STRATEGIC & M&A ADVISORY
THE PROBLEM
The M&A advisory gap no one talks about.
You’ve built a thriving business. Then you start talking to M&A advisors and discover an uncomfortable truth: unless you have $100M in revenue, the great ones won’t work with you, and the ones that will often lack the strategic depth your company deserves.
OUR PRINCIPLES
Not just “what sets us apart.” What we actually do differently.
Our operating model and philosophy challenge convention — anchored in three guiding principles that shape each engagement.
85 ADVISORS
SERVICES
A partner for the journey, not just the transaction.
We structured our firm around the entire lifecycle of value creation. Not just the final 90 days, but the months of strategic work beforehand that make extraordinary results possible.
CASE STUDY
Our client was a leading provider of IT endpoint management solutions. They dominated their corner of the market, which was precisely the problem. It was maturing.
Our team identified that mobile device management (an emerging segment at the time) represented a massive, strategically aligned growth vector before the broader market recognized it. We executed a global search for acquisition targets, qualifying and benchmarking prospects discreetly.
The transaction wasn’t the breakthrough. The strategic conviction was. Knowing where the market was going, positioning the company to get there first, then executing the transaction that made it real.
OUTCOME
$1B+
Acquisition by Fortune 500 technology firm, driven by strategic repositioning into enterprise mobility.
Identified MDM as strategic growth vector
Executed global acquisition target search
Acquired emerging cloud MDM software provider
Repositioned as enterprise mobility management platform
Transaction put client on buyer’s radar — $1B+ exit
OUR EXPERTISE
We chose industry depth over breadth because middle-market technology M&A requires genuine understanding of software unit economics, business models, and the strategic priorities that drive acquirer behavior.
Communications Technology
OUR SENIOR TEAM
We’ve sat in every chair at the table.
Before we were advisors, we were operators, researchers, builders, and fixers. That matters because when we sit across from a potential acquirer, we understand what they’re actually buying. We’ve been on their side of the deal.
Steven Freitas
EXECUTIVE MANAGING DIRECTOR
Headline
25 years spanning investment banking, strategic advisory, and technology research. Identifies market shifts and inflections early, turning them into sharper positioning and a stronger case for buyers.
Impact
Shaped the acquisition strategy that repositioned an enterprise software company and served as an advisor on its subsequent $1B+ sale to a Fortune 500 buyer.
Domain
Technology M&A, capital markets, and unlocking the strategic catalysts that make companies more valuable before they go to market.
Amy Jones
COO & HEAD OF EDTECH AND SERVICES
Headline
20 years of education leadership; Board Co-Chair of Teach For America; former Chief Academic Officer of Special Education for the NYC Department of Education.
Impact
Led NYC education reforms impacting 1,700 schools and 290,000 special needs students; transformed literacy instruction and supporting systems.
Domain
Science of learning, EdTech integration and alignment within instructional frameworks; system re-engineering at multi-billion-dollar organizational scale.
John Oh
Managing Director and Growth Lead
Headline
25 years as a technology CMO of VC-backed startups, pre-IPO growth companies, and Fortune 500 firms.
Impact
Built the go-to-market engines of the most disruptive IT infrastructure companies of his era, including scaling F5 Networks to $1.5 billion in revenue.
Domain
Go-to-market strategy and scaling marketing operations from early stage to category leadership.
Pierre Chamberland
FOUNDER-IN-RESIDENCE
Headline
30 years as a founder, fixer, and operator spanning semiconductors, LegalTech, and cybersecurity.
Impact
Founded and bootstrapped an information governance software business to eight figures and a strategic exit.
Domain
Product innovation, operational scalability, and optimizing the exit potential of self-funded software companies.
SERIOUSLY, WHY US
Why 85 Advisors, and why it matters to you.
We built 85 Advisors to ensure every deal receives senior-level attention and that no money is left on the table at closing. Admittedly, this is not a particularly novel-sounding mission, but we think our execution of it is.
No sales pitch. No obligation. Just an open conversation with someone who understands your market, where it’s heading, and how to get the best outcome.
