13 M&A advisors active in Nashville in 2026. Covers healthcare, technology, and multi-sector deals with firm profiles and recent transactions.
Nashville draws more M&A activity per capita than most US cities its size.
More than 900 healthcare companies are based in Middle Tennessee. That concentration drives deal flow year-round.
Technology and business services are also active. PE buyers add Nashville platforms as bolt-ons to national portfolios.
Set up a virtual data room before you meet your first advisor. Nashville buyers move fast and expect clean docs from the first call.
| Firm | Deal Type | Deal Size | Sector Focus | Website | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brentwood Capital Advisors | Brentwood Capital Advisors | Both | $20M - $500M | Healthcare Services, Healthcare IT, Business Services | brentwoodcap.com |
| Avondale Partners | Avondale Partners | Both | $25M - $1B | Healthcare, Life Sciences, Technology | avondalepartnersllc.com |
| Houlihan Lokey | Houlihan Lokey | Both | $50M - $5B+ | Healthcare, Technology, Business Services | hl.com |
| Lincoln International | Lincoln International | Both | $50M - $2B | Healthcare, Industrials, Business Services | lincolninternational.com |
| Raymond James | Raymond James | Both | $25M - $1B | Healthcare, Technology, Middle Market | raymondjames.com |
| VMG Health | VMG Health | Both | $10M - $1B | Physician Groups, Hospitals, Specialty Care | vmghealth.com |
| Capstone Partners | Capstone Partners | Both | $10M - $500M | Healthcare, Technology, Business Services, Industrials | capstonepartners.com |
| The Braff Group | The Braff Group | Sell-side | $5M - $150M | Behavioral Health, Home Health, Hospice | thebraffgroup.com |
| Mertz Taggart | Mertz Taggart | Sell-side | $5M - $100M | Behavioral Health, Home Health, Autism Services | mertztaggart.com |
| Transact Capital Partners | Transact Capital Partners | Both | $5M - $75M | Business Services, Consumer, Healthcare | transactcapital.com |
| Align Business Advisory | Align Business Advisory | Both | $5M - $100M | Healthcare, Business Services, Technology | alignba.com |
| Tenney Group | Tenney Group | Both | $20M - $300M | Healthcare, Business Services, Technology | tenneygroup.com |
| ACT Capital Advisors | ACT Capital Advisors | Both | $5M - $100M | Business Services, Healthcare, Consumer | actcapitaladvisors.com |
How to verify an advisor's track record
Ask for a filtered deal list. A behavioral health advisor and a hospital M&A banker reach different buyers.
Advisors who know Nashville can name specific Tennessee deals, buyers, and dates. Vague claims of "healthcare experience" without closed transactions are a warning sign.
Check whether they've worked with both PE buyers and strategic acquirers. Nashville draws both types regularly across multiple sectors.
Use Ellty to share your financials and compliance files with shortlisted advisors under NDA. You'll see who opens your documents before your first call. Review the full advisors directory before signing an engagement letter.
Running an M&A deal in Nashville?
Share deal docs with buyers and track who opens them first.
Start free 14-day trialHow a Nashville M&A deal runs
Nashville M&A deals typically run six to twelve months. Healthcare and tech-enabled services can close faster with the right buyer.
| Stage | What happens | What you need ready | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1: Preparation | Stage 1: Preparation | Run QoE, build CIM, shortlist Nashville advisors | Three years P&L, customer list, licensing records |
| Stage 2: Advisor engagement | Stage 2: Advisor engagement | Sign engagement letter, align on buyer list | Cap table, compliance docs, key contracts |
| Stage 3: Marketing | Stage 3: Marketing | CIM distributed, NDAs signed, management calls set | Ellty data room live with CIM and key financials |
| Stage 4: LOI | Stage 4: LOI | Buyers submit bids, LOIs negotiated, exclusivity signed | Clean receivables, no open regulatory actions |
| Stage 5: Due diligence | Stage 5: Due diligence | Buyer reviews financial, legal, and operational records | Full Ellty data room: HR, contracts, licenses, financials |
| Stage 6: Close | Stage 6: Close | Purchase agreement signed, escrow, funds transfer | Reps and warranties signed, transition plans ready |
13 M&A advisors in Nashville
These 13 firms advise on M&A in Nashville and Tennessee. Coverage spans healthcare, technology, business services, and multi-sector deals.
1. Brentwood Capital Advisors
A Nashville-based investment bank focused on healthcare services and healthcare IT.
Recent Deals: Served as co-advisor to FirstFleet, Inc. on its sale (2026). Advised Georgia Recovery Campus on its sale (2025). Advised Kodiak Solutions, a healthcare tech-enabled firm, on its transaction (2025).
