Report: Enterprise Software
Current Trends and Figures

Our latest Enterprise Software M&A Report reveals a market that has grown more selective: deal counts are falling while valuations climb. In the first half of 2026, 1,132 deals were recorded, down roughly 8% from the second half of 2025, while the trailing 30-month median EV/EBITDA reached a new high of 18.8x. Fewer processes are coming to market, but the companies that do achieve strong multiples.

Miro Parizek, Founder and Senior Partner at Hampleton Partners, comments: "This is a disciplined market, not a weak one. Strategic buyers are operating close to record levels and are using M&A deliberately to add capability and talent, while private equity has become more selective, concentrating capital on a small number of defensible assets."

AI separates the winners from the losers

The fear that AI might erode the value of established software has faded, but its effect on valuations has not. An AI label alone no longer earns a premium. Premiums flow to where proprietary data, deep integration into customer workflows and robust governance come together, precisely the layer around the code that generic AI cannot reproduce.

The report covers the key subsectors of enterprise software, including Enterprise Applications, Vertical Applications, Business Intelligence & Analytics, Information Management, Infrastructure Management, and Design, Testing & Simulation.

Key topics in the report:

• Trends and analysis of transaction activity
• Geographic breakdown of global transactions
• Most active acquirers and transaction highlights
• Transaction valuation metrics

Enterprise software remains one of the most liquid and strategically important sectors in tech, but the gap between sought-after and hard-to-sell companies is widening. For owners, it pays to establish early how their company is positioned in this more selective market.