investors in the Technology sector (with a particular concentration in telecoms, managed IT services, MSPs and cloud). The firm operates from offices in Manchester and London with a team of 12 dedicated professionals and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of K3 Advisory Group (1,200+ staff, 25 offices), operating since 2025 under the K3 Deal Advisory brand alongside complementary advisory brands within the group.

The firm's service offering covers the full transaction lifecycle: strategy consulting, vendor preparation and due diligence readiness, acquisition advisory (buy-side and sell-side), funding advisory across private equity, venture capital, traditional and challenger banks and venture debt providers, and sell-side exit execution. Deal sizes historically range from £1m to £50m, with 200+ completed transactions and £1bn+ in aggregate shareholder value realised since inception; in the trailing 12 months the firm completed 17 mandates. Core service modules are delivered through direct, senior-led engagement with no intermediary channel structure, supplemented by content marketing, LinkedIn presence, event sponsorship (e.g., RunThrough, K3 Advisory Golf Day) and direct enquiry handling.

Revenue is generated on a professional services, quote-based fee model tied to transaction value and complexity, with no publicly disclosed pricing and no software/SaaS or recurring subscription component. The firm has no proprietary technology, AI/ML capability or data product; its competitive position rests on sector specialism, founder and director credibility from prior operational roles at Talk Talk Business, Martin Dawes Telecommunications, Opal Telecom, PwC, Deloitte, BDO, Houlihan Lokey and EY/FRP, and institutional relationships with UK mid-market PE houses (YFM, Maven, Foresight, Key Capital Partners, River Capital) and strategic acquirers (Xperience, Sword Group, Global 4).

Name

Knight Corporate Finance

Legal name

Knight Corporate Finance

Website

https://knightcf.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Short description

UK boutique corporate finance advisor (founded 2008) providing M&A, fundraising and exit advisory to technology sector business owners and PE investors, operating as part of K3 Advisory Group's K3 Deal Advisory brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Finance Advisory

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Finance & Capital Advisory (BPAHADAB)

Keywords

• Corporate finance advisory
• M&A advisory services
• Technology sector advisory
• Fundraising advisory
• Exit planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Corporate Finance Advisory Fees: Knight Corporate Finance generates revenue through advisory fees for M&A transactions, sell-side and buy-side advisory, fundraising, and strategic consulting services to technology sector business owners and entrepreneurs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Knight Corporate Finance is a boutique corporate finance advisory firm providing M&A advisory, capital-raising, strategic consulting, and exit planning services exclusively to business owners and entrepreneurs in the Technology sector. The firm guides clients through the full business lifecycle — from strategy and preparation, through acquisition or funding transactions, to successful exits — leveraging deep sector expertise and relationships with private equity, venture capital, and strategic acquirers.

Product overview

Knight Corporate Finance is a corporate finance boutique offering advisory services to business owners and entrepreneurs in the Technology sector. The firm operates as a services-based advisory practice rather than a software product company. Their core offering encompasses Strategy Consulting, Acquisition Advisory, Funding Services, and Exit Planning, delivered by a team of 12 dedicated professionals from offices in Manchester and London. Established in 2008 and now part of K3 Advisory Group, the firm has completed over 200 transactions realizing £1bn+ in value for clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategy Consulting Strategic consulting tailored to client needs, helping Technology-sector business owners define ambitions and set strategic direction for achieving their objectives, including transaction readiness preparation.
• Acquisition Advisory M&A advisory services supporting clients across all elements of an acquisition process, leveraging Knight's industry experience and proven history in the Technology sector, including buy-side and sell-side mandates.
• Funding Services Capital-raising advisory with relationships across private equity, venture capital, traditional banks, challenger banks, and venture debt providers, supporting Technology-sector businesses across growth and acquisition funding rounds.
• Exit Planning Sell-side advisory services guiding shareholders of Technology-sector businesses through the full sale process from preparation through to completion, leveraging Knight's track record as a prolific sell-side adviser in the UK Technology sector.
• Preparing for a Transaction Vendor-assist services including dry runs of due diligence, information memorandum preparation, buyer identification, and process management to ready Technology-sector businesses for a sale, fundraising, or acquisition mandate.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over £1bn+ in value realised for clients
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• K3 Advisory GroupcoreOthers · 1 June 2026Knight Corporate Finance joined K3 Deal Advisory, a new powerhouse in corporate finance, M&A and strategic transaction support. Knight has been part of K3 Advisory Group for 5 years. The combined team offers clients enhanced execution capability and strengthened national footprint with 40+ specialists across offices in London, Manchester, Birmingham and other key UK locations.
• Sword GroupcoreOthers · 1 May 2026Knight advised CirrusHQ on its sale to Sword Group, a global technology services and AI specialist listed on Euronext Paris. Sword Group operates in 50+ countries with 3,600+ IT and digital specialists.
• Global 4coreOthers · 1 March 2026Knight acted as exclusive adviser to Tailor Made Technologies on its sale to Global 4. The transaction creates a strengthened technology and managed services group with nationwide reach.
• XperiencecoreOthers · 1 February 2026Knight acted as sell-side adviser to Blue Planet IT on its sale to Xperience, a leading digital solutions provider serving 1,500+ clients across seven UK and international offices. This was the second deal Knight completed with Xperience.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BCMS: Specialist lower-mid-market tech M&A advisor historically focused on software, IT services and telecoms — the closest pure comparable to Knight's UK tech vertical positioning, though now operating within Deloitte's advisory network.
• Livingstone Partners: Global mid-market M&A advisor with active TMT practice in the UK — peers with Knight on tech sell-side and buy-side mandates in the lower-mid-market segment.
• Clearwater International: European mid-market M&A advisor with a strong TMT and tech vertical — directly competes with Knight for UK lower-mid-market tech mandates while also serving larger ticket sizes.
• FRP Advisory: UK mid-market advisory firm offering corporate finance, debt advisory and transaction services across multiple sectors including a strong TMT practice — comparable to Knight in deal size band and PE counterparty base.
• WH Ireland Corporate Advisory: UK-listed wealth manager and corporate finance boutique with a long-running TMT and tech sector advisory practice — directly comparable mid-market competitor in UK tech M&A.

Broad incumbents

• PwC UK Corporate Finance: Big Four advisory with full-service M&A and corporate finance capabilities across TMT — broader incumbent where Knight co-founder Adam Zoldan previously worked in Lead Advisory.
• Houlihan Lokey: Global investment bank with a large technology M&A practice (note: a former Knight team member Greg Rawsthorne previously worked in Houlihan Lokey's technology M&A team) — broader incumbent that Knight competes against on larger UK tech mandates.
• BDO UK Corporate Finance: Mid-tier accounting-led advisory with a substantial UK corporate finance and M&A practice serving tech and mid-market clients — overlapping with Knight on deal size and target segments.
• Deloitte UK M&A: Big Four M&A practice with a significant UK TMT team that competes directly with Knight on larger UK tech deals (alongside BCMS which now sits inside Deloitte).

Emerging players

• Penta Capital: UK lower-mid-market M&A advisor with exposure to tech and tech-enabled services — comparable in deal size band and PE-led mandate mix.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/knightcorpfin
• Facebookfacebook.com/Knight-Corporate-Finance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/knight-corporate-finance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Knight Corporate Finance