MGO and One Seven Merge; Merchant Makes Minority Investment in One Seven

7-Tool Advisor (One Seven) Acquires College Funding Evolution

May 17, 2021

Education

7-Tool Advisor of One Seven, a Beachwood, Ohio-based registered investment advisory (RIA), has acquired College Funding Evolution (CFE), a turnkey college planning marketing system. The acquisition adds college planning coaching, financial aid planning, admissions support and related training to One Seven’s advisor services, enhancing its offering to affiliated financial advisors; terms were not disclosed.

Merchant Investment Management Makes Minority Growth Investment in Southwestern Investment Group

January 25, 2022

Financial Services

Merchant Investment Management (Merchant) completed a minority growth-capital investment in Southwestern Investment Group (SWIG), a Franklin, Tennessee-based registered investment advisor overseeing approximately $5.8 billion AUM. The transaction (closed in November) will leave SWIG independent while management and advisors take ownership stakes and leverage Merchant's capital and strategic resources to support continued growth and sustainability.

CION Investment Group Acquires Seven Group (rebranding as Advisor I/O)

July 25, 2022

Marketing & Advertising

CION Investment Group has acquired a full stake in Seven Group, a financial-advisor marketing, practice management, and content platform that will rebrand as Advisor I/O. The acquisition expands CION’s advisor-focused value-add services and builds on its retail distribution capabilities; Seven Group’s existing leadership and team will remain in place to continue supporting advisors with content, coaching, and technology.

Excel Sports Management Acquires Game Seven

June 16, 2022

Marketing & Advertising

Excel Sports Management has acquired creative and experiential marketing agency Game Seven to bolster its Brand Marketing division and expand capabilities across sports and entertainment marketing. Game Seven's founders will continue to lead the agency and retain a minority stake while the agency will operate as part of Excel's Brand Marketing team from its Brooklyn office.

Orangewood Partners Makes Additional Investment in Motley 7 Brew

June 12, 2025

Restaurants & Hospitality

Orangewood Partners completed an additional growth investment in Motley 7 Brew, a leading 7 Brew franchisee and member of the Anchor Point Management Group family. The proceeds will support Motley 7 Brew’s acceleration of growth through acquisitions and new unit development across Ohio, Georgia and Texas; terms were not disclosed.

SurgeONE.ai Acquires MGL Consulting

May 29, 2025

Professional Services

SurgeONE.ai, a Surge Ventures–backed AI platform for compliance and cybersecurity, has acquired MGL Consulting, a Texas-based compliance firm serving broker-dealers, investment advisers and commodities firms. MGL will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary, with founder Melinda “Mimi” LeGaye continuing as CEO of MGL and President, Compliance Services at SurgeONE.ai to deepen practitioner expertise across SurgeONE.ai’s integrated compliance, cyber and data platform.