The SDR Team is pleased to announce that SDR has been recognized as the #23 investment bank in Axial’s Top 25 for Q2 2023. The rankings are based on Axial‘s league tables, which take into account three main characteristics: client quality, buy-side targeting, and process effectiveness. This achievement marks the third consecutive quarter and the eighth time in recent years in which SDR Ventures has been ranked within the Top 25 nationally on Axial’s league tables.“SDR is incredibly thankful to be recognized as one of Axial‘s Top 25 Investment Banks for the third consecutive quarter. The first half of 2022 resulted in some fantastic outcomes for our clients, and we remain confident that the second half of the year will prove to be just as exciting,” added Geoff Eliason, Principal at SDR Ventures. “As we continue to launch M&A processes on behalf of our clients, Axial remains a valuable resource to our team as we strive to help founders and entrepreneurs identify the right strategic fit for their companies’ unique goals.”For a complete list of Q3 2022 finalists, please click here.

About Axial’s Lower Middle Market League Tables

Unlike traditional league table structures that have remained the same for years, with firms being assessed against deal volume and deal dollar volume, Axial league tables surface data on investment banks that reveal their selectivity, the relative attractiveness of their client’s businesses, and their overall sell-side process efficacy.The investment banks at the top of the Axial league table are leaders across the following three categories:

  • Client Quality: Buy-side demand for engagements represented by the advisor.
  • Buy-Side Targeting: The advisor’s ability to balance selectivity, accuracy, and breadth when identifying potential buyers.
  • Process Effectiveness: The advisor’s ability to generate positive outcomes for their client.

Axial League Table data incorporates and includes:

  • Overall Deal Relevance: How many buy-side mandates (financial and strategic) align with the advisor’s engagements.
  • Process Selectivity: How broad or narrow are the advisors’ sell-side processes relative to their peers?
  • Signed NDAs: How many buyers indicate interest in each of the advisor’s engagements, measured by the number of signed NDAs.
  • Buyer Referrals: Feedback we receive from buyers regarding the manner in which the advisor manages their processes.
  • Closed Deals: How many deals has the advisor closed where they involved one or more Axial buyers in the process?

For CEOs and dealmakers in the lower middle market, these league tables are a useful barometer to measure how an investment bank ranks against its peers, and how effective it is in financing and selling lower middle market businesses in various sectors. Together, the Top 25 investment banks are those who work with the most in-demand clients; balance breadth, selectivity, and accuracy in the buyers they engage; and generate the largest number of positive outcomes for their clients.