Private-market liquidity, handled with diligence first.
River Guide Labs advises sellers and qualified buyers of late-stage private company shares, and public and private companies on structured capital and buy-side M&A. Every mandate is led personally by the principal.
Start a confidential conversationFewer mandates, run properly.
Private markets reward patience and punish shortcuts. We take on a small number of engagements, verify before we market, and walk away when something doesn’t check out. Our principles:
The principal on every deal
You deal directly with the person accountable for the outcome, from first call to settlement. Nothing is handed off.
Proof before process
We confirm share ownership, transfer restrictions, authority to sign and source of funds before a counterparty is introduced. KYC, accreditation or QIB status, and a letter of representation from every party.
NDA before substance
No names, documents or pricing change hands until both sides are covered. We approach only buyers for whom a transaction is a genuine fit, never a broadcast list.
An AI-native operating model
Automation handles buyer mapping, diligence tracking and document flow, so the principal can move quickly and thoroughly at once.
Terms you can read
Engagement scope and fees are agreed in writing at the start. Securities transactions are executed through our broker-dealer, Finalis Securities LLC.
Paid when you close
Fees are weighted toward completion. We tell you early if a transaction isn’t likely to get done, and why.
Applying diverse expertise/skills/relationships to your specific needs
River Guide Labs was founded by Sanjeev Rao after nearly three decades building and running technology companies. As a founder, he’s raised and deployed capital, negotiated with boards, and lived with the terms as an operator. As an investor, he’s raised and deployed capital. He learns from life’s successes and failures.
He began as an engineer. After an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering and graduate study in computer science at Carnegie Mellon, he spent thirteen years in hands-on AI work: intrusion detection for a DARPA-funded U.S. Navy cybersecurity program, protein folding for drug discovery, early prediction of sepsis in hospitals, and load forecasting for a utility. He went on to serve as a CTO.
He then spent fifteen years on the business side. He founded and exited three AI-driven advertising and marketing technology companies, ran true[X], an advertising division of Disney, and served as CEO of Wunderkind, a post-Series C company of about a thousand people. Along the way, he invested in numerous private companies and funds.
Soon after ChatGPT made its dramatic entrance, he started his second career in finance and investments. He founded River Guide Labs to apply that experience to private markets, where technical judgment and operating experience help separate real supply and demand from noise, especially in AI and in the infrastructure that powers it.
- RegistrationRegistered representative, Finalis Securities LLC · FINRA Series 7, 79, 66
- FocusLate-stage private companies, AI and digital infrastructure, power
- Based inManhattan Beach, California
- VerifyFINRA BrokerCheck
What we do
All securities transactions are offered through Finalis Securities LLC.
Private-Market Secondaries
Liquidity for founders, employees, early investors and funds in late-stage private companies, and access for institutional and qualified buyers.
- Direct share and block transfers
- SPV and fund interests
- Issuer ROFR and transfer process managed to close
Public-Company & Structured Capital
Capital and liquidity solutions for listed companies and large holders.
- PIPEs and registered direct offerings
- Take-private transactions
- Rule 144A placements and resales of restricted securities to qualified institutional buyers
Buy-side M&A & Capital Advisory
Advice for acquirers and sponsors, with particular depth in AI, digital and critical infrastructure. We act for the buyer.
- Buy-side M&A
- Growth and late-stage capital raises
- Introductions to capital providers for acquisitions and growth
Commercial lending introductions
For companies, sponsors and developers seeking $5 million or more, and the lenders who fund them. We introduce borrowers to lenders whose written criteria fit. We do not lend. Lending introductions are not securities transactions and are not offered through Finalis Securities LLC.
Asset-based lending
Revolving and term credit sized to receivables, inventory and equipment.
Bridge & mezzanine
Short-term capital to cross a gap, and junior capital between senior debt and equity.
Project financing
Debt for a defined project, repaid from the project’s own cash flows.
Equipment financing
Loans and leases secured by the equipment being bought or refinanced.
Factoring
Selling receivables for immediate cash.
Start a confidential conversation
Tell us who you are, what you’re looking to do, and the approximate size. Please don’t send documents; we’ll put an NDA in place first.