CG Capital Research
Advisory Approach
CG Capital is a capital markets development and investor relations advisory firm focused on small-cap and micro-cap public companies, particularly in the healthcare sector. Founded in 2008 by Rich Cockrell, the firm operates with a thesis-driven approach to investor visibility: they believe that overlooked small-cap companies require consistent, strategic investor communications to unlock fair valuation. Unlike traditional M&A advisors who focus on selling private companies, CG Capital specializes in enhancing investor awareness for public companies that are often ignored by Wall Street research analysts.
The firm's positioning is unique: they act as a strategic buffer between management and the investment community, handling investor inquiries, managing communications cadence, and ensuring that founders can focus on operations while CG Capital manages market-facing interactions. Their sweet spot is public companies with market capitalizations below $500 million, particularly micro-cap healthcare companies that lack sell-side research coverage.
Sector Focus
CG Capital maintains a concentrated focus on healthcare services and healthcare products companies. Their practice includes biotechnology, medical devices, healthcare technology, diagnostics, and specialty pharmaceuticals. The firm's team includes former equity research analysts and healthcare investors who understand the clinical development pathway, regulatory milestones, and how to communicate complex scientific narratives to mainstream investors.
Within healthcare, they have particular depth in: biotechnology platforms (gene therapy, vaccines, immunotherapy), medical devices and surgical products, dermatology and aesthetics, digital health technologies, and specialty pharmaceuticals. Their client portfolio includes publicly traded companies across these subsectors.
Deal Track Record
CG Capital does not conduct traditional sell-side M&A transactions for private companies. Instead, they facilitate capital markets transactions including IPO advisory, follow-on offerings, ATM (at-the-market) offerings, and private placements. The firm reports having guided hundreds of healthcare companies through the IPO process and facilitated over $500 million in financings across their client base.
Notable capital markets advisory relationships include: GeoVax Labs (vaccines and immunotherapies), Alimera Sciences (ophthalmology pharmaceuticals), electroCore (bioelectronic medicine), Xtant Medical (spinal and orthopedic implants), STRATA Skin Sciences (dermatology devices), PDS Biotech (immunotherapies), Oragenics (infectious disease biologics), Achieve Life Sciences (smoking cessation), RMS Medical Products (women's health), Streamline Health (healthcare IT), Medovex (medical technology), and EDAP TMS (urology devices).
The firm has also supported M&A transactions from an investor relations perspective, helping companies communicate merger announcements and integration milestones to shareholders. However, they do not source buyers or run sell-side processes for private companies.
Process & Fee Structure
CG Capital's engagement model differs from traditional M&A advisors. They typically engage on a monthly retainer basis for ongoing investor relations and capital markets development services. While specific fee structures are not publicly disclosed, investor relations firms in the small-cap space typically charge $10,000-$25,000 per month for comprehensive services, with success fees tied to capital raising milestones or transaction closings.
Their process includes: (1) investor narrative development and messaging refinement, (2) targeting analytics to identify aligned investors from their 1,600+ investor database, (3) proactive outbound marketing and conference placement, (4) investor inquiry management and meeting scheduling, (5) quarterly reporting and sentiment tracking, and (6) digital amplification across media and social channels.
Engagements are typically 12-24 months for established public companies, with longer-term relationships for companies navigating multi-year turnaround or growth strategies. The firm requires exclusivity in investor representation.
Buyer Network
CG Capital's network consists of 1,600+ sub-$1 billion institutional investors, family offices, and emerging managers. Unlike traditional M&A advisors who maintain relationships with private equity firms and strategic acquirers, CG Capital's network is focused on public market investors including: healthcare-dedicated mutual funds, sector-specific hedge funds, crossover investors (who invest in both public and private companies), family offices with healthcare allocations, and small-cap specialized funds.
The firm emphasizes behavioral targeting over database size—they prioritize investors who are actively deploying capital into underfollowed healthcare stories, rather than broadcasting to every healthcare investor. This relevance-over-reach approach is designed to generate meaningful engagement rather than wasted meetings.
Competitive Positioning
CG Capital differentiates from other investor relations firms through several factors:
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Research-Analytical DNA: Founder Rich Cockrell and senior team members began their careers as equity research analysts at firms like UBS, Jefferies, Ladenburg Thalmann, and Brean Murray. They understand how analysts think, what moves stock prices, and how to frame investment theses.
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Healthcare Specialization: While many IR firms are generalists, CG Capital focuses exclusively on healthcare. They understand clinical trials, FDA pathways, reimbursement dynamics, and how to translate complex science into investor-friendly narratives.
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Capital Markets Integration: The firm offers IPO advisory, capital raising strategy, and ongoing investor relations as an integrated service. This continuity from pre-IPO positioning through post-IPO stewardship is uncommon in the market.
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Senior-Level Execution: The firm emphasizes that clients work directly with senior professionals, not junior staff who get handed off assignments. Rich Cockrell, Eric Beder, and Grant Weingarten all engage directly on client accounts.
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Behavior-Based Targeting: Rather than relying on static databases, CG Capital uses behavioral signals to identify investors who are actively engaging with similar stories, increasing the likelihood of productive meetings.
Not a Fit If
CG Capital typically declines:
- Private companies seeking sell-side M&A representation (they focus on public companies)
- Companies outside the healthcare sector
- Businesses with market capitalizations above $1 billion (they specialize in micro-cap and small-cap)
- Firms looking for one-time transactional advisory rather than ongoing partnership
- Companies seeking traditional brokerage or investment banking services like fairness opinions or valuation analyses
Team
The firm is led by Rich Cockrell (Founder), who has 20+ years of experience spanning equity research (UBS, Jefferies), corporate finance leadership (Kinetic Concepts, Matria Healthcare, ING Americas, Home Depot, El Paso Corporation), and investor relations. Rich Cockrell is a registered broker with FINRA (CRD#4355426) and currently registered with Cetera Wealth Services; his record includes four customer complaint disclosures, all resolved.
Senior team includes: Eric Beder (Equity Analyst), formerly a 20-year sell-side analyst at Ladenburg Thalmann, Brean Murray, Wunderlich Securities, and B. Riley/FBR covering consumer and special situations; three-time Wall Street Journal Best on the Street winner; MBA from UC Berkeley Haas, BS from Wharton. Grant Weingarten (Managing Director), formerly VP Business Development at JonesTrading leading ECM sales; founder of Stokeswood Capital; roles at LifeSci Advisors and Constellation Capital Group; MS from USC, BS from Auburn. Joy Willis (Director), formerly at KCSA Strategic Communications, Tryp Therapeutics, and Solebury Trout; BA from Florida State. Ralph Dickerson III (Senior Advisor), formerly at Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers; Head of Strategic & Alternative Investments for City of Atlanta; executed $53+ billion in transactions across public-private partnerships and capital markets.
Geographic Coverage
CG Capital is headquartered at 309 East Paces Ferry Road NE, Suite 400, Atlanta, GA 30305. The firm serves clients nationally but maintains a particular concentration in healthcare clusters including Georgia, Florida, California, Massachusetts, and North Carolina.