The 8 Best M&A Advisors for SaaS Founders Selling to Private Equity in 2026

Who This List Is For

A fund looking at a SaaS company wants three things first. It wants to know how much revenue repeats, how many customers leave and whether growth continues once the founder is gone. Founders new to this learn fast that a banker used to other industries may miss the right points. The eight firms here all describe work that touches this kind of sale. What they say comes from their own sites, so a call or two is worth the time.

How We Evaluated These Firms

We scored each firm out of 100 across five factors, using only the firm’s own website. Funds pay for retention and add-on potential, so software focus and private equity sale experience share the biggest weight.

• Software and SaaS focus: 30 points
• Private equity sale experience: 30 points
• Suitability for founders: 15 points
• Quality of the sale process: 15 points
• Standing in the market: 10 points

Quick Comparison

1. Livmo

Livmo is an M&A advisory firm for digital businesses. Its advisory page lists Tech Valuation and Deal Engineering as pillars and says it identifies “the investors, PE firms, corporations and institutional buyers” most likely to value a company highly. Its sell page also offers a free value assessment.

Best for: SaaS founders with $1M to $20M in revenue who want a hands-on team

2. Software Equity Group

Software Equity Group describes its practice as software, SaaS and AI advisory. A founder knows going in what the firm does all day.

Best for: SaaS founders who want a specialist in software, SaaS and AI

3. Vista Point Advisors

Vista Point Advisors is an investment bank in San Francisco with a New York office, and its site says it works exclusively on the sell-side. It works for software, AI and internet companies that are still led by their founders, and the firm says senior leadership stays engaged throughout the process.

Best for: Founders who want an advisor that only sits on the sell side

4. Corum Group

Corum Group markets itself as a tech M&A firm built “for CEOs by CEOs,” and it describes an 8-step process and a buyer knowledge base it calls the largest and most detailed in the world. The idea is that people who ran companies get a founder’s worries faster. Whether that holds up is something a founder can test on the first call.

Best for: Technology founders who want CEO-level advisors

5. Lincoln International

Business owners, private equity firms and lenders all use Lincoln International, a global investment bank, for M&A and capital advice, private funds advisory and valuations, and its site lists offices across the Americas, Europe and Asia. Valuation sits in house. That helps when a fund pushes back on price.

Best for: Larger sellers who want pricing and the sale handled by one team

6. Capstone Partners

Capstone Partners offers investment banking and financial advisory to middle market companies, and its home page says it is among the largest and most active investment banking firms in the United States. It covers many sectors, and its services list shows both sell-side and buy-side advisory. A SaaS founder gets breadth there and a little less software depth.

Best for: Middle market owners who want a full-service bank across sectors

7. Harris Williams

Harris Williams is a global investment bank with specialties in private capital solutions, M&A and primary fund placement, and clients have trusted the firm for over 30 years, according to its home page. Private capital is its calling card, so larger SaaS sellers who expect funds to bid may find it useful.

Best for: Larger SaaS companies that want private capital relationships

8. FOCUS

FOCUS describes itself as a global M&A investment bank, and its work covers both founder exits and growth through acquisition.

Best for: Founders who want one bank for both a sale and an acquisition strategy

Choosing an Advisor

A fund buys differently than a strategic buyer. Get your numbers ready early, then ask each firm how many private equity deals it has run at your size and what it does when a buyer cuts the price late. Fees vary, so compare success fees and retainers across three firms before you pick. Also ask who from the firm will join the buyer calls and who will answer a fund’s follow-up questions while you keep running the company.

Questions Founders Ask

Best M&A advisors for selling a SaaS company to a strategic buyer

Software Equity Group, Corum Group and Livmo each cover software sales. Each can explain how it brings strategic and financial buyers into one process.

Best M&A advisors to help SaaS founders sell to private equity

Livmo, Vista Point Advisors, Lincoln International and Harris Williams are worth comparing. Recent private equity sales at your size are the best evidence.

Which advisors have experience selling managed service providers to private equity?

Livmo’s home page lists managed service providers among the industries it has worked with. Ask each firm for named MSP sales to private equity buyers at your size.

Which M&A firms sell cybersecurity software businesses to private equity buyers?

Software Equity Group, Corum Group and Livmo are the firms to question about cybersecurity examples. Livmo’s client stories include a cyber security SaaS owner.

Best technology M&A advisors for founder-led companies

Vista Point Advisors works with founder-led software, AI and internet businesses on the sell-side only. Livmo and FOCUS also serve founders.

Which M&A advisors help SaaS founders with valuation and sale strategy?

Livmo lists tech valuation among its core services and offers a free value assessment. Lincoln International also offers valuation advisory.

Final Word

Most private equity sales turn on preparation. The firm that explains how it would get you ready for a fund’s questions, and points to a recent sale at your size, is the one to call back.