Houlihan Capital
Houlihan Capital provides sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory, capital advisory, strategic advisory, valuation, and transaction-opinion services. The firm states that it represents closely held businesses with enterprise values between $5M and $150M and leads sell-side engagements from preparation through closing.
What stands out about Houlihan Capital
Houlihan Capital publicly presents an advisory model for closely held businesses with enterprise values between $5M and $150M. Its services include sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory, acquisition and growth financing advice, pre-sale planning, valuation, and transaction opinions. The firm has offices in Chicago and Cleveland, and securities activities are conducted through Houlihan Capital, LLC, an SEC-registered broker-dealer with FINRA status.[1][2][3][5][6][8][9]
What does Houlihan Capital do?
Houlihan Capital is an independent, employee-owned valuation, financial advisory, and investment banking firm with offices in Chicago and Cleveland. The firm states that it has provided these services since 1996.
Its public offering combines M&A advisory, capital advisory, strategic advisory, business valuation, and transaction-opinion services. For M&A advisory, Houlihan Capital states that it represents closely held businesses with enterprise values between $5M and $150M.[1][2][3][5]
Houlihan Capital publicly states that its investment-banking services include sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory, capital advisory for acquisition financing, growth financing and dividend recapitalizations, and strategic advisory.
The firm’s strategic-advisory services include pre-sale planning, valuation analysis, growth advisory, and investor-presentation support. Its valuation and transaction-opinion services include business valuation and planning, fairness opinions, solvency opinions, SPAC opinions, portfolio valuation and fair value, goodwill and intangible-asset analysis, stock compensation, and tax compliance and planning.[2][3]
Owners comparing advisory firms can also review Auxo’s M&A advisor vs. business broker vs. investment bank comparison, advisor-selection guide, and sell-side advisor evaluation framework.
Published criteria: Houlihan Capital states that it specializes in representing closely held businesses with enterprise values between $5M and $150M. An official M&A page also states a typical client profile of enterprise value below $150 million, EBITDA of $2-$25 million, and revenue of $5-$150 million.[5][6]
What should a business owner evaluate before hiring Houlihan Capital?
Owners evaluating Houlihan Capital can assess the firm’s stated focus on closely held businesses with enterprise values between $5M and $150M alongside its sell-side process, valuation capabilities, and named transaction assignments. The firm’s public materials establish services spanning preparation and positioning, buyer identification, negotiation, and closing.
Fee and engagement terms should be requested directly because the current official M&A advisory page does not publish universal fee percentages, minimum fees, tail periods, termination-fee schedules, or standard engagement-term schedules. Owners may also wish to clarify which legal entity will provide each service, how buyer outreach will be conducted, which comparable assignments relate to their sector and size, and how conflicts will be handled.[2][5][7][10][11]
What are the proposed retainer, success fee, minimum fee, tail period, and termination provisions
Which legal entity will provide M&A advice, valuation work, and any securities-related services
What comparable transactions has the team completed in the owner's exact sector and enterprise-value range
What size transactions and clients does Houlihan Capital focus on?
Current public materials identify healthcare, industrials, and transportation and logistics as industry verticals for valuation and investment-banking support. Houlihan Capital also identifies specialized capabilities involving cryptocurrency and digital assets, cannabis, and alternative investment funds.[1][4]
Houlihan Capital’s official transaction archive identifies assignments involving North American Warehousing Company, Cleveland Cement Contractors, Paragon Clinical, Health Coalition, and The Aero-Mark Company.[7][8][9]
- Houlihan Capital acted as exclusive financial advisor to North American Warehousing Company on its sale to The Integration Group, a portfolio company of Maxwell Street Capital Partners. The transaction closed in September 2025.
- Houlihan Capital acted as sell-side advisor on Algus Packaging’s sale to Mereo Capital Partners and Hyperion Capital Partners. The transaction closed on November 2, 2022.
Houlihan Capital’s stated transaction work includes sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory, acquisition financing, growth financing, dividend recapitalizations, and strategic advisory. Its public process description covers preparation and positioning, buyer identification, negotiation, and closing, with professionals leading engagements from start to finish.[2][11]
What does Houlihan Capital publicly disclose about fees, process and engagement terms?
