Zerbach & Company Corporate Finance

What Zerbach & Company Corporate Finance does

Zerbach & Company Corporate Finance GmbH is a Cologne-based, independent boutique M&A advisory firm founded in April 2014 by Georg Leander Zerbach, Marc Bollinger, and Dr. Lars Junc, all former senior bankers at VR Corporate Finance (the M&A arm of DZ BANK Group). The firm serves owner-managed and family-owned mid-market companies in the German Mittelstand, structuring and executing sell-side, buy-side, and succession mandates with enterprise values between €5 million and €300 million. Approximately 66% of mandates are succession and sell-side engagements, and 56% have an international dimension spanning 18 or more countries. Typical transaction processes run 5–12 months from exit-readiness assessment through negotiation to closing.

The firm operates a partner-led model in which the managing directors personally handle every mandate from first meeting to closing, supported by a five-person core team (including Associated Partner Frank Eckertz for debt advisory and one Associate) and an Industry Advisory Board of 13 sector experts covering construction, packaging, automotive, healthcare, infrastructure, food and agriculture, and other verticals. Its proprietary databases catalog more than 3,500 financial investors and family offices and more than 800,000 companies, which are used for targeted buyer identification and confidential outreach. Distribution channels are relationship-driven: an exclusive cooperation partnership with NORDWEST Handel AG for succession matters, membership in a global M&A network of 250+ partner firms in 30+ countries, plus referral flow from the Industry Advisory Board and personal networks.

Zerbach & Company generates revenue through advisory fees on a project basis, with multi-month retainers and transaction success fees tied to deal completion. As an entry point, the firm offers event-based company valuations at a fixed price, delivered as a valuation memorandum using DCF, trading multiples, and transaction comparables. Additional revenue streams include Debt Advisory for acquisition financing, LBOs, and refinancing, plus modular Target Screening products primarily used for international acquisition searches. Since 2014, the firm has closed more than 65 transactions, including Schleich, Tonies, KÖNIG + CO. (sold to HBH Holdings, USA), MBS Logistics (sold to AD Ports Group, UAE), VISCO Group (sold to Belgian Infra Group), and MBE Moderne Befestigungselemente (sold to listed SFS Group AG, Switzerland). The legal entity is a German private limited company (GmbH) headquartered at Gut Maarhausen, a listed historical estate in Cologne, with no disclosed external investors, parent company, or subsidiaries.

Name

Zerbach & Company Corporate Finance

Legal name

Zerbach & Company Corporate Finance GmbH

Website

https://zerbach-company.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Zerbach & Company Corporate Finance is a Cologne-based boutique M&A advisory firm serving owner-managed and family-owned mid-market companies in the German Mittelstand, executing sell-side, buy-side, and succession mandates for transactions with enterprise values between €5 million and €300 million.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

M&A and Corporate Finance Advisory

NAICS

Investment Banking and Securities Intermediation (52315)

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

M&A Advisory (Buy-Side & Sell-Side) (BPAHAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Buy-Side M&A Advisory (FSAEAGAB), Succession & Exit Planning (Owner Exit Readiness) (FSAEAIAF)

Keywords

• M&A advisory services
• Company succession planning
• Sell-side advisory
• Buy-side advisory
• Corporate finance advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Cologne

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. M&A Advisory Fees: Zerbach & Company earns fees for advising on company sales, acquisitions, successions, and corporate finance mandates. Revenue is generated through advisory retainers and transaction success fees tied to deal completion. The firm also offers company valuations at a fixed price as an entry point for client relationships. The business is project-based with multi-month engagements typically spanning 5–12 months per transaction.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Zerbach & Company is a boutique M&A and corporate finance advisory firm that sells, buys, and transfers mid-market companies (enterprise values €5–300 million) on behalf of owner-managed and family businesses in the German Mittelstand. Its services span the full transaction lifecycle: exit-readiness and equity-story preparation, buyer identification via a proprietary database of 3,500+ financial investors and family offices, competitive bidding processes, negotiation, and closing; plus independent company valuations, debt advisory (acquisition financing, LBO, refinancing), and bespoke corporate finance projects.

