ABOUT US

People, Industry Expertise, Process & Excellence

Shea & Company (member FINRA and SIPC) is a software focused investment bank that believes focus underpins success, and success is measured by the outcomes we achieve with our clients. We provide comprehensive and objective advice to the emerging and established leaders in the software industry on strategic and financial matters that impact their ultimate success. We have offices in Boston and San Francisco and have undertaken projects with clients throughout North America, Europe, Israel and APAC.

Since our firm’s inception in 2005 we have advised on over $50 billion in completed transactions.

WHO WE ARE

A Team Who Combines Industry Expertise and Best-in-Class Process Execution

We are among the largest teams of software-focused investment bankers and advisors in the world. We are a team built on talent where industry knowledge, disciplined process execution, and negotiation expertise is molded into every member.

Our senior team has come of age and been notable participants through the technology bull market of the 1990s, the market maturation and resets of the 2000s, and the significant expansion of the private equity capital markets relating to software company buyouts and related consolidation activity of the last decade. Through these dynamic periods we have held leadership positions at premier boutique and bulge bracket firms including Credit Suisse First Boston, Hambrecht & Quist, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Robertson Stephens. That collective experience has resulted in conviction that a balanced perspective – between the deep sector-focused industry expertise of the boutique model and the rigorous process execution and financial analysis of bulge bracket firms – is absolutely crucial when considering the right profile, timing and design of a liquidity process.

Shea & Company was founded in 2005 with the goal of weaving together the best elements of these two advisory models.

We pride ourselves on having spent years in our industry, and that the insight, fluency and relationships within our subsectors of focused coverage enables us to bring a relevant and expert perspective to our clients. Our process execution is rooted in thorough preparation, financial analysis, positioning, and process intelligence, which in turn requires a full team of senior and junior bankers with depth of experience.

Recruiting the highest caliber talent from leading colleges is integral to our success. Our junior team members are smart and driven leaders who are respected and trusted throughout the industry. We take great pride in, and support the development and success of, our junior team within our organization and beyond. Our alumni network is spreading throughout private equity, venture capital and corporate development and strategy teams of the software ecosystem.

OUR CLIENTS

The Leading Companies, Investors and Individuals Transforming the Software Ecosystem

Our clients are private middle market software companies and their teams – both the emerging leaders and the established incumbents. Our clients are the investor owners, executives and board members involved in devising and implementing value creation strategies – often a subset of operational excellence, organic growth, profitability, and market consolidation. Our clients are large publicly held companies that often define their market segments and are significant players in consolidation activity. We recognize that our industry is one built on mutual selection, and we have had the privilege of working with leading operating companies, investors and strategic buyers that are driving transformation in the software ecosystem.

Private Companies

→Founder-owned companies
→Private equity backed portfolio companies
→Mature venture investments

Investors

→Global software-focused private equity
→Growth equity and venture capital
→Foreign and sovereign wealth funds

Strategic Acquirers

→Large diversified consolidators
→High-growth software leaders
→Mature incumbents

OUR SERVICES

Advising on Strategic & Financial Matters that Impact Our Clients’ Ultimate Success

Our team are leading advisers to the software industry and have been for decades, having built and maintained important relationships across the dynamic landscape of market participants. Our mandates and transactions are the result of mutual selection, our track record, universal referenceability, thoughtful analysis and advice, and long-term relationship building.  Our areas of expertise include:

Mergers & Acquisitions

→ Sell-side and buy-side advisory
→ Divestitures and carve outs
→ Restructuring

Private Placements & Capital Raising

→ Late-stage minority venture & growth equity
→ Majority recapitalizations
→ IPO advisory

Corporate Strategy

→ Comprehensive buyside & strategic advisory
→ Balance sheet and capital structure review
→ Board representation and fairness opinions

Founder-Owned & RUn Companies

Extensive Experience Working with Founder-Owned and Led Businesses

Shea & Company’s success with founder-owned companies is due to the experience of our team, industry focus and best-in-class process execution.

People

Employees and customers are crucial stakeholders that must be considered, in addition to shareholders – finding the right partner that values the intangible aspects of the business including company culture and will do right by the emplyees and customers is critical.

Product

Founder-owned companies in particular are known for building market-leading products and investing heavily in R&D to maintain cutting-edge technology. The right buyer / investor will continue to value this commitment to product excellence.

Culture

Maximizing price and getting optimal terms is important but, in our opinion, is secondary to finding the correct partner who will maintain the company’s culture and values throughout the next growth chapter of the business.