The current official M&A advisory page does not publish a universal advisory-fee percentage, minimum fee, tail period, termination-fee schedule, or standard engagement-term schedule.
The official North American Warehousing Company transaction announcement does not disclose transaction value, consideration paid, financing terms, or a standard fee arrangement for that engagement. The official Algus Packaging transaction announcement identifies the client, buyers, sector, and closing date but does not disclose transaction value, consideration, financing terms, or Houlihan Capital’s fee arrangement.[5][8][9]
FINRA’s BrokerCheck firm report identifies Houlihan Capital, LLC as CRD #156028 and SEC #8-68762, with its main office at 200 W. Madison Street, Suite 2150, Chicago, Illinois.
The report states that Houlihan Capital, LLC is an SEC-registered broker-dealer currently registered with the SEC, one self-regulatory organization, and nine U.S. states and territories. It identifies FINRA status as effective July 6, 2011. The report lists private placements, M&A advisory services, banking investments, business-expansion consulting, and fairness opinions among the firm’s activities.[10]
Houlihan Capital states that its sell-side advisory process runs from preparation and positioning through buyer identification, negotiation, and close. It also states that its professionals lead engagements from start to finish.[11]
Questions to ask before hiring Houlihan Capital
What are the proposed retainer, success fee, minimum fee, tail period, and termination provisions?
Which legal entity will provide M&A advice, valuation work, and any securities-related services?
What comparable transactions has the team completed in the owner's exact sector and enterprise-value range?
How will the firm manage conflicts when a buyer or financing source is an existing relationship?
Will the process seek strategic buyers, financial sponsors, or both?
What valuation, quality-of-earnings, diligence, and management-preparation work is expected before launch?
What transaction expenses are reimbursable and what reporting cadence should the owner expect?
Sources & research notes
- Official website / firm overview
- Services / capabilities
- Services / capabilities
- Industry / market focus
- Transaction size / criteria
- Transaction size / criteria
- Transaction / portfolio evidence
- Transaction / portfolio evidence
- Transaction / portfolio evidence
- FINRA regulatory record
- Public Process
How this profile was researched
Auxo profiles are prepared from publicly available primary and authoritative sources and reviewed for entity identity, factual support and disclosure consistency. When a fact cannot be supported by the reviewed public record, the profile identifies it as something to confirm directly rather than inferring it.
Independent research profile
This profile was prepared by Auxo Capital Advisors from publicly available information believed to be reliable and is provided solely for informational and educational purposes. It is not an endorsement, recommendation, ranking, solicitation, or representation regarding the profiled firm, its services, qualifications, transaction experience, regulatory status, financial condition, or suitability for any particular person, company, transaction, or investment.
Information obtained from third-party and public sources may be incomplete, inaccurate, outdated, or subject to change, and Auxo Capital Advisors makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, as to its accuracy, completeness, or timeliness. Readers should conduct their own independent diligence and consult appropriate professional advisers before engaging any advisor, intermediary, investor, lender, acquirer, or other transaction counterparty.
Broker-dealer and securities disclosure
Auxo Capital Advisors is an affiliate of Weild & Co., Member FINRA | SIPC. Securities-related activities and securities transactions are conducted through Weild & Co.
Nothing contained on this page constitutes an offer to sell, an offer to purchase, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any security, investment product, or financial instrument. Nothing on this page constitutes investment advice, a recommendation regarding any security, or a recommendation to enter into any transaction with the profiled firm or any other party.
Any securities transaction, capital-raising engagement, investment-banking engagement, or other securities-related activity involving Auxo Capital Advisors or Weild & Co. is subject to applicable regulatory requirements, internal review and approval, suitability and other applicable diligence requirements, and the terms of a separate written engagement or transaction agreement, as applicable.
Inclusion of a third-party firm in this directory does not imply affiliation with, sponsorship by, endorsement by, or any other relationship with Auxo Capital Advisors or Weild & Co. unless expressly stated otherwise.