Exceptional companies need an exceptional investment bank.
We've built a different model to create extraordinary results for elite companies: we work with a select few clients each year, swarm them with deep senior experience and expertise, and engineer customized processes using unconventional techniques — moving quickly to deliver maximum value.
Forbes Partners · Tombstone
HQ — 6400 S Fiddlers Green Cir, Greenwood Village, CO 80111 · +1 (303) 770-6017
01 / The Record
Hard-won, not inherited.
Since 1991, our senior advisors have sat on both sides of the transaction table — as business owners, private equity executives and investment bankers. The record below is the firm's; illustrative figures are tagged.
Recognition — as announced by the issuing bodies
Sources: Corporate INTL (Feb 2025) · Corp Today Magazine, 2022 Global Business Awards · forbes-partners.com · Tracxn · Apollo. All other figures on this page tagged [SYNTHETIC].
02 / Deal Instrument №1
What is your exceptional company worth?
An interactive EBITDA-multiple modeler built on observed middle-market pricing: $10M–$500M enterprise value, senior-led process, fee structures as quoted in the 2024–25 Firmex / Axial fee guides.
Illustrative model — synthetic assumptionsA Company Inputs
Sector comp set
B Enterprise Value Range
Success-fee structure
C Multiple Sensitivity
Basis assumption for taxes: owner basis ≈ 25% of EV. Fee comps: Firmex/Axial 2024–25 — ~4.8% @ $5M, ~3.4% @ $20M, ~2.0% @ $100M EV.
Why exceptional companies command the top of the range: competitive tension between 150–400 contacted buyers, senior-led positioning, and meticulous execution are how the top-quartile multiple is earned — not assumed. [SYNTHETIC model — not a valuation opinion.]
Request a Defensible Valuation Range03 / Deal Instrument №2
The Blind Teaser Vault.
A live cross-section of current and recently mandated sell-side engagements. Financials stay blurred until an NDA is executed — the same protocol your company would receive.
Representative teasers — synthetic, patterned on announced dealsNDA executions are simulated and stored only in your browser (localStorage). No data leaves this page — this is a founders-only demonstration tracker.
Mutual NDA — Simulated Execution
Request access
Execute the NDA to unblur the financial profile and unlock the full teaser summary.
NDA executed.
The full teaser is now unlocked in the vault and will remain unlocked in this browser. A confirmation would be emailed from the deal team on the live desk.
04 / Deal Instrument №3
The Tombstone Archive.
Forty representative closings across the $10M–$500M middle market — three announced transactions marked ★ verified, the remainder synthetic and patterned on the firm's disclosed deal profile.
★ Announced transactions: DHE Computer Systems → Gladstone Investment Corp. · Lighting Analysts → TA Associates (Dec 2021) · WebbMason Marketing → SupplyLogic (Sep 2022). Aggregate senior-advisor experience: $85B advised, 250+ years combined (forbes-partners.com); platform deal count per Tracxn: 34 (31 M&A, 3 funding rounds).
05 / Deal Instrument №4
Eight stages. Zero drift.
A typical sell-side lifecycle compressed by the swarm model — senior bankers on every call, engineered processes, competitive tension at the LOI. Industry reality runs 8–14 months in the core middle market; drag the timeline to see where you'd be.
06 / Deal Instrument №5
The Buyer Universe.
Senior-level relationships with strategic and financial buyers open doors. A typical middle-market process contacts 150–400 qualified buyers; the map plots our synthetic relationship index of 150 active appetites across the continent.
Offices & Reach
07 / Our People
Seniors on every call.
Not a junior with a deck.
Unlike other firms, we ensure a senior team member manages the entire process rather than delegating to junior analysts. Tracxn lists 19 members including 9 partners across the Forbes Partners platform.
Founder & President · Denver
Bob Forbes
Bob has led more than 150 corporate finance initiatives as a business owner, private equity executive and investment banker — M&A, debt and equity financings, and corporate restructurings across technology, consumer products, food, healthcare, entertainment, energy, industrials and business services.
He led global finance and development activities for Independent Energy Partners (WPP/Westar Capital) and Tricor Partners; founded Peak Network Communications, Energyworld and Authentor Systems — orchestrating the merger of subsidiary T-NETIX (NASDAQ: TNTX) and backing from FLV Ventures, Catalyst Partners and SI Ventures; and co-founded M2M Data Corporation, ultimately sold to Caterpillar Inc. In 2017 he launched Forbes Partners to bring multiple senior advisors with diverse real-world expertise to every transaction.
"Clients see us as their most trusted advisors, dogged advocates and steadfast partners. They rely on us to exhaust every strategy and close transactions against all odds — the very best deal possible."
The senior bench — roster per public records (Apollo / Tracxn / SignalHire)
08 / What We Do
Five ways we help.
Sell-side and buy-side M&A, capital formation, financial restructuring and ESOP transaction services for exceptional middle-market companies. Select a practice to see how the engagement runs.
09 / The Model
A different model for extraordinary results.
With an exclusive focus on private businesses, we understand the challenges private business owners face. A hands-on approach ensures personalized attention across the entire process — blending advanced technology with deep sector expertise to drive superior results in complex, high-stakes transactions.
"We leverage customized processes using unconventional techniques to move quickly and deliver maximum value, advocating for our clients' interests with passion and tenacity."
— Bob Forbes, President · 2022 Global Business Awards acceptance10 / Where We Hunt
Hyper-focused on attractive sectors.
Businesses with strong growth outlooks, solid foundations, market leadership, compelling enduring business models and attractive sectors — $10M to $500M enterprise value.
From the Insights Desk
Why the Outdoor Industry is Ripe for Investment and Consolidation
Outdoor recreation is one of the hottest segments on the buy-side — a healthy, growing, recession-proof category attracting steady buyer interest. Plus: the Ultimate Guide to Middle-Market Capital Formation, and what commercial HVAC buyers are actually paying.
11 / Begin
How can we help you?
Choose your path. Every inquiry is reviewed personally by a senior banker — never a sales desk — and treated in strict confidence.
Received. In confidence.
Your inquiry is logged in this browser only. On the live desk, a senior banker — not a junior — responds within one business day to schedule a confidential introductory call.