# Consensus Consumer

> Consensus Consumer is a boutique investment bank built for one job: selling, buying, and financing consumer brands. Founded in Boston in 2006 by Michael A. O'Hara, the firm has closed hundreds of deals across beauty, apparel, retail, and food, running a rare specialist playbook where every banker lives inside the consumer economy. In July 2026 it combined with Canada's Origin Merchant Partners to form Consensus Consumer, a dedicated consumer division with cross-border reach across North America.

- **Founded:** 2006
- **Headquarters:** Boston, United States
- **Founders:** Michael A. O'Hara (Founder; Chair of Origin U.S.), Jim Knutson (President / CEO)
- **Team size:** About 31 employees; the combined Origin platform has 80+ professionals
- **Products:** Mergers & Acquisitions, Capital Raising, Analytical & Valuation Services, Great Brands Show, The Weekly Consensus
- **Notable:** Closed hundreds of consumer and retail transactions since 2006, Advised on Everlane's sale to SHEIN, Advised on Carbon Beauty's sale to Front Row Group

## Products & services

- **Mergers & Acquisitions** — Full-service sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory for consumer brands, aimed at optimizing exit value and options.
- **Capital Raising** — Growth capital, private placements, and financing for high-growth consumer brands from private equity, growth equity, and strategic investors.
- **Analytical & Valuation Services** — Valuations, fairness opinions, and due diligence support for consumer and retail companies.
- **Great Brands Show** — Annual NYC program (launched 2010/2011) connecting rising consumer brands with growth capital and industry executives.
- **The Weekly Consensus** — A Monday-morning newsletter summarizing the most important strategic stories in the consumer world.

## Achievements

- Closed hundreds of consumer and retail transactions since 2006
- Advised on Everlane's sale to SHEIN
- Advised on Carbon Beauty's sale to Front Row Group
- Advised on The Brandhouse Collective / Kirkland's Home transactions
- Advised on Hanky Panky and Paul Stuart deals
- Built the Great Brands Show into a leading platform for rising consumer brands since 2010
- Combined with Origin Merchant Partners in 2026 to form North America's leading independent consumer and retail M&A practice

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Origin Merchant Partners combined with Consensus to create Consensus Consumer, a dedicated consumer-focused division, adding 20 professionals to Origin's platform.
- **2026-06** — Advised Carbon Beauty on its sale to Front Row Group.

## Links

- Website: https://consensusadvisors.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/consensusadvisors
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/consensusadviso

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/consensus-consumer
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-20