Iconic Recruits Two of America’s Top M&A Advisors as Its Broker Network Triples and Seller Base Doubles in Under a Year

Iconic, the tech-enabled M&A advisory firm, today announced that Adrianna Smith and Lana Hout, two of the nation’s highest-selling business brokers, have joined its leadership team as Executive M&A Advisors. The dynamic duo brings more than 150 closed transactions and over $175 million in total deal value to the firm.

As Executive M&A Advisors, Smith and Hout join Iconic’s leadership team with a mandate that extends well beyond closing deals. They’ll work directly with Iconic’s product team, applying their deal experience to new features and ongoing improvements, mentoring advisors already on the platform, and launching a business podcast targeting the core small and medium-sized business Iconic was built to serve.

Prior to Iconic, Smith and Hout spent over a decade building what became the leading business brokerage in Los Angeles, working with more than 250 business owners across 15 industries. The pair earned over 30 national awards, including #1 Sales Team Nationwide, #1 Sales Associate Nationwide, and recognition as Los Angeles Business Journal Women of Influence: Finance honorees in 2022 and 2025. The two went on to sell the brokerage themselves, giving them firsthand experience with the exact process they guided other owners through. Smith and Hout previously served as Senior Vice Presidents and Advisors at Expa, the venture studio behind Iconic’s early investment, where they advised portfolio companies from launch through exit.

“Every seller we work with is trying to capture the value of something they built over decades, and the advisor sitting across the table determines whether they actually get there,” said Erik Salazar, Co-founder & CEO of Iconic. “Adrianna and Lana have delivered that outcome for hundreds of owners. They’ve built one of the most successful brokerages in the country by combining technical expertise with trusted advice, and that’s exactly the standard we want every advisor at our firm to represent.”

Hout began her career in business valuation at Duff & Phelps and Deloitte, working on M&A, tax, and financial reporting engagements before moving to NBCUniversal as a senior analyst for E!. She graduated from USC’s Marshall School of Business, holds a California real estate broker license, and is co-founder and co-host of The AI Chicks, a Webby-honored technology podcast and FeedSpot’s Top 100 AI Podcast.

“I’ve spent over a decade advising owners through the sale of their businesses, and I’ve been the seller myself. For most owners this is the largest transaction of their lives, and the guidance they get should reflect that,” Hout said. “Iconic was built so the size of your business doesn’t decide the quality of advice you get.”

Smith spent five years as a Business Valuation Manager at Deloitte, working on M&A, estate, and tax valuations. She graduated from USC’s Marshall School of Business and holds a California real estate license, a Nevada real estate salesperson license, and business broker permit.

“Throughout my career, I’ve sat with small-business owners who spent years building something real and had no idea how to think about scaling it or eventually walking away from it,” Smith said. “Most of them don’t have the same strategic guidance available in the startup world or at large companies. That’s what excites me about Iconic’s mission.”

Iconic’s roster of advisors has tripled in size since the company’s public launch in May 2026, growing to over 100 brokers. Together, the team brings a stellar track record of closing more than 300 deals representing $2.3 billion in combined transaction value over the course of their careers.

To further build on the momentum, Iconic will launch a new podcast presented by Iconic and co-hosted by Smith and Hout. The show will feature candid conversations with business owners, operators, and investors about how companies are built, how major decisions are made, and the money, mistakes, and defining moments behind their success.

Advisors looking to build a modern dealmaking practice: iconic.co/advisors.

Business owners considering a sale, or buyers seeking quality acquisition opportunities: iconic.co.

ABOUT ICONIC

Iconic is a modern M&A advisory firm built for small-business owners and the brokers who serve them. The company combines experienced human advisors with a proprietary AI-enabled data layer that transforms fragmented seller information, buyer behavior, and deal activity into verified, actionable intelligence — equipping brokers and M&A advisors with a unified operating system to help $1M–$50M Main Street SMB and lower middle market businesses achieve successful exits.

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