LinkedIn: Brentwood Capital Advisors LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Healthcare services, healthcare IT, business services
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $20M - $500M
Location: Nashville, TN
Website: brentwoodcap.com
2. Avondale Partners
A Nashville healthcare investment bank with $10.6B+ in cumulative transaction value since 2001.
Recent Deals: Active in healthcare M&A advisory and capital raising through 2025-2026. Closed 30 M&A deals as of January 2026 across healthcare and life sciences. Planned office expansion in Nashville in September 2025.
Sector Focus: Healthcare, life sciences, technology
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $25M - $1B
Location: Nashville, TN
Website: avondalepartnersllc.com
3. Houlihan Lokey
The No. 1 global M&A advisor by deal count in 2025 with a dedicated healthcare group.
Recent Deals: Named No. 1 global M&A advisor with 458 closed deals in 2025. Ranked No. 1 for global M&A under $5B by LSEG. Active in healthcare, technology, and business services M&A nationally through 2025-2026.
Sector Focus: Healthcare, technology, business services, financial services
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $50M - $5B+
Location: National (serves Nashville market)
Website: hl.com
4. Lincoln International
A global mid-market bank with strong PE relationships and cross-border buyer reach.
Recent Deals: Generated $214.1M in net income in 2025, up 31% year over year. Acquired MarshBerry, an insurance M&A advisory firm, in late 2025. Closed 430+ transactions in 2025 across healthcare and business services.
Sector Focus: Healthcare, industrials, business services, PE-backed
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $50M - $2B
Location: National (serves Nashville market)
Website: lincolninternational.com
5. Raymond James
A national mid-market bank with 80+ dedicated healthcare investment banking professionals.
Recent Deals: Completed 250+ M&A transactions in healthcare services through 2025-2026. Active in healthcare services, medtech, and healthcare technology sell-side mandates. Strong relationships with healthcare-focused equity sponsors nationally.
Sector Focus: Healthcare, technology, middle market multi-sector
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $25M - $1B
Location: National (serves Nashville market)
Website: raymondjames.com
Selling a Nashville business in 2026?
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Start free 14-day trial6. VMG Health
A healthcare-only advisory firm with expertise in physician group and hospital transactions.
Recent Deals: Published 2026 Healthcare M&A Report covering all major subsectors. Acquired Burrows Consulting to expand advisory capabilities (December 2025). Active in physician group, hospital, and specialty care M&A through 2025-2026.
Sector Focus: Physician groups, hospitals, specialty care, joint ventures
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $10M - $1B
Location: Dallas, TX (active in Nashville and Tennessee market)
Website: vmghealth.com
7. Capstone Partners
A national middle market bank with dedicated coverage across healthcare and technology.
Recent Deals: Published 2026 M&A Outlook tracking healthcare and business services deal flow. Active in healthcare, technology, and business services M&A nationally through 2025-2026. Covers PE-backed and founder-owned businesses across multiple sectors.
Sector Focus: Healthcare, technology, business services, industrials
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $10M - $500M
Location: National (serves Nashville market)
Website: capstonepartners.com
8. The Braff Group
A healthcare-only sell-side firm with deep expertise in behavioral health exits.
Recent Deals: Behavioral health deal volume rose 17% nationally in 2025. Active in behavioral health, home health, and hospice sell-side mandates through 2025-2026. Advises founders selling healthcare services businesses nationally.
Sector Focus: Behavioral health, home health, hospice, specialty care
Deal Type: Sell-side
Deal Size: $5M - $150M
Location: Pittsburgh, PA (serves Nashville and Tennessee market)
Website: thebraffgroup.com
9. Mertz Taggart
A behavioral health boutique with active deal flow in addiction treatment and mental health.
Recent Deals: Advised on sale of Jaywalker Lodge, a Colorado addiction treatment facility (2025). Completed 47 behavioral health transactions in Q1 2025, most since Q4 2022. Active in addiction treatment, mental health, and autism M&A through 2025-2026.
Sector Focus: Behavioral health, home health, hospice, autism services
Deal Type: Sell-side
Deal Size: $5M - $100M
Location: Fort Myers, FL (active in Tennessee market)
Website: mertztaggart.com
10. Transact Capital Partners
A Nashville-based M&A advisory firm for lower middle market business owners.
Recent Deals: Active in business services, consumer, and healthcare M&A in Nashville through 2025-2026. Advises founders on sell-side and buy-side mandates in the lower middle market. Serves business owners across Tennessee and the Southeast.
