What LAVA Advisory Partners does

LAVA Advisory Partners is a London-headquartered M&A advisory firm founded in September 2020 by Simon Woodcock and Hamish Martin, operating exclusively in the UK lower-mid-market. The firm provides bespoke buy-side, sell-side, and pure advisory services, with particular depth in founder-led businesses, private equity houses, corporate acquirers, and Employee Ownership Trust transitions. Sector coverage spans professional services (accountancy, legal, TCSP), healthcare and healthtech, aerospace and defence, education, ESG/clean energy, and corporate services. Revenue is generated through transaction-based professional advisory fees negotiated per engagement, with each deal individually structured rather than templated.

The firm operates under an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) structure established in August 2024, making every team member a stakeholder in outcomes, and is one of the first UK professional services firms to achieve B Corp certification (October 2022). The leadership team comprises four partners — Hamish Martin, Paul Joyce, Simon Woodcock, and Tom Rowe-Jones (promoted July 2026 as the first internally developed partner) — supported by an M&A Director, Associate Directors, Managers, Associates, Analysts, and dedicated Heads of Origination and Finance.

LAVA's go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, combining content marketing (annual M&A predictions, sector insights), earned media (Forbes, FT Adviser, Health Investor UK), active LinkedIn presence, conference participation, and a referral network anchored in PE firms (YFM, Blixt, Cow Corner, BGF, Palatine, Connection Capital, RJD Partners) and professional advisers. The firm has no proprietary technology platform and does not employ AI/ML capabilities; its competitive position rests on bespoke deal structuring, senior-led engagement, and cross-border execution capability demonstrated in transactions such as Camascope joining Person Centred Software and Elemental joining Cogency.

Name

LAVA Advisory Partners

Legal name

Lava Advisory Partners Limited

Website

https://lavaadvisory.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LAVA Advisory Partners is a London-based, employee-owned M&A advisory firm serving UK lower-mid-market founder-led businesses, private equity houses, and corporate acquirers with bespoke buy-side, sell-side, succession planning, and Employee Ownership Trust transactions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

M&A Advisory Services

NAICS

Miscellaneous Intermediation (52391), Trust, Fiduciary, and Custody Activities (523991), Miscellaneous Intermediation (523910)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Office Trust & Fiduciary Services (FSAEAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Estate Planning, Trust Structuring & Governance (FSAAADAF), Estate Planning & Trust Structuring Advisory (FSAEAKAC)

Keywords

• M&A advisory
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Buy-side advisory
• Sell-side advisory
• Employee Ownership Trust

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. M&A Advisory Fees: LAVA generates revenue through professional advisory fees for M&A transactions. As an advisory firm, they charge fees for buy-side, sell-side, and pure advisory mandates. The firm operates on bespoke deal structures tailored to each client's needs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

LAVA Advisory Partners is an M&A advisory firm delivering bespoke buy-side, sell-side, and pure advisory mandates for founder-led businesses, private equity firms, and corporate buyers, primarily in the UK lower-mid-market. Services span the full deal lifecycle from origination and negotiation through completion, including specialized support for Employee Ownership Trust transitions and succession planning.

Product overview

LAVA Advisory Partners is an M&A advisory firm that provides bespoke merger and acquisition services. The company does not offer a software product platform but rather delivers advisory services including buy-side, sell-side, and pure advisory engagements. The firm crafts unique, personalized transactions for each client, helping with selling businesses, retiring, raising investment, acquiring capabilities, and succession planning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Buy-side M&A Advisory Advisory service for buyers acquiring businesses, including target identification, due diligence, negotiation, and completion support. Targets founder-led firms, private equity houses, and corporate acquirers in the UK lower-mid-market.
• Sell-side M&A Advisory Advisory service for businesses and owners selling to strategic or financial buyers, including market testing, buyer identification, valuation, negotiation, and completion. Targets founder-led businesses, PE portfolio companies, and corporate divestments in the UK lower-mid-market.
• Pure Advisory Mandates Standalone advisory engagements without a buy-side or sell-side transaction component, covering strategic advice on investment raising, succession planning, and corporate finance decisions for lower-mid-market businesses.
• Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) Transition Advisory Specialist advisory for business owners transitioning their company to an Employee Ownership Trust, structuring deals to preserve legacy, employee interests, and tax efficiency. Demonstrated by EOT transitions for Park Cameras, Lebus Upholstery, AIRDAT, and Skytrail.

Quantifiable outcome

• Three companies advised by LAVA were named in FT1000 fastest growing companies
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and supporting.

