Our Mission:
BRING ADVANCED M&A ADVISORY SERVICES TO THE
LOWER MIDDLE-MARKET
EQA was founded in 2019 in Denver, Colorado by Matt Williams and Chris Lueth in response to the void of competent and dedicated transaction advocacy available to organizations operating below typical middle market thresholds. Since then, we have engaged with hundreds of buyers and sellers and grown our team to enable us to continue providing exceptional service to our clients. EQA currently operates out of both Denver, CO and Boston, MA and continues to serve clients both domestically and internationally.
Our Team
Our team members consist of attorneys, CPAs, and seasoned deal makers with experience ranging from regional middle-market investment banks to NASDAQ. We pride ourselves on being entrepreneurs, problem solvers, and resources for whatever needs to get done.
Matt Williams
MANAGING PARTNER
Matt has spent his entire career in mergers and acquisitions, serving as a lead advisor on more than 50 transactions. A hard-wired problem solver and risk taker, Matt has always found the most exciting and gratifying engagements to be those, which at the onset seem devoid of the obvious or clear path. His extensive and diverse transaction experience, coupled with a penchant to aim high, has made him uniquely effective in his relentless pursuit of the absolute best possible outcome.
Matt has worked his way through the various ranks of investment banking and was previously a Vice President at The Forbes M&A Group. A finance major from the University of Colorado, he had the unique distinction of being one of only three students selected annually to serve as a voting member of the university’s finance board. In his free time, Matt is an avid golfer and passionate woodworker.
Chris Lueth, JD, CPA
MANAGING PARTNER
Chris and Matt co-founded EQA for the purpose of offering top level transaction expertise and sophistication to successful companies that are often overlooked in the investment banking world. The mission of EQA is to help these high-quality companies transact with institutional buyers and facilitate exit success for owners beyond what they thought possible.
Before founding EQA, Chris worked in the M&A industry as an attorney, CPA, and lender. He believes strongly in a holistic transaction advisory approach, which allows him to broadly share guidance with clients on a variety of business topics from his many different roles within the M&A industry.
A native of Iowa, Chris moved to Denver in 2013. He received a bachelor’s degree in Accounting & Finance from Drake University while also a member of the Division 1 Men’s varsity tennis team. He holds a master’s degree in Accounting and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Iowa. Chris is a licensed CPA in the states of Iowa and Colorado and is a licensed attorney in the state of Iowa. In his free time, Chris enjoys a wide variety of sporting and outdoor activities, including Ironman triathlons, mountaineering, and golf.
Dave Connolly
DIRECTOR
A diverse background in corporate finance has honed Dave’s unique capability to not only analyze and understand a company but envision and tell the story of its greatest potential. Before joining Eight Quarter Advisors, Dave spent several years with NASDAQ, working with companies as they navigated the IPO market. Prior to that, he worked for Thomson Reuters as a Senior Sales Executive to fortune 100 companies. Early in his career, he was involved in analysis and trade execution for the hedge fund CBD Trading. His familiarity with capital markets, public and private transactions, along with this corporate sales and marketing experience makes Dave a true embodiment of the firm’s mission to provide a level of sophistication rarely accessible to the smaller, private transaction space.
Dave graduated from University of Colorado with a BA in Economics. He enjoys skiing, golfing, hockey, and truly getting to know the people behind the companies he represents. Dave is located in Boston, MA and covers the New England market on behalf of EQA.
Bryce Eaton
SENIOR ASSOCIATE
Bryce comes to Eight Quarter Advisors with a background in financial analysis and a passion for working in high-energy environments alongside business owners, entrepreneurs, and visionaries. Bryce assists EQA clients in a variety of ways, including market research, valuation analysis, strategic positioning, and process management.
Prior to joining EQA, Bryce was a member of the development team at Balfour Senior Living – working directly alongside the CEO and COO to source equity/debt financing on future building projects and expand into new markets. Previously, Bryce co-founded a sustainable apparel company, managing the business through its early stages of growth while overseeing daily operations and product development.
Bryce attended the University of Colorado at Boulder where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, earning a degree in Economics and English. In his free time, Bryce helps manage a family ranch in southern Colorado - producing hay and cattle. As a 5th generation Colorado native, Bryce is a lifelong advocate of all things outdoors, including skiing, fishing, hiking, and golf.
Will Alverson
ASSOCIATE
With a background as an entrepreneur and experience leading marketing teams for various financial services organizations, Will Alverson brings a unique mix of skills to the EQA team and our clients.
In 2018, Will founded Cultivo Media, a custom software development agency that serviced clients in the media, government, and manufacturing sectors. From there, he led marketing for Highwing, a digital commercial insurance exchange platform, and helped them grow to 15% carrier market share and over $4b of written premium on their platform. Most recently, Will managed investor relations and portfolio company success at IrishAngels, a Notre Dame affiliated venture capital firm with a focus on early-stage investments.
A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Will moved to Denver in 2015 to attend the University of Denver, where he earned a BSBA in Marketing, sat on the advisory board for the entrepreneurship program, and served on student government. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, skiing, and golf.