The Burns Brothers

What The Burns Brothers does

The Burns Brothers is a privately held cross-continental advisory and brokerage firm founded in 2019 by John Burns and Mike Burns, headquartered at 600 F St NW, Washington, DC. The firm structures partnerships, investment flows, and strategic opportunities between African governments, companies, and institutions on one side and Western corporations and investors on the other, positioning itself at the intersection of policy, business, capital, and culture. Its stated mission is to move opportunity from conversation to execution, with services including deal architecting, strategic representation, partnership structuring, and cross-cultural advisory across Sub-Saharan Africa.

The company operates a multi-brand portfolio spanning advisory services, hospitality and lifestyle venues, events, and media. Core subsidiary and sub-brand assets include HQ House (a private members club with locations in Washington, DC and Nairobi), 600 F Events, KATA, The Koi Collective, Nohmad Lounge, Styled Events, and Icon to Ican (non-profit). Educational and media products include Launch Africa (a six-week virtual accelerator), The Continental Shift weekly video series, and the published book The Continuum of Change. Operating geographies span the United States and six Sub-Saharan African markets (Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Rwanda, Nigeria).

The revenue model is professional services, with advisory fees and brokerage commissions on bespoke engagements. There are no publicly disclosed prices, no funding rounds on record, and no app or SaaS product; technology is explicitly categorized as not applicable. Distribution runs through direct enterprise sales and relationship building, supported by content marketing (newsletter, video series), community programs (Launch Africa, Skool hub), and earned media (Black Enterprise, Essence, Inc., ABC News, Yahoo Finance). The firm holds SBASDVO and CBE certifications and, in February 2026, entered a strategic partnership with Strathmore University's Africa Media Hub.

Name

The Burns Brothers

Legal name

The Burns Brothers, Inc.

Website

https://theburnsbrothers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Burns Brothers is a Washington, DC-based cross-continental advisory and brokerage firm, founded in 2019, that structures partnerships and investments between African governments/institutions and Western corporations, supported by a portfolio of hospitality, events, and media sub-brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cross-Border Advisory & Brokerage Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Strategic Partnerships, Alliances & JVs Advisory (BPAHADAI)

Keywords

• Cross-border advisory
• Investment brokerage
• Strategic partnerships
• Africa-us advisory
• Deal architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Advisory and Brokerage Services: Revenue generated through advisory fees, brokerage commissions, and strategic consulting engagements. The firm structures partnerships, investments, and cross-continental opportunities between Africa and the West, serving as deal architects and strategic representatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Burns Brothers is a cross-continental advisory and brokerage firm that architects partnerships, brokers investment opportunities, and represents clients across government, business, capital, and culture between Africa and the United States. The firm acts as a strategic representative and deal architect for African governments seeking Western market access and for Western corporations and investors operating in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its offerings span advisory engagements, private membership hospitality (HQ House), event production (600 F Events, Styled Events), educational accelerators (Launch Africa), and content media (The Continental Shift Series, The Continuum of Change book).

Product overview

The Burns Brothers is a cross-continental advisory and brokerage firm operating as a multi-brand portfolio. The core offering centers on advisory services bridging Africa and the United States through partnership structuring, investment facilitation, and strategic representation. Supporting the advisory business is a portfolio of lifestyle and hospitality sub-brands including HQ House (private members club), 600 F Events, KATA, The Koi Collective, Nohmad Lounge, and Icon to Ican (non-profit). Educational and media offerings include Launch Africa (virtual accelerator), The Continental Shift Series (weekly video series), and The Continuum of Change (published book). The company operates across sectors including Creative Economy, BPO & Digital Services, Investment & Deal Flow, and Product & Service Exporting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 600 F Events: Experiential marketing and events brand under The Burns Brothers family of companies
• KATA
• Koi Collective
• Icon to Ican
• HQ House
• Styled Events
• Nohmad Lounge
• The Continental Shift Series
• Launch Africa
• The Continuum of Change

