David A. Shiffman calls himself an “accidental investment banker.”

The partner and head of investment banking at Solomon Partners was on track to go to medical school but decided it wasn’t for him in his senior year of college. He instead went into consulting for a few years and eventually pivoted decided to pursue investment banking after attending Columbia Business School.

Since Shiffman joined the firm in 2012, Solomon Partners has grown from roughly 30 professionals to about 300 across four offices in the U.S. The firm expanded beyond its retail, consumer and media roots into a dozen industry groups while remaining focused on M&A advice, private capital raising and restructuring.

Shiffman attributed that growth to three pillars: culture, sector expertise and execution. Solomon Partners has built its practices largely one senior hire at a time, while still recruiting young talent a key challenge.

Throughout his career, Shiffman has advised notable consumer companies, including J.Crew Group Inc. on its IPO in 2005 and Guess? Inc. on its sale to Authentic Brands Group LLC in August 2025.

While consumer M&A has been choppy over the past few years, Shiffman identified food, beverage, beauty, health and wellness as active categories. Other industries such as business services and healthcare are also holding steady with dealmaking activity.

Solomon’s deal pipeline is indicating a busy 2027 for the firm, according to Shiffman.

“Good bankers always can spot opportunities and help clients achieve their goals, irrespective of what market we’re in,” Shiffman said.

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