Sector Focus: Business services, consumer, healthcare, technology
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $5M - $75M
Location: Nashville, TN
Website: transactcapital.com
11. Align Business Advisory
A Nashville boutique founded in 2017 by former investment bankers and CPAs.
Recent Deals: Active in healthcare services and business services M&A in Nashville through 2025-2026. Advises founders and operators on exits in the Tennessee market. Team brings experience from investment banking, private equity, and operations.
Sector Focus: Healthcare, business services, technology, professional services
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $5M - $100M
Location: Nashville, TN
Website: alignba.com
12. Tenney Group
A healthcare and business services M&A firm founded in 1973 serving the Southeast.
Recent Deals: Active in healthcare services and business services M&A in Tennessee through 2025-2026. Typical clients have revenue between $20M - $300M annually. Offers sell-side advisory, buy-side advisory, and valuation services.
Sector Focus: Healthcare, business services, technology
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $20M - $300M
Location: Nashville, TN
Website: tenneygroup.com
13. ACT Capital Advisors
A lower middle market advisory firm with a Nashville office serving the Southeast.
Recent Deals: Nashville office led by a senior advisor with 30+ years of M&A experience. Active in business services, consumer, and healthcare M&A through 2025-2026. Advises founders on sell-side and buy-side mandates across the Southeast.
Sector Focus: Business services, healthcare, consumer, technology
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $5M - $100M
Location: Nashville, TN
Website: actcapitaladvisors.com
Nashville's healthcare M&A concentration
Nashville is one of the most active healthcare M&A markets in the US. More than half of privately-owned US hospital beds are run by Nashville-area companies.
HCA Healthcare, based in Nashville since 1968, generates roughly $70B in annual revenue. That scale creates a dense network of healthcare suppliers and PE targets.
Oceans Healthcare acquired Nashville-based Haven Behavioral Healthcare's outstanding shares at the start of 2025. National buyers move fast on Tennessee healthcare assets.
Use Ellty to share compliance files, payer contracts, and clinical data with buyers under NDA. Set secure file sharing permissions so each buyer sees only what their NDA covers. Track who opens your files before your first management call.
PE-backed healthcare platforms in Tennessee
PE deal activity in healthcare rose to 40.2% of total M&A investment in Q1 2025. Nashville assets are prime targets for PE platforms.
Wellvana Health acquired the Medicare Shared Savings Program business from CVS Health in March 2025. That made Wellvana one of the largest value-based care companies nationally.
Optum acquired Holston Medical Group, a 200-provider multi-specialty practice in Northeast Tennessee, in August 2025. PE platforms and strategic buyers are both active in Tennessee year-round.
Use Ellty to share investor-ready financials with shortlisted PE funds. Set document analytics to track which buyers review your files first. Learn about private equity deal structures before engaging a sponsor.
Technology and business services deals in Nashville
Nashville's technology sector is growing alongside healthcare IT. HealthStream made four healthcare IT acquisitions in 2024-2025.
BESLER, a hospital reimbursement solutions firm, was advised by Brentwood Capital in 2026. Kodiak Solutions, which simplifies healthcare IT for providers, also transacted through Brentwood in 2025.
Tech-enabled services businesses with healthcare clients command top valuations in Nashville. Strategic acquirers and PE buyers compete for those assets year-round.
Use Ellty to share technology contracts, IP records, and customer data with buyers. Require email verification before any buyer downloads sensitive pricing data. Read the M&A process guide before you engage an advisor. Learn about due diligence requirements before buyers arrive. See deal structures at the mergers and acquisitions page.
How Ellty helps you close an M&A deal in Nashville
You've shortlisted your Nashville advisor. Prep your deal docs next.
- 1.Upload financials, contracts, and compliance filesOrganize files by category. Buyers check compliance docs on day one.
- 2.Set access permissions by buyer and NDA statusRequire email before buyers see your margins. Add passwords for sensitive files.
- 3.Track which buyers review your key documentsSee who opens your financial files and how long they spend on them.
Common questions about Nashville M&A advisors
- Nashville has 900+ healthcare companies and a growing tech sector. PE buyers and strategic acquirers are active year-round across multiple industries.
- Brentwood Capital Advisors and Avondale Partners are both Nashville-based with deep healthcare focus. VMG Health and Raymond James cover larger deals nationally.
- Most deals run six to twelve months. Healthcare and tech-enabled services deals with active buyers can close in four to six months.
- Before your first advisor meeting. Nashville buyers expect clean financials and contracts from the very first call.
- Brentwood Capital and Avondale Partners know the local Tennessee market well. National firms like Houlihan Lokey reach more PE buyers for larger deals.
- Financials, customer contracts, compliance records, and licensing. Any gaps in these slow the process or kill the deal.