Products and services

• The Burns Brothers Advisory & Brokerage Services Cross-continental advisory and brokerage services for African governments, companies, and institutions seeking U.S. market access and for Western corporations and investors operating in Sub-Saharan Africa. Engagements cover partnership structuring, investment facilitation, government and regulatory navigation, and strategic representation.
• Launch Africa Six-week virtual accelerator program preparing founders, operators, and investors to build, expand, or invest in business on the African continent, covering mindset, systems, structure, marketing, sales, finance, and people topics.
• The Continental Shift Series Weekly video series published on YouTube spotlighting high-impact opportunities across technology, aviation, culture, energy, and investment sectors in Africa, aimed at leaders, investors, creators, and the global African diaspora.
• The Continuum of Change Published book by co-founders John and Mike Burns presenting a practical framework for creating meaningful change through everyday moments and investing goodwill capital.
• 600 F Events Event planning and coordination services for private events including art experiences, musical performances, educational events, and social gatherings, operated under The Burns Brothers family of companies.
• HQ House Private members club providing networking hub and hospitality services, with locations in Washington, DC and Nairobi, serving as a convening platform for members and clients of The Burns Brothers.
• Styled Events Event styling and production services under The Burns Brothers portfolio, focused on experiential events and non-profit programming.
• Nohmad Lounge Hospitality and lifestyle lounge operated as a sub-brand within The Burns Brothers family of companies.

Named customers2 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

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Strathmore UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2026Strategic partnership with Strathmore University's Africa Media Hub in Kenya to co-develop curriculum aimed at accelerating Africa's creative economy. The Burns Brothers co-founders (John & Mike Burns) have been appointed as Visiting Professors. The collaboration focuses on bridging creative talent with scalable enterprise, covering capital formation, intellectual property protection, platform scaling, and Africa-US market pathways. Rosemary Okello-Orlale noted the partnership represents a crucial opportunity for job creation and institutionalizing Africa's creative industries.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dalberg: Global advisory firm with deep Africa practice and explicit focus on development, impact investing, and cross-border partnerships. Directly comparable in the cross-continental advisory model The Burns Brothers operates, though at meaningfully greater scale.
• Vested (Africa Advisory): Africa-focused financial and strategic advisory firm supporting US-Africa deal sourcing, market entry, and investment transactions. Directly comparable as a cross-continental Africa-West advisory and brokerage operator.
• C3 (Global Consulting): Africa-focused advisory firm providing market entry, government advisory, and investment facilitation services. Comparable to The Burns Brothers as a boutique cross-border Africa deal and strategy advisor.
• Sahel Capital: Africa-focused advisory and fund manager covering West and Sub-Saharan Africa with strategy, capital raise, and investment advisory services. Comparable in niche Africa deal advisory with a Western investor client base.
• 54 Collective: Pan-African business builder and advisory network focused on connecting African enterprises with global capital and markets. Directly comparable in providing partnership brokering, deal flow facilitation, and cross-continental advisory services.

Regional players

• Pangea Africa: Africa-focused advisory and investment firm providing deal advisory and capital raising services to African businesses. Comparable in Africa cross-border advisory services, with a primarily Africa-anchored base rather than the dual US-Africa footprint of The Burns Brothers.

Emerging players

• Asoko Insight: Africa-focused business intelligence and corporate data platform supporting cross-border deal sourcing and due diligence. Comparable in serving Western corporates and investors seeking Africa market intelligence, with adjacent rather than overlapping service model.

Broad incumbents

• McKinsey & Company: Global strategy consulting firm with established Africa practice and US offices serving cross-border corporate and government clients. Comparable only as a broad incumbent that competes for the same Africa-West advisory mandates The Burns Brothers targets, but at vastly greater scale and breadth.
• Boston Consulting Group: Global strategy consulting firm with dedicated Africa and emerging markets practices serving cross-border corporate and investor clients. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing for the same enterprise advisory mandates, with materially deeper talent and resources.

Others

• Africa Finance Corporation: Pan-African multilateral development finance institution that funds and structures infrastructure and corporate deals across Africa. Comparable as an Africa deal-architect and capital facilitator, though operating as a development institution rather than a private advisory firm.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@tbbcontinentalshift
• Xx.com/burnsbrothers1
• Facebookfacebook.com/theburnsbrothers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/burns-brothers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries7 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 The Burns Brothers