About Cape Fear Advisors
Founded on the Cape Fear coast of North Carolina, today based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. One principal, two practices, forty years of operating experience behind the work.
The Firm
Greg Collins leads every engagement personally — from first conversation through final deliverable. The team scales with what the work demands, but every client relationship starts and ends with Greg. That's been true for four decades and it's the operating model.
The firm operates across two practices. Independent structural analysis — market dynamics, operating structure, and valuation, read through the lens of public company disclosure. The published work on NVIDIA, SpaceX, and CoreWeave demonstrates the method. Operating and growth advisory serves privately held software and services businesses — growth strategy, M&A, and PE operating playbook execution.
The structural work and the advisory work share a foundation: forty years of operating experience, seventy-plus completed transactions, and the discipline of staying within what the analysis supports. The operating background is what makes the structural reading possible. The structural discipline is what makes the advisory work worth trusting.
The first conversation is always about your question and your objectives. We'll be direct about whether the background is the right fit for what you're trying to accomplish — that's the only qualification that matters.
"The first conversation is always about the question. If the background is the right fit, we'll know it quickly — and we'll be direct if it isn't."
Greg Collins, Founder
Two Practices
Practice One
Market dynamics, operating structure, and valuation — analyzed through the lens of public company disclosure. Register-based analysis of NVIDIA, SpaceX, CoreWeave, and other companies whose filings warrant close reading.
Available for institutional research, media background, commissioned analysis, and ongoing board and committee advisory.
View published analysis →Practice Two
Growth strategy, M&A advisory, and PE operating playbook execution for privately held software and services businesses. From start-up stage through $2 billion in revenue, with 70+ completed transactions across four decades.
Includes independent marketing spend measurement via C3 Metrics infrastructure — the one discipline most operating playbooks have never independently addressed.
View all engagement types →
About Greg Collins
Greg Collins has spent his career across strategic consulting, investment banking, CEO leadership, and general management — with transaction experience spanning buy-side M&A, sell-side advisory, and corporate investing roles in industries from enterprise software and automotive retail technology to healthcare, financial services, and advertising attribution.
In parallel with his advisory work, Greg publishes independent structural analysis of public company disclosures. The published registers on NVIDIA, SpaceX, and CoreWeave — approximately 25 pieces of original analysis across the Strategy Lab and Substack — have been cited in national financial media coverage. The structural work grows from the same operating experience that drives client engagements.
Independent structural analysis — market dynamics, operating structure, and valuation — and operating advisory for privately held software and services businesses. All client engagements led personally.
Leads sales, marketing, services, and product development for C3 Metrics, the independent marketing attribution platform. Built and maintained enterprise-grade infrastructure attributing over 2 billion advertising events monthly. Achieved MRC Accreditation for Viewability. Sold and delivered full omni-channel measurement programs to major advertisers across automotive, financial services, healthcare, and D2C.
PE-backed provider of outsourced marketing services and software. Sold major enterprise accounts representing $5 million or more in annual purchasing. Positioned the company in new industry segments that expanded its addressable market and contributed to the company's eventual exit.
Doubled the customer base and revenue of this NoSQL database provider. Sold key systems to the Weather Channel, the UK National Health System, Yahoo! Japan, State Farm, and other Fortune 100 companies. Served on the Board of Directors.
Served on the Management Committee and ran a $200 million revenue portfolio during a period when the company grew from $600 million to $2 billion in revenues. Led the divestiture of two divisions totaling $400 million. Pioneered automotive e-commerce — originating the company's early digital capabilities. Guided strategic planning, corporate development, and its eventual split into two independent firms.
Strategy development and execution services for firms in software, healthcare, retail, and other industries. Led major corporate transactions, including the $100M sale of Western Ohio Health Care Corporation to United Healthcare.
Strategy development and execution focused on growth-oriented companies. The foundation of a career built around helping companies grow.
Greg has served on more than 15 boards of directors throughout his career, including Basho Technologies, NetworkCar LLC, ChoiceParts LLC, Reynolds Australia PLC, CVR, and eFin LLC, as well as several community non-profit organizations. He served as Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee for Cape Fear Academy.
M.B.A. — Darden School of Business, University of Virginia · B.A., Economics — Williams College
Tell us what you're working on. We'll be direct about whether the experience is the right match.
