Cortus Advisory secures £500,000 debt package from River Capital

What's the deal? Cortus Advisory GroupDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a UK M&A advisory firm, has secured a £500,000 debt facility from River CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → to fund its next growth phase and create new roles. The funding, delivered through the North West Business Growth Loan FundDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, will be drawn in two tranches.

What's the endgame? Cortus plans to accelerate senior recruitment and expand its services, particularly for private equity clients pursuing buy-and-build strategies. The facility also backs investment in AI and automation to sharpen client insights and productivity.

The context: Founded in the North West in 2020 by chief executive officer Nicola Merritt, Cortus has grown to a team of more than 60 across six offices in Manchester, Preston, Leeds, Nottingham, Birmingham, and London. It became B Corp certified in 2025, the same year it surpassed 250 completed transactions with an aggregate deal value above £2 billion.

Why now? "This funding comes at exactly the right time for us," Merritt said, citing confidence to keep investing in people, technology, and growth as the firm enters its next phase.

What they said: "This funding will help Cortus keep scaling without losing the senior-led, relationship-driven approach that sets them apart," said Chris Carter, investment manager at River Capital. He added that the firm was "proud to be backing a founder-led business with such strong ESG credentials."

The signal: The £500,000 sits at the small end of the funding spectrum, but debt facilities like this let founder-led advisory firms scale without diluting ownership — a route regional funds increasingly favour to back job creation outside London.

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