Aurus Advisors Research
Advisory Approach
Aurus Advisors is a FINRA-registered boutique investment banking and corporate finance firm founded in 2002 by investment banking veterans from Merrill Lynch. The firm operates with a sophisticated thesis: that emerging technology companies, fintech platforms, healthcare innovation businesses, and growth-stage software firms require advisory partners who understand both the complexity of their operating models and the global networks of strategic acquirers and financial buyers that can value and deploy capital at these scales. Rather than competing as a generalist bank, Aurus has deliberately focused on technology-driven sectors where operational complexity creates valuation opacity and where buyer networks matter more than scale.
The firm brings together experienced bankers with deep expertise in capital markets, equity derivatives, prime brokerage relationships, and structured financing. This combination differentiates them from traditional M&A boutiques: they understand not just how to run an auction process, but how to structure deals, negotiate complex financing arrangements, and navigate the institutional investor landscape that funds growth company acquisitions.
Sector Focus
Aurus maintains specialized practices across six core industry verticals within the technology and healthcare sectors:
Software & SaaS: The firm advises on exits and recapitalizations of enterprise software, cloud infrastructure, developer tools, and AI-powered software platforms. Their SaaS expertise spans both traditional business software and emerging generative AI applications. The team understands the unit economics, customer acquisition costs, and churn dynamics that determine valuation in the software sector.
FinTech & Financial Services: Aurus has deep relationships within the fintech ecosystem, advising on transactions for payment platforms, lending technology companies, wealth management software, and financial infrastructure providers. The team's 15+ years of combined experience in Merrill Lynch's equity derivatives and financing businesses provides technical credibility with sophisticated financial acquirers.
HealthTech & Healthcare Products: The firm provides advisory on healthcare innovation, including electronic health record systems, telemedicine platforms, medical device software, diagnostic imaging technology, and healthcare analytics platforms. Co-founder Richard Augustus brings operational healthcare expertise through his involvement with Ascendant Behavioral Health (sold to publicly-traded LifeStance Health in January 2023), providing unique perspective on healthcare operations alongside investment banking capability.
Emerging Technology & AI: Aurus advises on artificial intelligence companies, machine learning platforms, computational research tools, and other emerging technology businesses that require sophisticated buyer outreach and valuation perspective.
Team & Experience
Aurus is led by a team of investment banking veterans with deep institutional relationships:
Richard Augustus (President & Co-founder) brings 33 years of experience, including 15 years at Merrill Lynch as Managing Director in the Global Equity Financing Division and Global Equity Swaps leadership. He has built and operated technology companies as chief operating officer, co-founded and sold a healthcare company, and maintains the primary advisor role for client relationships. Augustus is a CPA and Fairfield University graduate.
Joseph Russo (Senior Advisor) co-founded Aurus after a 35-year career at Merrill Lynch, where he served as Managing Director in the Global Equity Financing Group. He built and oversaw Merrill's Global Prime Broker, Securities Lending, and Equity Swap businesses and was primary relationship manager for the firm's most prominent hedge fund clients.
Robert McDonough (Managing Director) contributes 23 years of securities industry experience, including roles at Merrill Lynch managing credit exposure to 1,000+ hedge fund clients globally. He has expertise in collateralized financing, risk structuring, and relationship management with sophisticated institutional investors. McDonough holds a BS in Accounting and MBA in Finance.
Jason Wacha (Legal & Strategy Advisor) is a Stanford and UC Davis law graduate with 30+ years as an attorney, including 15 years as general counsel and senior attorney at technology companies ranging from startups to public companies. He has personally raised hundreds of millions in capital for his own ventures and provides strategic counsel on capital raising and deal structuring.
Advisory Scope & Services
Aurus provides comprehensive advisory services across the full transaction spectrum:
- Mergers & Acquisitions: Sell-side, buy-side, and dual-track processes
- Capital Raises: Equity financing, venture capital, growth equity, and strategic capital
- Recapitalizations: Dividend recaps, minority stake sales, secondary transactions
- Restructurings: Financial restructures, operational restructures, strategic partnerships
- Advisory Services: Valuation, fairness opinions, financial diligence support
Process Philosophy
The firm emphasizes personalized, relationship-driven advisory grounded in deep institutional knowledge. Rather than deploying a standardized process template, Aurus tailors engagement structures to client needs, leveraging the team's combined 100+ years of experience in capital markets, equity derivatives, and relationship management to solve complex financial problems. The team maintains extensive relationships with private equity firms, corporate strategic acquirers, family offices, and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, enabling efficient buyer identification and negotiation.
Geographic Coverage & Client Base
Aurus maintains offices in three primary locations: Ponte Vedra Beach (Florida headquarters), New York, and Palo Alto (California). This geographic distribution reflects their client base: technology companies in Silicon Valley, emerging fintech companies across the coasts, healthcare innovation companies nationwide, and institutional investors in major financial centers.
The firm serves a sophisticated, growth-stage client base including:
- Private equity-backed companies seeking exits or recapitalizations
- Venture-backed software and technology companies
- Healthcare and medical device companies
- Growth-stage financial services and fintech platforms
- Institutional investors including PE firms, hedge funds, and family offices seeking acquisition opportunities
Market Position
Aurus competes in the boutique middle-market advisory space with particular strength in technology and healthcare sectors. The firm's differentiation lies in:
- Operational experience: Team members with CEO, COO, and general counsel backgrounds understand company operations beyond just financial metrics
- Institutional relationships: Deep connections built through 100+ combined years in capital markets, particularly with institutional investors and strategic acquirers
- Technical sophistication: Expertise in complex structuring, derivatives, financing arrangements, and equity-based compensation that many boutique banks lack
- Focused sectors: Deep specialization in technology, fintech, and healthcare where relationships and sectoral knowledge matter most
- FINRA registered: Full broker-dealer registration enabling structured financings and comprehensive advisory services unavailable to non-registered advisors
Founded Year & Tenure
Founded in 2002, Aurus has operated as a FINRA-registered investment bank for 24 years. The firm's founding during the technology boom and persistence through the 2008 financial crisis reflects operational discipline and institutional relationships. Richard Augustus has maintained continuity as President since founding, providing consistency in client relationships and advisory philosophy.
Regulatory Status
Aurus Advisors, Inc. (CRD# 128096) is fully registered with FINRA as a broker-dealer and operates under FINRA oversight. The firm maintains licenses in California, New York, and Florida. Firm leadership has no regulatory disclosures or disciplinary actions on record.