Bridging the Gap Between Brokers and Bankers.
Our mission is educating business owners on the difference between business brokerage and true Investment Banking Process. Most business brokers cast a line and wait for a bite.
We’re hunters, not fishermen.
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With deep experience in corporate finance and a proven record representing companies with revenues up to $100 million, Gratia Equity Partners delivers the sophistication of an investment banking firm to privately held businesses in the $2 – $100 million of revenues market — a segment too often underserved by both brokers and bulge-bracket advisors.
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Our team brings the same analytical rigor, strategic precision, and negotiation discipline found in institutional M&A — applied with the care, confidentiality, and the intentionality business owners deserve. Through decades of relationships with private equity groups, strategic acquirers, and institutional investors nationwide, we deliver access to the right partners, not just the highest bidders.
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We specialize in majority recapitalizations and management-led buyouts, structuring transactions that preserve culture, protect legacy, and maximize enterprise value. Every engagement is managed end-to-end by seasoned professionals who recognize that behind every transaction is a legacy worth protecting.
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For owners preparing to transition, the difference between hiring a broker and partnering with Gratia Equity Partners isn’t just in process — it’s in outcome.
We don’t chase deals; we engineer them with intention, integrity, and proven expertise.
Our Team
Michael Rubin
Founder & CEO
Ryan Adair
Managing Director
Michael Sutter
Managing Director
For Michael Rubin Jr., mergers and acquisitions are more than a career — they’re a family tradition. With nearly three decades of generational involvement in the M&A industry, he carries forward a legacy of disciplined dealmaking and entrepreneurial vision.
Mentored early in his career by legendary investment bankers and private equity professionals, Michael learned the art of structuring complex transactions with precision, integrity, and intent.
Today, as founder of Gratia Equity Partners, he brings institutional discipline to a fragmented and underserved market, guiding founders through strategic majority recapitalizations and leadership transitions that protect both value and legacy.
More than a finance professional, Michael is a builder, entrepreneur, and investor at heart — dedicated to helping owners achieve exceptional outcomes with purpose and professionalism.
From his earliest years, Michael Sutter was driven by a deep curiosity about markets, investing, and capital. That passion led him to begin his investment career at a young age, immersing himself in institutional trading and portfolio management while still charting his academic path.
Before even graduating college, Michael built and sold his first company, a marketing agency — an early testament to his entrepreneurial instincts and ability to execute. He went on to join Goldman Sachs in their Private Wealth Management division, where he advised ultra-high-net-worth clients and family offices on complex strategies.
Following his time at Goldman, Michael pivoted from wealth management to M&A, becoming Head of Business Development for a Dallas-based boutique firm, where he sourced and structured lower-middle-market transactions across multiple industries.
Today, as Managing Director at Gratia Equity Partners, Michael leverages his blend of institutional experience and entrepreneurial insight to connect great businesses with strategic, legacy-minded buyers — helping founders achieve liquidity with integrity, precision, and purpose.
With over 15 years of experience in the home improvement and home services industry, Ryan Adair brings a rare combination of operational expertise, entrepreneurial success, and genuine empathy to the M&A process.
A serial entrepreneur at heart, Ryan has founded and scaled multiple companies, most notably building and selling a successful concrete coatings business — an experience that allows him to see transactions through the same lens as the business owners he now advises. Having navigated an M&A process from the client’s seat, he understands firsthand the emotions, challenges, and responsibilities that come with transitioning a business built through years of hard work.
Driven by a passion for helping people and solving problems, Ryan’s leadership is rooted in stewardship — caring deeply for the families, employees, and communities that make up each organization. His background in building lasting brands and guiding teams through growth and transition makes him an invaluable partner to GEP clients seeking both exceptional outcomes and continuity of culture.