Lincoln Partners

In 1996, Lincoln Partners was formed by four experienced M&A bankers based in Chicago that had a long history of working together (two had worked together since 1981). The goal was to create a firm that delivered superior M&A services on mid-market transactions.

From 1996 to 2000 Lincoln Partners increased in size from four investment bankers to 20 investment bankers.

In 2000, Lincoln Partners added a financial restructuring capability. Since that time, Lincoln Partners successfully completed numerous transactions and advisory assignments in the financial restructuring area.

In 2001, Lincoln Partners added a capital raising capability with a particular focus on raising capital related to acquiring or refinancing companies.

In 2002, Lincoln Partners began to focus on providing M&A services to companies within the specific industries in which the firm's professionals had significant and relevant experience.

In 2003, Lincoln Partners began a concerted effort to focus on private equity clients along with publicly traded companies and privately held businesses.

In 2004, Lincoln Partners began actively seeking a partner firm in Europe. After much research and many discussions, Lincoln Partners entered a strategic partnership with Peters Associates, a mid-market investment bank based in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2005. This partnership included exchanging personnel and making exclusive commitments to work together on transactions.

In 2005, Lincoln Partners opened an office in New York City to increase our presence and contacts on the East Coast of the United States.

Also in 2005, Lincoln Partners agreed to combine with Peters Associates and several experienced M&A investment bankers to form Lincoln International.