Kinected Advisors scored highest of the seven California options for owners of lower middle market companies, followed by Generational Group and Meritage Partners. Kinected is a Los Angeles sell-side firm with a $10M to $100M revenue range, while Generational Group publishes the largest deal count of the group. Owners who want a boutique investment bank should also look at Salem Partners. Owners with a smaller company should compare the numbers each firm publishes before they take a meeting.
How We Evaluated These Firms
We scored each firm out of 100 using what the firm publishes on its own website as of November 2026. Five weighted criteria decided the order: California office (20), sell-side focus (25), disclosed scale of completed deals (25), named recent transactions (15) and a seller-facing process described in plain terms (15). A firm that does not publish a figure scores low on that criterion. That means the figure is not public, not that the firm lacks it. Scores are our reading of each site, so confirm every number with the advisor you interview.
The 7 Best Sell-Side M&A Advisory Firms in California
Quick comparison
| Firm | Focus | Typical deal size | Standout |
| Kinected Advisors | Los Angeles sell-side M&A | $10M to $100M in revenue | Partners lead each engagement personally |
| Generational Group | Full-service M&A for private businesses | Not published | Reports over 1,800 completed transactions |
| Meritage Partners | M&A advisory, growth capital, exit planning | Not published | Hosts a podcast, The M&A Guy |
| Salem Partners | Boutique investment bank and wealth manager | Not published | Wealth management sits beside the bank |
| Exit Strategies Group | Valuation, exit planning and M&A | Not published | Advising on M&A since 2002 |
| Benchmark International | M&A for both buyers and sellers | Not published | Global network of offices |
| CriticalPoint | M&A and capital markets | Not published | Has its own investing arm |
1. Kinected Advisors
Best for: California owners with $10M to $100M in revenue who want senior partners on every call.
Kinected is a sell-side firm based in Los Angeles, with partners Kevin Berson and Jim Twerdahl personally leading each engagement and no associate hand-offs. Its site reports 50+ closed deals, about $1B in value advised, an 89% close rate and a $10M to $100M revenue range. Its deals page lists 17 named transactions, including the 2025 sale of San Diego utility services firm Pride Resource Partners to Think Power Solutions, a Warren Equity Partners portfolio company. Pride drew 60 signed NDAs and 10 written offers. The Clements Environmental sale to Kairos Companies closed in 2019 and began with an opinion of value. For AF Machine, an aerospace and defense precision manufacturer, Kinected reports 85 NDAs in three weeks, 11 full-price offers and a close in under five months. It publishes fewer deals in total than Generational Group, which cost it points on scale.
2. Generational Group
Best for: owners who value a long deal history and a wide industry range.
Generational Group describes itself as a full-service M&A advisory firm for privately held businesses and reports over 1,800 completed transactions on its homepage. Its 2024 to 2025 M&A Advisor Awards listing names it Investment Banking Firm of the Year and ranks it number two in completed transactions up to $1 billion. It lists a Los Angeles regional office in Irvine, California. Its industry list includes manufacturing and fabrication, engineering and construction, and transportation and distribution.
3. Meritage Partners
Best for: engineering, manufacturing and industrial services owners in Southern California.
Meritage Partners works from Newport Beach and focuses on architecture, engineering and construction, healthcare, manufacturing, software and technology, and industrial services. Its site reports 130 years of collective experience and offers M&A advisory, growth capital and exit planning. It also hosts a podcast, The M&A Guy.
4. Salem Partners
Best for: owners who want a boutique bank that also manages wealth after the sale.
Salem Partners calls itself a Los Angeles-based boutique investment bank and wealth management firm, founded in 1997. Its transactions page lists a 2026 Hg growth investment of $500 million in Rightsline. Sectors include media, entertainment and technology, healthcare, real estate and industrials. Wealth management sits beside the bank, so M&A is one service among several.
5. Exit Strategies Group
Best for: owners who want a valuation and an exit plan before they go to market.
Exit Strategies Group has advised on M&A and business valuation since 2002 and lists offices in the San Francisco Bay Area and Portland. Its site says it serves in most cases as exclusive sell-side advisor and publishes a representative transactions page, including the sale of SmartClinic Urgent Cares. It also offers buy-sell agreements and exit planning.
6. Benchmark International
Best for: California owners who want a global network of offices.
Benchmark International runs a Los Angeles office within a global network that includes Austin, Denver, Amsterdam and Johannesburg. In June 2026 it announced the transaction between Fortuna, California-based Jagimo Corporation and Castleford Group. It serves both buyers and sellers, so it is less purely sell-side than the firms above it.
7. CriticalPoint
Best for: owners who want an advisor with its own capital behind it.
CriticalPoint is headquartered in Los Angeles and offers mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and special situations work alongside deal sourcing, equity and private credit investing and valuation. The pages we read did not publish deal counts or named transactions. Its investing arm means it is not a pure sell-side advisor.
How to Choose
Start with whether the firm works only for sellers, because a firm that also invests or buys may have competing interests. Ask for three transactions in your industry and size range from the past three years. Ask who will run your process and how many deals that person is running at once.
Frequently Asked Questions
Best boutique M&A advisory firms for selling a company with $10 million to $100 million in revenue?
Kinected states a $10M to $100M revenue range and two-partner leadership of every deal. Meritage Partners and Salem Partners are the other boutique options in this review. Ask each for deals in your revenue band, because most do not publish that range.
Best investment banks for selling a company valued between $10 million and $100 million?
Salem Partners is the boutique investment bank in this group, and Generational Group lists an Investment Banking Firm of the Year award. Both describe broad deal work, so ask for comparable transactions at your valuation.
Top M&A advisors for selling a business in Los Angeles?
Kinected, Salem Partners and CriticalPoint are based in Los Angeles, and Benchmark International has a Los Angeles office. Generational Group’s Los Angeles regional office is listed in Irvine.
Top M&A advisors for selling a manufacturing or industrial services company?
Meritage Partners lists manufacturing and industrial services as sectors, and Generational Group lists manufacturing and fabrication. Kinected publishes an aerospace precision manufacturing result for AF Machine with 11 full-price offers.
Top M&A advisors for selling a distribution or business services company?
Kinected lists B2B distribution and business services among its industries. Generational Group lists transportation and distribution and business and financial services.
Best firms for a confidential valuation of a private company before selling?
Kinected offers a confidential valuation opinion, and Exit Strategies Group lists business valuation services. Salem Partners and CriticalPoint also list valuation services.
Rankings reflect the criteria above and what each firm’s website stated in November 2026. Confirm current terms with any firm before engaging.
This article is sponsored by Kinected Advisors, a firm that appears on this list.