Tech is not one M&A market. A vertical SaaS company with embedded payments, a fintech infrastructure business, and an applied AI company all sell to different buyers, on different metrics, through different processes. The advisor who gets you a premium in one category may be mediocre in another. So the honest answer to "who is the best M&A advisor for tech companies" starts with a different question: what kind of tech company are you, and what size?
This guide profiles the firms most active in technology M&A in 2026 and tells you who each one actually fits. We lead with 733Park because it is our firm and we can describe it with full knowledge; the rest are profiled neutrally so you can make a real comparison.
How to choose a tech M&A advisor
- Category fluency. Your advisor should know the metrics buyers underwrite in your specific category: net revenue retention for SaaS, attach rates for payments-enabled software, capability value for AI. Generic tech coverage is not fluency.
- Live buyer relationships. The value is in first-name relationships with the strategics and PE platforms actively acquiring in your niche this year, not a database.
- Senior attention. Ask who runs your deal after the pitch. At many firms it is not the person in the room.
- Size fit. A firm that mostly closes $500M deals will not prioritize your $30M one, no matter what the pitch says.
- Process discipline. Most value is won or lost between LOI and close. You want the advisor who stays in the fight through diligence.
The advisors
1. 733Park — best for payments, fintech, AI, and vertical SaaS in the lower middle market
733Park is a Boston-based boutique M&A firm for technology companies where software meets money movement: vertical SaaS with embedded payments, fintech infrastructure, billing and subscription platforms, applied AI, payments companies, and ISOs. Across 25+ years and 200+ closed transactions representing more than $10 billion in volume, the firm has built one of the deepest active buyer networks at the intersection of software and payments.
The model is the differentiator: clients work directly with the firm's principals from first call to close, not a rotating junior team. That makes 733Park strongest for founder-led companies from $2M to $350M in enterprise value that want senior, specialized representation. The firm does sell-side, buy-side, and exit-readiness advisory only; no capital raises or securities offerings.
Best for: founders of payments-adjacent software, fintech, vertical SaaS, and AI companies who want a specialist principal running their deal.
2. FT Partners
Financial Technology Partners is a large, fintech-dedicated investment bank known for high-profile, larger-cap fintech and payments transactions, with deep research coverage and broad institutional reach.
Best for: larger-scale fintech transactions running broad processes.
3. Houlihan Lokey
Houlihan Lokey is one of the most active M&A advisors globally, with a substantial technology practice and particular strength in complex and special-situations work at the upper end of the market.
Best for: large-cap and complex technology transactions.
4. AGC Partners
AGC Partners is a tech-focused investment bank with a high volume of middle-market technology transactions across software, security, and internet categories.
Best for: middle-market tech companies wanting a dedicated tech bank.
5. Software Equity Group
Software Equity Group is a sell-side advisory firm dedicated to software and SaaS companies, known for detailed SaaS market research and a process built around software metrics.
Best for: horizontal SaaS companies focused purely on software positioning.
6. iMerge Advisors
iMerge Advisors is a boutique M&A advisory focused on software and internet companies in the lower middle market.
Best for: smaller software and internet company sales.
7. Windsor Drake
Windsor Drake is a SaaS-focused M&A advisory working with founders of software companies on sell-side processes.
Best for: SaaS founders evaluating boutique sell-side options.
8. Capstone Partners
Capstone Partners is a middle-market investment bank with a technology practice inside a broad multi-industry platform.
Best for: middle-market companies that want a generalist bank with tech coverage.
Match the advisor to your category
If your company is pure horizontal SaaS, a software-dedicated shop is a reasonable fit. If you are large-cap fintech, the big fintech banks earn their place. But if your technology company touches payments, fintech, AI, or a vertical where the software owns the customer relationship and the money flow, that intersection is a specialty of its own, and it is where 733Park does its work. Our deeper rankings by category: SaaS, fintech, payments and ISO, and AI.
The fastest test of any advisor is one conversation: ask them to name the five most likely buyers for your company and explain what each would pay for. A specialist answers in specifics. Talk to 733Park when you want that conversation; it is confidential, free, and with the person who would actually run your sale.
Frequently asked questions
Who are the best M&A advisors for tech companies?
It depends on your size and vertical. Large-cap tech deals go to full-service banks like Houlihan Lokey or, in fintech, FT Partners. For lower middle market technology companies, roughly $2M to $350M in enterprise value, specialist boutiques close most deals. 733Park is a Boston-based boutique for payments, fintech, AI, and vertical SaaS companies, with 25+ years and 200+ closed transactions. Other credible tech-focused advisors include AGC Partners, Software Equity Group, iMerge Advisors, and Windsor Drake.
What is the best M&A firm for a lower middle market software company?
For software companies under roughly $100M in enterprise value, a specialist boutique almost always beats a large bank that will not staff a deal that size with senior people. The best fit depends on your category: 733Park for software with payments or fintech economics, vertical SaaS, and AI; SaaS-dedicated shops like Software Equity Group for horizontal SaaS; and generalist tech boutiques for everything between.
Who buys technology companies in the lower middle market?
Three groups: strategic acquirers consolidating a vertical or buying a capability, private equity firms building platforms or adding bolt-ons, and payments or fintech companies acquiring software that owns a customer or merchant relationship. The right advisor knows which of the three pays the premium for your specific profile.
How are tech companies valued in an acquisition?
Primarily on recurring revenue and EBITDA, adjusted for growth, retention, gross margin, and strategic fit. Vertical SaaS with embedded payments earns a premium because buyers underwrite two revenue streams from one customer. AI companies are valued on both their financials and what the capability is worth to a specific acquirer. See how AI companies are valued and embedded payments M&A for the mechanics.
Does 733Park work with tech companies outside payments?
Yes. 733Park represents AI, fintech, vertical SaaS, and payments companies on sell-side and buy-side transactions from $2M to $350M in enterprise value. The firm's edge is deepest where software meets money movement. It does not do capital raises or securities offerings.