Ascension Advisory

What Ascension Advisory does

Ascension Advisory is a privately-held corporate advisory firm that provides integrated sale leaseback and M&A advisory services to private equity firms, financial sponsors, and family- or founder-owned businesses. Founded in 2022 and headquartered in New York, the firm runs dual-track processes that combine real estate monetization (sale leasebacks) with broader M&A execution, allowing clients to extract value across the entire balance sheet rather than treating the two as separate transactions. Core products include Sale Leaseback Advisory, Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory, Build to Suit Financing, and M&A Lease Advisory, supported by educational offerings (The Exit Playbook Course, SLB and M&A Courses) and annual research reports (Private Equity SLB Report, 2026 M&A Report).

The firm operates a senior-led, direct advisory model with no junior handoffs and runs discreet, competitive processes drawing on a curated investor network of institutional buyers, REITs, family offices, and international investors. As of the most recent reporting, Ascension Advisory has closed 300+ transactions with $3B+ in cumulative deal volume across 25+ industries and asset types, with a roster of disclosed clients spanning PE sponsors such as MiddleGround Capital, Highview Capital, AEA Investors, OpenGate Capital, Hidden Harbor Capital, TRP Capital, and Calado Capital, alongside operating companies in manufacturing (Widex USA, Alpha Precision PM, Express Kitchens, Operio Group), food distribution (Surlean Foods), and other verticals.

Revenue is generated through professional advisory fees on a custom, quote-based engagement model, with no publicly disclosed pricing or revenue figures. The firm is founder-led by Chelsea Mandel (Founder and Managing Director) and has expanded its senior bench with Mathew Wainwright as Director of European Transactions. Operationally, Ascension has scaled from its New York base to six offices covering New York, London, Madrid, Toronto, Mexico City, and Miami, and has added strategic distribution capability through a partnership with Colliers Netherlands for European transactions.

Name

Ascension Advisory

Legal name

Ascension Advisory RE LLC

Website

https://ascensionadvisory.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Ascension Advisory provides sale leaseback and M&A advisory services to private equity firms and family/founder-owned businesses globally. Founded in 2022, the firm has completed 300+ closed transactions with $3B+ in cumulative deal volume across 25+ industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Finance and Real Estate Advisory

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAOAA

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

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/M&A, Transaction & Restructuring Advisory

SECONDARYBPAJANAA

Real Estate Investment Advisory (Acquisitions/Dispositions, Capital Allocation)

Business & Public Services/Real Estate Services (Brokerage, Property Management)/Real Estate Advisory & Consulting (Investment, Strategy)

SECONDARYFSAEAJAN

Property Management Advisory & Leasing Administration

Financial & Insurance/Financial Advisory, Brokerage & Intermediation/Real Estate Advisory & Brokerage

SECONDARYBPAHAOAG

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

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/M&A, Transaction & Restructuring Advisory

Keywords

• Sale leaseback advisory
• M&A advisory
• Real estate advisory
• Private equity advisory
• Corporate finance services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advisory Fees: Professional advisory fees from providing sale leaseback and M&A advisory services to corporate clients, private equity firms, and business owners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ascension Advisory is a professional advisory firm providing sale leaseback and mergers & acquisitions (M&A) advisory services. It helps privately-held companies owned by financial sponsors, families, or founders convert owned real estate into flexible, non-dilutive capital through sale leaseback transactions, and provides strategic guidance for business owners navigating growth, succession planning, or sale of the company. The firm runs senior-led, confidential processes connecting clients with institutional investors, REITs, family offices, and international buyers.

Product overview

Ascension Advisory is a corporate real estate advisory firm offering integrated sale leaseback and M&A advisory services. The core offerings consist of Sale Leaseback Advisory and Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory services, supported by specialized modules including Build to Suit Financing and M&A Lease Advisory. The firm also provides educational products (The Exit Playbook Course, SLB and M&A Courses) and research publications (2026 M&A Report, Private Equity SLB Report) to serve business owners, private equity firms, and financial sponsors globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sale Leaseback Advisory Advisory services that help privately-held companies, private equity firms, and financial sponsors monetize owned real estate through sale leaseback transactions, converting illiquid real estate into flexible, non-dilutive capital without financial covenants or personal recourse.
• Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory Strategic M&A advisory for family- and founder-owned privately-held companies navigating business growth, succession planning, or sale of the company, providing guidance through the full transaction lifecycle.
• Build to Suit Financing Financing advisory for custom build-to-suit real estate projects, delivered alongside the firm's sale leaseback services to support clients' real estate capital needs.
• M&A Lease Advisory Integrated advisory that combines M&A transaction support with real estate lease considerations, enabling comprehensive deal structuring during M&A processes that involve real estate.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ closed transactions with $3B+ in deal volume
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Colliers NetherlandscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2024Strategic partnership with Colliers Netherlands for sale leaseback transactions in the Netherlands and broader European market. Collaboration on OKECHAMP Group transaction where Colliers provided local market expertise and Ascension provided sale leaseback advisory.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Generational Group: Middle-market M&A advisory firm focused on sell-side mandates for founder and family-owned businesses across the US. Highly comparable customer segment and deal-size profile to Ascension's M&A practice.
• Stan Johnson Company: One of the largest US net-lease and sale leaseback advisory firms focused exclusively on single-tenant and sale leaseback transactions for middle-market and high-net-worth clients. Highly comparable because both firms specialize in sale leaseback advisory for owner-operators and PE-backed companies.
• Hanover Real Estate: Sale leaseback-specialist advisory firm focused on middle-market owner-occupied real estate and PE-backed real estate financings. Directly comparable as it competes head-to-head with Ascension for the same PE and family/founder-owned clients seeking to monetize owned real estate.
• B Riley Real Estate: Operating group of B Riley Financial providing sale leaseback and net-lease advisory services. Overlaps directly with Ascension's SLB practice for middle-market and PE-backed corporate clients.
• Benchmark International: Mid-market M&A advisory firm serving founder and family-owned businesses with sell-side mandates. Directly comparable to Ascension's M&A Advisory practice targeting the same family/founder-owned client segment.

Broad incumbents

• Cushman & Wakefield: Global commercial real estate services firm with capital markets and investment advisory capabilities. Comparable as a broad incumbent that competes for sale leaseback and corporate real estate advisory mandates globally.
• JLL Capital Markets: Global CRE services and investment sales platform within Jones Lang LaSalle, including sale leaseback advisory. Comparable as a large-scale competitor bidding on many of the same institutional SLB opportunities Ascension pursues.
• CBRE Capital Markets: Investment banking and capital markets arm of CBRE Group offering sale leaseback, real estate financing, and advisory at global scale. Represents the largest incumbent overlap on institutional sale leaseback mandates.
• Newmark Group: Large global commercial real estate services and investment banking firm with capital markets and sale leaseback capabilities. Overlaps with Ascension on PE-backed and corporate sale leaseback mandates as a much larger, full-service competitor.
• Colliers International: Global CRE services and investment firm with capital markets advisory; already a partner of Ascension's on the OKECHAMP Europe deal. Comparable as both a strategic partner and a competitor across multiple geographies where Ascension is active.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ascensionadvisory

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 Ascension Advisory