Our Company

Real People, Real Partners

Our journey began with a promise: to provide the best advisory services to growing technology companies. We’re here to back the dreamers — founders who pour their hearts into code, investors who trust us to reward risk-taking, and management and boards seeking to be excellent stewards of collective efforts — and we strive to be the ideal partners for those formative transactions along their journey.

Our team has experience closing a wide range of technology transactions including sell-side M&A, buy-side M&A, merger of equals, recapitalizations, and equity and debt capital raising. This level of market knowledge allows us to provide holistic and informed advisory services rather than pushing a particular product and attempting to solve every problem with a single solution.

Our business is wholly owned by active Partners, so every detail of every transaction matters to us personally. We've structured our engagements to ensure every client has direct access to and involvement from an equity Partner, unique in the M&A advisory industry. As entrepreneurs and equityholders ourselves, we have a deep appreciation for and alignment with the clients we advise.

    

David Cho
David Cho
Founding Managing Partner
Chet Kristy
Chet Kristy
Founding Partner
Charlie Penner
Charlie Penner
Founding Partner

Our Values

Integrity
Doing the right thing and never selling ourselves or our clients short.
Honesty
Speaking truth, even when it's difficult.
Excellence
Exerting our absolute best for every client.
Diligence
Putting in the hard work to generate success.
Advancement
Contributing to progress the tech ecosystem and community.
"
David has been a trusted advisor to us and many of our portfolio companies through the years. He is always personally involved in transactions and advocates tirelessly to maximize outcomes. In a recent deal together, David was able to generate many interested parties that led to a phenomenal outcome for the company and its investors. IKONA is a team you absolutely want on your side.
Steve Wolfe and Nate Grossman
Co-Founders, Growth Street Partners
100%
Focus on SaaS & Data
60+
Deals Closed by Partners
100%
Partner-Led Deals
$5 - 35M
Client ARR

Our Advisory Practice is Established on Several Core Differentiators

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A Partner on Every Transaction

Our Partners have a combined 25+ years of experience and 60+ closed M&A transactions, and are responsible for leading all facets of every engagement to ensure the optimal outcome. Our business is wholly owned by active Partners, so every detail of every transaction matters to us personally. As entrepreneurs and equityholders ourselves, we have a deep appreciation for and alignment with the clients we advise.    

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Technology Industry Expertise

We have deeply specialized knowledge and experience in financial markets, transactions, regulations, and trends for the sectors we cover, which enables us to provide bespoke advice for each client and situation. We work diligently to keep up with the pace of evolution unique to the technology industry.

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Top-Tier Execution

Our clients range from bootstrapped companies to companies that have taken multiple rounds of financings and the investors that back them. Whether a simple or highly complex transaction, we ensure that execution is efficient and effective to save our clients time and resources.  

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Leveraging Relationships to Maximize Value

We have long standing relationships with key players that can help our clients access a broader universe of investors, public and private companies, PE-backed strategics, traditional banks, and other sources. More important than access, we emphasize expertise in understanding why parties are interested and optimizing each opportunity to maximize value.

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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. We look forward to the opportunity to partner with you.

Get in Touch

Our Principals Have Closed Transactions With

3M
Advent International
Alpine
Amazon
Autodesk
Bain Capital
Bregal Sagemont
Chegg
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
Leonard Green
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
TPG
Thompson Street
Tritium Partners
TrustArc
Vector Solutions
Vista
We Video
WellSky
Xplor
Zynga
3M
Advent International
Alpine
Amazon
Autodesk
Bain Capital
Bregal Sagemont
Chegg
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
Leonard Green
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
TPG
Thompson Street
Tritium Partners
TrustArc
Vector Solutions
Vista
We Video
WellSky
Xplor
Zynga