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Key people at Aeris Partners.
Aeris Partners is a boutique investment bank and mergers and acquisitions advisory firm focused on the software and healthcare IT sectors, based in Boston and San Francisco. The firm provides strategic advisory services for mergers, acquisitions, recapitalizations, and private placements to private equity, venture capital, and founder-owned SaaS businesses. Since its inception, the organization has completed over $40 billion in strategic and growth equity transactions across various technology verticals. The advisory team frequently facilitates deals involving major private equity firms and portfolio companies, including Vista Equity Partners, TA Associates, Thoma Bravo, Advent International, and Francisco Partners. Recent advisory mandates include the sale of Orchard Software to Clinisys, the acquisition of GovQA by Granicus, and a strategic investment in SmartLinx by GrowthCurve Capital. Aeris Partners was founded in 2010 by David Joncas and Stephen O'Leary.
Aeris Partners LLC is a premier technology M&A investment bank specializing in high-growth software, SaaS, digital media, business information, and technology-enabled services companies.[1][2][3] Founded in 2010, the firm operates from offices in Boston and San Francisco, serving private equity, venture capital, and founder-owned clients across North America with sell-side, buy-side, and strategic advisory services, including leveraged buyouts, growth equity recapitalizations, and corporate divestitures.[1][2][5] Its mission emphasizes a "one firm" culture of integrity, transparency, and teamwork, leveraging domain expertise and industry relationships to deliver superior outcomes, with over $40 billion in aggregate deal value completed to date.[1][2][4][5]
Aeris focuses on high-growth verticals like healthcare IT, fintech, gov tech, ed tech, HR tech, construction tech, and energy, acting as exclusive advisor in transactions such as Orchard Software's merger and deals for Technical Toolboxes and Azara Healthcare.[2][5] As a registered broker-dealer and FINRA/SIPC member, it supports the startup and growth ecosystem by facilitating M&A that enables scaling, exits, and strategic partnerships for software and SaaS innovators.[1][3][6]
Aeris Partners was founded in 2010 (with some sources noting 2009) by a senior team with decades of M&A advisory experience, aiming to build a leading software and SaaS-focused firm "one transaction at a time."[2][3][5] Headquartered in Boston with a San Francisco office, the firm grew from a mission-driven startup to a team of around 47 employees (estimates range 11-50, up to 30-47), emphasizing collaborative execution amid a booming tech M&A landscape.[1][3][4]
Key evolution includes expanding from core sell-side advisory to comprehensive services like buy-side deals and strategic board advisory, amassing over $40B in transactions and 100+ years of combined team experience.[2][4][5] Pivotal moments feature high-profile advisories, such as recent roles in behavioral health SaaS mergers and pipeline integrity software deals, solidifying its reputation in niche, high-growth sectors.[5]
Aeris Partners rides the wave of accelerating software and SaaS consolidation, where maturing startups seek exits amid rising PE/VC activity and strategic acquisitions by big tech.[2][5] Timing aligns with post-2020 M&A resurgence in vertical SaaS (e.g., healthcare IT, fintech, construction tech), fueled by market forces like digital transformation, AI integration, and supply chain digitization.[5] The firm influences the ecosystem by enabling seamless transitions for high-growth companies, fostering innovation cycles through capital recycling and expertise sharing—e.g., advising on deals that merge niche players into larger platforms.[1][2][4]
Aeris is poised for continued dominance in software/SaaS M&A as deal volumes rebound with economic stabilization and AI-driven verticalization.[2][5] Trends like edge computing in energy, population health analytics, and gov tech will shape its pipeline, potentially pushing aggregate deal value past $50B. Its influence may evolve toward more cross-border and growth equity deals, solidifying its role as a go-to advisor for ecosystem-shaping transactions that began with a simple 2010 mission.[2][5]
Key people at Aeris Partners.
