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Prompt

Can you recommend corporate finance advisers for a CEO evaluating a buy-side acquisition and merger process?

Banking / Investment Banking2 observationsLast seen Jul 25, 2026

Latest observation

Jul 25, 2026OpenAI APIWeb search: off

Yes—if you want the right corporate finance adviser for a CEO on a buy-side acquisition or merger process, I’d suggest choosing among firms in three buckets:

1) Large global investment banks

Best when the deal is sizable, cross-border, competitive, or highly strategic.

  • J.P. Morgan
  • Goldman Sachs
  • Morgan Stanley
  • Bank of America
  • Citi
  • Lazard
  • Evercore
  • PJT Partners

2) Mid-market / sector-focused advisers

Best when you want senior attention, strong execution, and often better cost efficiency.

  • William Blair
  • Rothschild & Co
  • Houlihan Lokey
  • Jefferies
  • Perella Weinberg Partners
  • Lincoln International
  • Duff & Phelps / Kroll for valuation-heavy or restructuring-adjacent situations

3) Independent boutique M&A advisers

Best when you want highly tailored advice, confidentiality, and direct partner involvement.

  • Centerview Partners
  • Qatalyst Partners (especially tech)
  • Greenhill
  • Alvarez & Marsal (more operational diligence / turnaround support)
  • Begbies Traynor or similar local boutiques in certain markets

How to choose the adviser

For a CEO evaluating a buy-side acquisition, look for firms with:

  • Buy-side M&A experience in your industry
  • Strong valuation and synergy modeling
  • Ability to run target screening and origination
  • Capability on due diligence coordination
  • Credibility in negotiation and deal structuring
  • Potential access to financing / equity / debt markets
  • No major conflicts of interest with the target or competitors

Practical recommendation

If you’re doing a large strategic acquisition, I’d start with:

  • Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan, Lazard, Evercore, or Centerview

If you’re doing a middle-market acquisition, I’d strongly consider:

  • Houlihan Lokey, Jefferies, William Blair, Rothschild & Co, or Lincoln International

If you want, I can also give you:

  1. a shortlist by industry
  2. a comparison table of these firms
  3. a checklist for interviewing M&A advisers

Brands

JP MorganGoldman SachsMorgan StanleyBank of AmericaCitiLazardEvercorePjt PartnersWilliam BlairRothschildHoulihan LokeyJefferiesPerella Weinberg PartnersLincoln InternationalDuff PhelpsKrollCenterview PartnersQatalyst PartnersGreenhillAlvarez MarsalBegbies Traynor

Observation history

How did Obsurfable measure this prompt?

Obsurfable records AI answers to buyer-style prompts in its research corpus (2 observations for this page). Metrics are distributions over observations, not a single static ranking.

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