Our Story

IKONA was founded to offer bespoke investment banking and advisory services that best meet needs of the modern technology ecosystem.

The present M&A landscape has been shaped by technological advancements enabling companies to form and exit at ever faster rates. Sustained innovation continues to reduce start-up costs such that companies can develop without overreliance on venture money or needless dilution. Despite perceptions of the “Silicon Valley-backed company,” the best tech companies build strong businesses with loyal customers that solve a real market need, much as in other legacy industries. Through market shocks, recessions, and even a global pandemic, these businesses remain resilient.

IKONA seeks to partner with these businesses to achieve a transformative M&A event or capital raising transaction. The members of IKONA’s founding team have spent their entire careers advising growing technology companies and are uniquely positioned to help realize the success that founders, management, boards, and investors have worked so hard to build.

IKONA’s advisory practice is established on several core differentiators:

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Data-driven story-telling and domain expertise.

Deep, fundamental analysis of a business is the backbone of a convincing narrative, especially given that buyers and investors are highly sophisticated and receive greater volumes of opportunities every year. Additionally, understanding industry dynamics is important in providing context and nuance to the story, which is why we stick strictly to the software and tech-enabled services sector.

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Maximizing competition through process rigor.

Although every deal is different, what remains constant is the need for a competitive process to optimize an outcome. We are relentless in building leverage throughout every step of the process by strategically dealing with each buyer and investor in a way that maximizes interest and minimizes deal risk. This frequently means encouraging buyers and investors to perform confirmatory diligence outside of exclusivity.

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Execution capabilities and creative structuring.

Corporate finance acumen is foundational to a banker’s strategic advisory practice and leads to strong deal execution. Regardless of deal complexity, financial expertise often yields creative problem-solving and value creation during negotiations. We understand the bigger picture while simultaneously hammering through every economic and non-economic term in a transaction.

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Broad, relevant network.

This isn’t simply access to buyers and investors (since in today’s world most companies receive a myriad of inbound interest from PE firms already), but an understanding of what and why these parties are interested. It also extends to what strategic options are available for companies; just as the technology landscape has matured, so too has the availability and complexity of financial products serving the space. A standout advisor can strategically and efficiently develop the right menu of options for each client.

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Building upon more than a decade of success, we are excited to continue closing landmark M&A and capital raising transactions for iconic technology companies, now as IKONA Partners. We look forward to the opportunity to partner with you.

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Our Principals Have Closed Transactions With

3M
Advent International
Alpine
Amazon
Autodesk
Bain Capital
Bregal Sagemont
Deluxe
Emigrant Capital
Endicott Group
Ever Commerce
FTV Capital
Francisco Partners
Frontier Growth
GSP
Gauge Capital
Gi Partners
Go Guardian
Golden Gate Capital
Grey Lion Capital
Gryphon Investors
Insight Partners
Intel
Investcorp
LLR
Lending Tree
Level Equity
Leyaro
MN Real Estate Software
Marlin Equity Partners
Northwest
Pamlico Capital
Peak Equity
Peakspan
Personify
Power School
Primus
Providence Strategic Growth
Quorum
Renaissance
Ridgemont Equity Partners
Rothchild & Co
Securly
Serent Capital
Silver Lake
Sumeru Equity Partners
Summit Partners
TA Associates
Thompson Street
Tritium Partners
TrustArc
Vector Solutions
Vista
We Video
Xplor
Zynga
3M
Advent International
Alpine
Amazon
Autodesk
Bain Capital
Bregal Sagemont
Deluxe
Emigrant Capital
Endicott Group
Ever Commerce
FTV Capital
Francisco Partners
Frontier Growth
GSP
Gauge Capital
Gi Partners
Go Guardian
Golden Gate Capital
Grey Lion Capital
Gryphon Investors
Insight Partners
Intel
Investcorp
LLR
Lending Tree
Level Equity
Leyaro
MN Real Estate Software
Marlin Equity Partners
Northwest
Pamlico Capital
Peak Equity
Peakspan
Personify
Power School
Primus
Providence Strategic Growth
Quorum
Renaissance
Ridgemont Equity Partners
Rothchild & Co
Securly
Serent Capital
Silver Lake
Sumeru Equity Partners
Summit Partners
TA Associates
Thompson Street
Tritium Partners
TrustArc
Vector Solutions
Vista
We Video
Xplor
Zynga