The vertical AI league table
Data as of November 1, 2026. Every count below is computed from the open deals.json file by a script, and every row links to the announcement that produced the credit.
| Rank | Firm | Sell-side credits | Buy-side credits | Largest disclosed | Most recent credited deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Envoy Capital Advisors | 1 | 0 | None disclosed | Citrin Cooperman Advisors LLC acquires Rosetree Solutions (2026-10-06) source |
| =1 | J.P. Morgan | 1 | 0 | None disclosed | SAP acquires TechWolf (2026-10-06) source |
| =1 | Hemisphere Partners | 1 | 0 | None disclosed | McGraw Hill acquires Teachally (2026-09-02) source |
| =1 | Livmo | 1 | 0 | None disclosed | Paradium.AI acquires InfoSentience (2026-08-21) source |
| =1 | L40 | 1 | 0 | None disclosed | Runtime Enterprises acquires Elipse.ai (2026-08-12) source |
| =1 | Houlihan Lokey | 1 | 0 | None disclosed | Eldridge acquires Sudolabs (2026-08-10) source |
| =1 | Equiteq | 1 | 0 | None disclosed | AlixPartners acquires Artium (2026-08-04) source |
| =1 | Guggenheim Securities | 1 | 0 | None disclosed | Coupa acquires Rossum (2026-05-12) source |
| =1 | Atlanticus Advisors | 1 | 0 | None disclosed | Harbinger acquires Phantom AI (2026-02-25) source |
| =1 | TideLock Partners | 1 | 0 | None disclosed | Woven Solutions acquires Apira Technologies (2026-02-05) source |
How a credit is earned
A firm earns one sell-side credit when a public source linked on the deal row names it as financial advisor to the seller. One credit per deal per firm. 0 of the 10 credited deals name more than one sell-side advisor, which is why 10 deals produce 10 credits. Buy-side roles are shown in their own column and do not count toward the rank. Legal, tax and diligence advisors are excluded. A deal belongs to this page when the index labels its sector vertical AI. The full methodology sits on the all-sector league table.
What this table is not
It is not market share. 249 of the 259 tracked vertical AI deals name no sell-side advisor, so a credit count measures disclosure, not deal flow. A firm that closed quiet founder exits in this sector shows up here with a zero or a one.
It is not a quality ranking. Large banks cluster near the top partly because their deals involve public companies and sponsors who publish press releases and file 8-Ks. Do not pick an advisor from a league table. Ask for their last three closed deals in your size band and call the founders.
Small counts are noisy. The index holds only 10 vertical AI deals in 2026 with a named sell-side advisor, so one extra announcement can move a firm several places. 10 of 10 firms have a single credit.
Related resources
- Vertical AI deal slice: every tracked deal in this sector with a source link on every row.
- Most active M&A advisors in tech (full league table): the all-sector version with full methodology.
- Advisor league view: the live version, including per-firm pages.
- ProCloser Tech M&A Deal Index: all 2213 tracked 2026 deals.
- Get matched to an M&A advisor: sector, size and buyer-type matching, free for sellers.
Frequently asked questions
Who were the most active M&A advisors in vertical AI in 2026?
By public sell-side credits in the ProCloser Tech M&A Deal Index, as of November 1, 2026: 10 firms are tied at the top with 1 credited deal each, so there is no clear leader. Only 10 of 259 tracked vertical AI deals (3.9 percent) name a sell-side advisor, so this measures who was named, not who worked the most deals.
How many vertical AI deals name an advisor?
10 of 259 tracked 2026 vertical AI deals (3.9 percent) name a sell-side advisor in a public source. 0 deals name more than one sell-side advisor, so the 10 credited deals produce 10 credits.
Does this table count buy-side advisors?
The ranking counts sell-side credits only. Buy-side credits in this sector are shown in their own column: 2 credits across 2 firms in the index.
How is this table built, and can I check it?
Every count is computed from deals.json, the open dataset published at procloser.ai/deals/data/deals.json, with a script (tools/most_active_advisors_sector.py). Every table row links to the announcement that produced the credit. Data as of November 1, 2026.
My firm advised on a vertical AI deal and is missing. How do I get credited?
Send a link to the public announcement that names your firm as sell-side advisor, with the target, acquirer and date, to corrections@procloser.ai. There is no payment for inclusion or position.
Sources
- deals.json: the full open dataset, generated November 1, 2026. Licensed CC BY 4.0.
- deals.csv: the same data in CSV.
- Deal index and advisor league view: the browsable views.
Cite this page as: ProCloser.ai, "Most Active M&A Advisors in Vertical AI (2026 Data)", November 1, 2026, https://procloser.ai/blog/most-active-ma-advisors-vertical-ai-2026/. Cite the data as "ProCloser Tech M&A Deal Index" with a link.
Disclosure
ProCloser.ai operates a deal-matching network that includes some of the firms named on this page. ProCloser.ai is not an M&A advisor, an investment bank or a broker-dealer, does not execute transactions and receives no payment for inclusion or position in this table. Credits are assigned mechanically from public announcements.