A total of 590 transactions were recorded in the first nine months of 2026, putting activity broadly in line with 2025 levels, though materially below the 10-year high reached in 2024. There was robust demand from strategic and financial buyers, with Private Equity firms accounting for the acquirer in 22% of these transactions.
Marketing and Ad Tech M&A Activity by Deal Count
Marketing and Ad Tech M&A Activity by Disclosed Deal Amount
During the third quarter of 2026, total disclosed M&A deal values reached $18.1B. Only 11% of deals announced financial terms as buyers preferred to keep their M&A strategies private.
Top Marketing and Ad Tech Acquirers by Deal Count
Throughout the third quarter of 2026, the Canadian vertical market software holding company, Constellation Software was the most active acquirer in the MarTech sector, completing a total of seven deals. This was followed by the Californian cloud-based CRM company Salesforce, which completed five deals, and strategic buyer team.blue, a Belgium-based AI-powered digital ecosystem company, made four transactions. Furthermore, several buyers completed three deals including Publicis Groupe, a French multinational advertising and public relations company, Podean, a New York-headquartered marketplace marketing agency, Canva, an Australian online graphic design and publishing platform, Travelsoft, a global travel SaaS platform out of France, and Capacity, an AI-powered customer experience automation platform headquartered in Missouri.
Among PE firms, Vista Equity Partners, a Texas-based investment firm focused on enterprise software, data, and technology-enabled businesses, was the most active, completing four deals. It was followed by another Texas-based private equity firm focused on business and consumer services, Trinity Hunt, which made three deals through its digital experience agency The Verndale Corporation.
Marketing and Ad Tech VC Funding​
MarTech venture capital funding remains well below its 2021 peak, with a modest increase from 2023 to 2025 and early signs of stabilization, but not a complete rebound, through September 2026. Additionally, VC deal volumes in the sector have continued to drop since 2022, a trend that continued into the first nine months of 2026. The median VC funding size was $2.5 million. It is anticipated that the downward trend in VC funding will persist beyond 2026. These dynamics have encouraged companies to instead pursue M&A strategies for growth and liquidity.
