Clark Street Associates, an advisory firm focused on securing government grants, loans, and strategic partnerships for hard tech companies, and Finalis, a FINRA-registered broker-dealer and deal infrastructure platform, announced they have formed a partnership to help companies evaluate and pursue a growing set of U.S. government funding tools, including direct equity investments.
The companies said the partnership creates an integrated platform that pairs Clark Street’s federal strategy and advisory capabilities with Finalis’ broker-dealer, compliance, and transaction execution infrastructure. The offering is positioned for commercial technology companies that are increasingly being asked to engage with the federal government in transaction structures that sit between traditional public programs and private capital markets.
While government grants and loans have long been staples of public-sector funding, the firms said direct federal equity participation is emerging as a distinct category that requires a blend of public-sector context, technology fluency, and capital-markets execution. Under the partnership, Clark Street’s federal equity advisory services will be delivered through Finalis’ regulated framework, enabling compliant transaction support and execution for equity-related engagements.
The firms described the landscape as one in which companies need more than conventional government relations or standard investment banking advice, noting the growing complexity of transactions involving strategic national priorities, agency-specific objectives, and commercial implications for participating companies. The integrated relationship is intended to cover strategic positioning with agencies, assessment of commercial and transaction considerations, and support through execution, alongside more traditional federal funding pathways.
Finalis said its role in the partnership is to provide the regulated infrastructure required for equity-related advisory and execution, including broker-dealer affiliation, compliance oversight, and workflow support. Clark Street said it will bring the federal strategy and program navigation needed to translate government priorities into actionable funding and partnership opportunities for technology companies operating in sectors tied to national competitiveness.
KEY QUOTES:
“Washington’s expansion of its funding tools to include equity investments, in addition to traditional grants and loans, is exposing the limits of the traditional lobbying model. Technology companies need more than advocacy—they need a partner that can translate government priorities, understand complex technologies and help bridge the gap between the problems agencies are trying to solve and the companies capable of solving them. This type of resource, helping companies close the gap between traditional government deal-making and investment banking, has never existed before. Our partnership with Finalis will uniquely enable companies to position themselves for success as the policy landscape evolves and as federal equity becomes a more powerful tool for growth.”
Stephen Empedocles, CEO, Clark Street Associates
“Federal equity introduces a category of transactions that requires public-sector context and private-market discipline. Our role is to provide the regulated broker-dealer, compliance, and execution infrastructure that makes this type of advisory possible at scale. By enabling Clark Street to operate within a compliant transaction framework, we’re giving technology companies a level of rigor and readiness the market has never had access to before.”
Federico Baradello, Founder and CEO, Finalis
