# Peter Lehrman

> Peter Lehrman is the founder and CEO of Axial, a New York based online platform where owners of small and lower middle market private companies meet buyers, lenders and financial sponsors. He also hosts the Masters in Small Business M&A podcast. Before Axial, he was on the founding team of Gerson Lehrman Group and worked in private equity at SFW Capital Partners.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Axial
- **Organizations:** Axial, Gerson Lehrman Group (founding team, prior), SFW Capital Partners (prior)
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Undergraduate, University of Virginia, MBA, Stanford Graduate School of Business
- **Known for:** Founded and scaled Axial to become North America's leading online platform for lower middle market M&A, Grew Axial to a network of more than 20,000 investors, M&A advisors and business owners, Raised over $33M in total funding across multiple rounds

## Career timeline

- **early career** — Founding team member at Gerson Lehrman Group, helped build the on-demand expert network platform
- **pre-Axial** — Private equity at SFW Capital Partners
- **2009-2010** — Founded Axial in New York
- **2016** — Axial raised Series C funding (approx $14M)
- **2022** — Launched Masters in Small Business M&A podcast
- **present** — Continues as CEO of Axial, serving 20,000+ investors, advisors and CEOs

## Achievements

- Founded and scaled Axial to become North America's leading online platform for lower middle market M&A
- Grew Axial to a network of more than 20,000 investors, M&A advisors and business owners
- Raised over $33M in total funding across multiple rounds
- Helped build Gerson Lehrman Group's global technology platform
- Hosts Masters in Small Business M&A podcast

## Latest updates

- **2022** — Launched the Masters in Small Business M&A podcast
- **2023-11** — Featured on Mineola Search Partners profile as founder & CEO of Axial

## Links

- Website: https://www.axial.net
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/plehrman/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/petelehrman
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/axial.net/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/peter-lehrman
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-09