Stonington Capital Advisors
Independent private capital placement and advisory firm focused on sub-$1 billion private funds, secondary transactions and direct investment opportunities.
stoningtoncapital.comStonington Capital Advisors is an independent private capital placement and advisory firm founded in 2012, with offices in New York City and Short Hills, New Jersey. The firm advises private fund managers on institutional fundraising, secondary transactions and direct private placements.
Stonington concentrates on sub-$1 billion private funds across buyout, private credit, distressed investment, venture capital, real estate and non-correlated alternative strategies. Its typical clients are lower-middle-market and specialist managers seeking focused institutional investor access and support across the capital-raising process.
Principal activities
Fundraising strategy, market positioning, investor targeting and engagement with prospective limited partners.
Advice concerning private fund-interest transfers, investor liquidity requirements and continuation-vehicle transactions.
Capital placement for transactions undertaken by independent sponsors and managers investing between fund vehicles.
- Strategic advisory: Support for managers seeking to develop their organizations and broaden their institutional investor bases.
- Roll-up strategies: Identification of capital providers for acquisition programs and other multi-transaction growth strategies.
The firm states that its typical clients are private equity firms managing approximately $200 million to $750 million. Its placement work connects managers with pension plans, endowments, foundations, insurance companies, asset managers, funds of funds and family offices. Most of its investor relationships are based in North America, with additional relationships in Europe. View the firm’s services ↗
Investment and transaction coverage
- Buyout funds
- Private credit
- Distressed investments
- Venture capital
- Real estate
- Non-correlated assets
- Primary fund placement
- Private fund secondaries
- Continuation vehicles
- Independent sponsor transactions
- Direct private placements
- Roll-up strategies
Stonington states that it undertakes secondary trades beginning at approximately $5 million. Its direct-placement network includes insurance companies, asset managers, family offices, Small Business Investment Company funds, mezzanine investors and other structured-capital providers.
Market position
Stonington operates in the specialist segment of the private capital placement market. Its emphasis on sub-$1 billion funds distinguishes it from larger global placement agents whose mandates frequently concentrate on larger institutional fundraises. The firm’s positioning is particularly relevant to lower-middle-market sponsors, specialist investment managers and emerging institutional firms requiring targeted assistance with investor segmentation, market positioning and fundraising execution.
Distinctive focus: Partner-led capital raising and advisory services for private funds and managers below $1 billion.
Competitive context
Stonington competes within the specialist private capital placement market, particularly for mandates involving emerging, lower-middle-market and sub-$1 billion private fund managers. Comparable firms within this segment include independent placement and advisory boutiques rather than large global investment banks or diversified professional-services groups.
Relative to pure fund-placement firms, Stonington maintains broader transaction coverage through secondary advisory and direct private placements. Relative to larger global placement platforms, its model is more narrowly oriented toward smaller funds, independent sponsors and partner-led engagements.
Comparable firms are selected according to overlap in business model, client segment, service coverage, geographic activity and mandate profile. Inclusion does not imply an exhaustive competitor set or an equivalence in scale, ranking or market position.
Leadership
| Person | Current position | Institutional background |
|---|---|---|
| Dana C. Pawlicki | Managing Partner and Co-Founder | Evercore Partners’ Private Funds Group, Neuberger Berman, Lehman Brothers and Citigroup Alternative Investments |
| Dan Rudgers | Senior Managing Director | FIRSTavenue, Lazard’s Private Fund Advisory Group and Lehman Brothers |
| Patrick O’Meara | Senior Adviser | Founder of Profor Securities; formerly with Clinton Group, Smith Barney, Citigroup and Bear Stearns |
Dana C. Pawlicki joined Stonington as managing partner in September 2012 after serving in Evercore Partners’ Private Funds Group. His earlier work included institutional investor coverage, alternative-investment product development and private-funds law. Dan Rudgers has experience in institutional distribution and fundraising across buyout, venture capital, private credit, distressed investment, energy, mezzanine, secondaries and co-investment strategies. Patrick O’Meara participates in the distribution of selected mandates. View the current team ↗
Corporate and regulatory information
Stonington Capital Advisors is the managing member and owner of 75% or more of Stonington Drive Securities LLC. The affiliated entity is a Delaware limited liability company formed on 23 January 2017 and operates as a registered broker-dealer and capital acquisition broker.
View registered-entity details
| Affiliated entity | Stonington Drive Securities LLC |
| Relationship | Majority-owned broker-dealer affiliate |
| FINRA CRD number | 287876 |
| SEC number | 8-69914 |
| Registration effective | 21 August 2017 |
| Regulatory location | Short Hills, New Jersey |
Offices
- New York: 1330 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 23A, New York, NY 10019
- Short Hills: 51 JFK Parkway, First Floor West, Short Hills, NJ 07078
Rankings and recognition
Ranking inclusion is editorially determined. The existence or maintenance of a Wiki profile does not influence ranking eligibility, tier or position.
Related institutions and subjects
Sources and data transparency
The following sources were accessed on 19 August 2026:
- Stonington Capital Advisors — firm overview and market focus.
- Services — service categories, client profile and investor coverage.
- About — leadership and professional backgrounds.
- Contact — office locations.
- FINRA BrokerCheck — ownership, registration and regulatory information.
- Advisory Ranking — 2026 ranking inclusion and classification.