• ReachOut UKcoreOthers · 17 June 2026LAVA matched £26,795 in donations raised for ReachOut UK through Champions for Children fundraising campaign alongside The Childhood Trust. ReachOut works with young people aged 9-14, building socio-emotional skills through mentoring programmes. Partnership focuses on developing empathy, responsibility, problem-solving, initiative, teamwork and emotional management.
• The Childhood TrustcoreOthers · 17 June 2026Collaborative partnership with The Childhood Trust in Champions for Children fundraising campaign for ReachOut UK. The Childhood Trust tackles effects of child poverty across London, working with hundreds of charities and supporting hundreds of thousands of children facing constrained circumstances.
• Place2BeflagshipOthers · 23 February 2026LAVA announced as headline sponsor of Place2Be's Arts & Minds Gala Dinner 2026, marking LAVA's first headline sponsorship and launch of multi-year charitable partnership approach. Place2Be is a leading children's mental health charity providing school-based support in 650 UK schools, reaching around 350,000 children and young people. The partnership is a 2-3 year bespoke arrangement as part of LAVA's Positive Change initiative.
• FurthrcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Furthr, the world's most engaging climate action platform, as core strategy towards sustainability goals. Employees given access to monthly subscription service offsetting LAVA's carbon-neutral future. Financial investment contributes to development of Furthr's engagement platform and team growth.
• WellChildsupportingOthersCharitable partner receiving support through LAVA's Positive Change initiative. WellChild focuses on children's health and wellbeing. LAVA team participated in London Marathon 2025 raising funds for WellChild.
• Anna FreudsupportingOthersCharitable partner supported through LAVA's Positive Change initiative focused on youth mental health. Anna Freud Centre provides mental health support for children and families.
• NSPCCsupportingOthersCharitable partner supported through LAVA's Positive Change initiative. LAVA team ran London Marathon 2024 raising funds for NSPCC with £20k fundraising goal.
• UNICEFsupportingOthersInternational charitable partner supported through LAVA's Positive Change initiative, particularly during crisis periods such as support for children of Ukraine.
• Happy Space UKsupportingOthersCharitable partner focused on supporting children and young people's mental health and wellbeing, aligned with LAVA's Positive Change initiative.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cobalt Corporate Finance: Independent UK M&A advisory boutique focused on mid-market transactions, particularly in business services and TMT. Similar size, deal profile and senior-led delivery model; competes for similar PE-led mandates.
• Alantra Partners: European mid-market M&A advisor with strong UK presence and sector-focused teams. Comparable on deal size range, sector specialism and cross-border execution; LAVA competes with Alantra on UK sell-sides to international buyers.
• Clearwater Corporate Finance: One of the largest UK-focused mid-market M&A advisory boutiques. Directly comparable on lower-mid-market focus, deal size sweet spot (£10m-£100m), and sector specialisation model. Closest like-for-like competitor to LAVA in the UK.
• Panmure Gordon: UK mid-market investment bank with corporate broking and advisory capabilities. Comparable on UK focus and lower-mid-market deal sizes, with stronger capital markets capabilities that LAVA does not directly offer.
• Oakley Advisory: London-based independent M&A advisory boutique focused on UK mid-market transactions. Similar size band, partner-led model, and focus on owner-led businesses and PE transactions; directly comparable profile to LAVA.

Broad incumbents

• Grant Thornton UK LLP Corporate Finance: Top-10 UK accounting firm with active corporate finance practice in the lower-mid-market. Overlaps with LAVA on PE-led sell-side and buy-side mandates, particularly in business services and tech-enabled services.
• Lincoln International: Global mid-market M&A advisor with significant UK presence. Overlaps with LAVA in the £50m-£500m EV range and on cross-border PE-led sell-sides; larger and more international, providing a benchmark for what LAVA could scale into.
• Houlihan Lokey: Global mid-market M&A advisor with strong UK team. Competes with LAVA on larger lower-mid-market mandates and on PE sell-side processes where Houlihan's international buyer reach is a differentiator.
• Crowe U.K. LLP Corporate Finance: UK mid-tier accounting and advisory firm with corporate finance capability in the lower-mid-market. Comparable client base of owner-led businesses and PE-backed companies, with broader accounting and tax adjacencies.
• BDO LLP Corporate Finance: UK mid-tier accounting-led advisory with a large corporate finance practice covering the same lower-mid-market as LAVA. Larger team, broader sector coverage, and ability to combine deals with audit and tax services; competes for founder-led mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lava-advisory-partners

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 LAVA Advisory Partners