Nathan Viehl is a trusted M&A advisor to private equity-backed portfolio companies pursuing add-on acquisitions and to founder-owned businesses navigating sales to private equity buyers. His practice spans the full spectrum of middle-market M&A transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, financings, and leveraged buyouts.
Nathan has deep experience representing private equity-backed portfolio companies executing buy-side growth strategies, including platform builds and tuck-in acquisitions. He also regularly counsels founders and management teams of closely held businesses through institutional capital raises or sales to private equity sponsors. Clients value Nathan’s ability to move deals efficiently while protecting their interests at every stage of the transaction.
Nathan’s national M&A practice serves clients across diverse industries, including technology, software, health care, business services, higher education, and manufacturing. He is particularly skilled at guiding first-time sellers through the complexities of a private equity process, demystifying auction dynamics, quality-of-earnings reviews, and rollover equity structures. For portfolio company clients, Nathan brings a repeat-player perspective that accelerates diligence and negotiation timelines on add-on deals.
Nathan’s clients rely on his understanding of the private equity ecosystem, from sponsor economics to lender dynamics, to structure transactions that align with their strategic objectives. He writes and speaks extensively on M&A trends.
experience
- Represented Avionos, LLC in its strategic combination with Hero Digital, LLC
- Represented Components Express in its sale to 2Connect, a platform investment of Rivean Capital.
- Represented Blue Skyre in its sale to Lessen, Inc.
- Represented Zethcon in its sale to Made4Net, a platform investment of Thompson Street Capital Partners.
- Represented Avionos, LLC in its acquisitions of Integrous and ObjectWave.
- Represented CIVIC Infusion in its sale to VIVO Infusion, a platform investment of InTandem Capital Partners.
- Represented Greeley and Hansen, an engineering services firm, in its sale to TYLin.
- Represented Maxim Partners in the sale of their portfolio company, Zesty Paws, to H&H International for $610 million.
- Represented Power Plant Services, a provider of aftermarket power plant parts and services, in its sale to Center Rock Capital Partners.
- Represented Maxim Partners in its acquisition of Stratum Nutrition.
- Represented ever.ag, a provider of crop insurance and commodity brokerage technology, in its sale to Dairy.com, a platform investment of Banneker Partners.
- Represented NES Financial, a US-based fund administration business, in its sale to UK-based JTC for up to $116 million.Represented OSM Worldwide, a provider of data-driven domestic and international shipping services, in its sale to Tower Arch Capital Partners.
- Represented Quality Distribution, a private-equity backed logistics platform, in its acquisitions of Midwest Systems and GLS Transport.
- Represented Aktion Partners, LLC and CloudCraze, LLC, an enterprise e-commerce platform, in the sale of CloudCraze to Salesforce.
- Represented Maxim Partners in its acquisition of Zenwise, LLC.
- Chicago Bar Association
- Listed in “Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch” (by BL Rankings) for Corporate Law in Chicago, Illinois, 2024
- “Navigating Earnout Disputes in PE Transactions”
IFLR, July 1, 2025 - “As Tariffs Hit the Radar, PE Counsel Should Review Strategies”
Law360, May 21, 2025 - Quoted, “The Trump antitrust stance? M&A pros are still guessing”
PitchBook, March 28, 2025 - “A Portfolio Company Perspective of NAV Loans”
Middle Market Growth, July 29, 2024 - Quoted, “Reddit Stock Surges: Is Investor Appetite for Loss-Making Companies Returning?”
Investing.com, March 25, 2024 - Quoted, “North America Pipeline Explorer: Software services anticipating private equity exits to bloom”
Mergermarket, February 7, 2024 - “The Evolving Private Equity Landscape: 2023 in Perspective and Looking Ahead to 2024”
Deal Points, Winter 2024 - Quoted, “North America TMT Trendspotter: Software pain could mean slow M&A recovery”
Mergermarket, January 19, 2024 - Co-author,“Organization, accountability and counsel: Key factors for sellers’ focus in M&A transactions”
St. Louis Business Journal, January 1, 2024 - Quoted, “Dealspeak North America – Sponsors beware: Roll-up and add-on strategies are on regulators’ radars”
Mergermarket, December 18, 2023 - Co-Author, “Tips on how to create leverage when selling your business”
St. Louis Inno, October 1, 2023