48North Partners, a Los Angeles-based buy-side M&A advisory firm serving founder-led and privately held businesses, today announced the addition of five new team members to its Los Angeles office. The firm has welcomed two associates and three analysts: Trae Smith, Wells Watts, Gabriella Ramsaran, Grace Kotsay, and Wells Leland.
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Chapin Newhard and the team at 48North Partners
The new team members join 48North's buyside advisory practice, where they will support business owners across various industries at every stage of the M&A process.
The expansion comes at a defining moment for privately held businesses in the United States. As a generation of founders approaches retirement, amid a shift widely described as the largest transfer of private business ownership in American history, more owners are seeking specialist advisors tailored to founder-led businesses. 48North has positioned itself squarely within that movement, with the firm's leadership regularly publishing commentary on independent sponsors and search funds in founder-led M&A and the state of founder advisory in 2026.
“We are thrilled to welcome this talented group to 48North,” said Chapin Newhard, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of 48North Partners. “Every one of them shares the quality that defines our firm: a genuine respect for the people who build businesses. As more founders approach some of the most important decisions of their lives, growing our team allows us to serve them with the depth and attention they deserve.”
Chapin Newhard founded 48North Partners after beginning his career on the buy side of the transaction table at a private equity firm focused on family-owned and founder-led service businesses, an experience that shaped the firm's founder-first advisory model. He has written on transition readiness as an operating discipline for privately held companies and contributes regular commentary on M&A and exit planning for national business publications.
“Our clients trust us during one of the most consequential decisions of their professional lives,” Newhard added. “We hire people who take that responsibility seriously and who bring energy to everything they do, on and off the clock.”
True to form, the firm marked the occasion with a team pickleball tournament in Los Angeles, a fitting welcome for a group 48North expects to hit the ground running. The event also celebrated summer analyst George Gale, who wraps up his internship with the firm this season.
The new hires reflect 48North's continued investment in its advisory team and its talent pipeline as the firm expands its capacity to serve business owners in Los Angeles and across the country.
About 48North Partners
48North Partners is a Los Angeles-based M&A advisory firm serving founders and privately held business owners. 48North's approach is built on the belief that every transaction is unique and that the best outcomes come from a deep understanding of each client's goals. Learn more at 48northpartners.com or follow the firm on LinkedIn.
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