Scale Mergero's M&A mandate origination

Mergero is an institutional M&A advisory firm built for modern private markets. They advise private equity funds, corporates and business owners on buy-side and sell-side transactions, combining disciplined advisory execution with proprietary origination and matching technology. Offices in Zürich, Lugano, Frankfurt and Helsinki, serving all European markets through a single integrated team.

• Where the idea came from — founder Timo Tontti built and sold a Finnish factoring company (2012–2019), which put him on the client's side of an M&A process. The industry is conservative; the work can be done in a fundamentally better way.
• How they work differently — technology and AI across the whole deal process: origination, screening, matching and execution. Smaller deal teams, equal or larger mandate volume.
• What they're building — the first off-market deal network. The MGX Deal Engine brings together companies whose owners are open to a transaction and professional buyers — two sides that never meet in a public process.
• Where they are — 18 transactions in H1 2026, ~50% growth ahead, €500M+ of deals closed, 2,000+ verified buyers, €52B+ aggregate buyer appetite.

Everything depends on winning mandates — and today that still happens the traditional way, person by person.

Sell-side mandates

The client is typically an entrepreneur or owner considering selling the company, or who wants more muscle behind its growth. Mandates come from Mergero's network, referrals, inbound enquiries and active outbound sales.

• The challenge: identify the right companies and owners at the right moment, and contact them efficiently and personally at a far larger scale than today.

Buy-side mandates

The client is a private equity investor, family office or strategic acquirer looking for targets against defined criteria. Mergero finds companies that are not necessarily for sale, reaches the owners and opens a credible conversation.

• The challenge: connect the right buyers, the right companies and the right timing far better and far more scalably than today.

Mergero already has substantial company and buyer data, its own technology and the MGX Deal Engine. Origination itself is still relationship-driven — and that is precisely what limits how fast they can scale across Europe.

Design an innovative and scalable solution that helps Mergero generate significantly more sell-side and/or buy-side M&A mandates. Use AI, data, automation, new sales channels, partnerships, new business models or any other approach. Mergero is particularly interested in ideas that could work internationally and scale well beyond traditional relationship-driven M&A advisory.

Tackle sell-side, buy-side, or both. A solution that credibly cracks one side is worth as much as one that touches everything lightly.

• No fixed technology. You don't have to use any particular technology, Mergero's existing data or the MGX platform. The best idea may be one they've never considered.
• Any approach is in scope. AI, automation, data, new sales channels, partnerships, new products, new business models — or something entirely different. What matters is that the end result is a new M&A mandate.
• It need not be a finished product. A working concept, a prototype, an AI agent, a workflow, or a wholly new way to build client acquisition — as long as you can show concretely how it would work in practice.

Mergero can share the kinds of mandates they run and the types of buyers and companies they work with, but not confidential client data. Timo Tontti walks through real cases at the opening and is available for questions during the event.

• Saturday — presenting at the 10:00 opening, on site until ~13:00 to help teams.
• Sunday — back before the 15:00 deadline for judging and the closing ceremony.
• People — Timo Tontti (Managing Partner, Head of Sell-side Advisory); Tatu Nordback (Executive Partner, Head of Buy-side Advisory) and Miiro Nygrén (Associate Director, Nordics) expected to join.
• Between visits — ask in the Mergero channel on Discord.