Product overview

Zerbach & Company operates as a boutique M&A advisory firm offering a unified service portfolio of advisory offerings rather than a software platform. The core services include: Company Sale Advisory (Unternehmensverkauf), Business Succession (Unternehmensnachfolge), Company Acquisition Advisory (Unternehmenskauf), Company Valuation (Unternehmensbewertung), Debt Advisory, and Corporate Finance Advisory. These services are delivered by a senior team of five professionals and supported by an Industry Advisory Board of 13 sector experts. The company specializes in mid-market transactions with enterprise values between €5 and 300 million, targeting owner-managed companies, family businesses, and family offices. Services are customized to individual client needs, with no standardized software product or modules—the offering is consultative and project-based.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Unternehmensverkauf (Company Sale Advisory) Sell-side M&A advisory for owner-managed and family businesses: exit-readiness assessment, equity-story preparation, financial/Due Diligence preparation, buyer identification and outreach via a database of 3,500+ financial investors and family offices (and 800,000+ companies), competitive bidding processes or exclusive negotiations, and support through closing.
• Unternehmensnachfolge (Business Succession Advisory) Advisory for business succession: identifying fitting successors from the firm's network, structuring orderly handovers (including scenarios with no internal successor), and managing negotiations through to closing, with a focus on preserving the company's legacy, culture and workforce.
• Unternehmenskauf (Company Acquisition Advisory) Buy-side advisory covering acquisition strategy, search profile development, target screening and identification through the firm's own databases and partner networks, confidential outreach, negotiation from Letter of Intent through closing, and Due Diligence support.
• Unternehmensbewertung (Company Valuation) Event-based independent company valuation at a fixed price using DCF, trading multiples and transaction comparables. Delivered as a transparent valuation memorandum with ranges, sensitivities and clearly documented assumptions, suitable for succession considerations, shareholder structure changes, fairness opinions, joint ventures and corporate-law matters.
• Debt Advisory Bank-independent financing advisory covering structuring and arrangement of acquisition financing, leveraged buy-outs, refinancings and growth/investment financing, with access to senior debt, mezzanine, unitranche and hybrid structures across a broad range of capital providers.
• Corporate Finance Advisory Project-specific corporate finance advisory for value optimization, business model and strategy analysis, shareholder agreement support, carve-out analyses and shareholder mediation services.
• Target Screening Modular buy-side offering that delivers tailored target lists including key financial metrics and an initial valuation, particularly valuable for international acquisition search profiles.
• Exit-Readiness Assessment Advisory engagement focused on increasing company value, conducting an exit-readiness assessment and identifying value creation potentials prior to running a transaction process.

Quantifiable outcome

• 65+ transactions successfully completed since 2014
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers16 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

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NORDWEST Handel AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Zerbach & Company is the exclusive cooperation partner of NORDWEST Handel AG for company succession matters. NORDWEST is a major German trading group (verbund group) serving the industrial and structural engineering sectors. This partnership gives Zerbach & Company exclusive referral access to a network of companies within the NORDWEST group seeking succession solutions.
• Industry Advisory Board (13 Members)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016An advisory board of 13 experienced entrepreneurs and industry experts (as of 2024; started with 7 in 2016) complements the senior team on strategic and sector-specific questions across projects. Members include: André Barth (Construction Elements), Dr. Helen Fürst (Packaging), Ralf Hammer (Infrastructure), Jürgen Heidel (Automotive), Jan Hinrichs (Retail & Consumer), Markus Kloepfer (Logistics), Paul Kraut (Consumer Goods), Alexander Mesdaghi (Textiles), Dr. Michael Oltmanns (Law & Tax), Oliver Schulte (Healthcare), Dr. Michael Seibold (Engineering), Dr. Uwe Tillmann (Food & Agri), Dr. Ulrich Viethen (Electrical Engineering & Automation). The board provides operational experience, sector knowledge, and network access that enhances the firm's advisory capabilities in M&A processes.
• Global M&A Partner Network (250+ partners in 30+ countries)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Zerbach & Company maintains membership in a global network of more than 250 partner firms in over 30 countries. This network supports cross-border transaction referrals and provides access to international buyers, sellers, and deal flow for mid-market mandates. Specific network name is not disclosed on the website.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Drake Star Partners: European mid-market M&A advisor with strong focus on technology, digital, and growth sectors. Partial overlap with Zerbach & Company's work in digital/consumer (e.g., Tonies), but more specialized in tech-enabled mandates.

Direct peers

• Oaklins: International mid-market M&A advisory with strong coverage in Europe. Comparable to Zerbach & Company in serving SME and family-owned sellers, deal-size range, and cross-border execution via a partner network.
• IMAP: Global M&A advisory firm focused on the mid-market with a network of senior advisors across 50+ offices. Highly comparable to Zerbach & Company in target clientele (owner-managed companies, family businesses), deal-size range, and relationship-driven boutique model.
• goetzpartners: German-headquartered M&A and corporate finance advisory focused on mid-cap transactions. Comparable to Zerbach & Company in serving German Mittelstand, deal-size range, and offering M&A advisory plus adjacent services like debt advisory.
• Clairfield International: Global mid-market M&A advisory firm with strong presence in Germany and Europe. Direct competitor to Zerbach & Company in advising Mittelstand and family businesses on succession, sales, and acquisitions.
• Lincoln International: Global mid-market investment bank with strong European M&A advisory practice. Comparable to Zerbach & Company in mid-market M&A focus but with substantially greater scale, sector teams, and international reach.
• FCF Fox Corporate Finance: Munich-based boutique M&A advisory firm specializing in German mid-market transactions. Directly comparable to Zerbach & Company in mid-market focus, succession advisory, and sector specializations in industrials and technology.

Others

• M&A International: Global alliance of independent M&A advisory firms. Comparable through its member-firm model (similar to how Zerbach & Company participates in a 250+ partner network); co-opetitive rather than direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• EY-Parthenon (EY Corporate Finance): Big 4 advisory practice with significant mid-market M&A capabilities. Competes with Zerbach & Company for owner-managed businesses but offers broader transaction services, integrated consulting, and tax advisory.
• Deutsche Bank M&A Advisory (Corporate Finance): Large global investment bank with mid-market M&A advisory capabilities in Germany. Overlaps with Zerbach & Company at the upper end of its deal range (€100M+ EV), but competes as a broad incumbent rather than a boutique specialist.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zerbach-%26-company-corporate-finance-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Zerbach & Company Corporate Finance