Learning Center | Dakota

Top 5 Companies Likely to Transact This Week (Jan 8, 2025)

Written by Cate Costin, Marketing Associate | January 08, 2026

Tracking when private companies are nearing a sale, recap, or financing event has always been a guessing game. With thousands of sponsor-backed firms spread across sectors and geographies, most deal teams are forced to react after the market moves.

Investors, bankers, and service providers struggle to know which private companies are gearing up for a transaction or capital raise. Signals are scattered, opaque, and nearly impossible to track across thousands of PE- and VC-backed businesses.

Dakota centralizes those signals (holding periods, funding rounds, platform acquisition dates, ownership changes, and exit timing patterns) into one predictive transaction-readiness tool. Instead of waiting for headlines, users can see which companies are showing the strongest likelihood of pursuing a sale, recapitalization, or new financing before the market knows.

Below is today’s list of five PE- or VC-backed companies that, based on their hold period, financing stage, and last transaction date, appear to be credible candidates for a sale or next-round raise.

Nothing is guaranteed, but these companies fall squarely within the timing windows where sponsors typically look to generate liquidity or secure additional capital.

Sourced from Dakota Sponsor Backed Companies.

1. Maki

Maki is a Paris-based company founded in 2021 that specializes in AI-driven recruitment solutions. Their platform offers autonomous AI HR agents capable of handling the entire hiring process—from sourcing and screening to interviewing and selection—aiming to streamline recruitment workflows and enhance decision-making efficiency.

  • Sector: Industrials
  • Industry: Professional Services
  • Last known transaction date: Series A, $28.6M, announced in January 2025
  • Major sponsors/backers: Led by Blossom Capital, with participation from DST Global, Frst, Global Founders Capital, and Picus Capital.
  • Why timing suggests a near-term transaction: Since completing its Series A in January 2025, Maki has had time to deploy capital, refine its technology, and demonstrate early customer traction. As it moves further into 2026, the company is reaching a natural decision point where additional capital, a strategic partnership, or an M&A transaction could help accelerate scaling and broaden market adoption.

2. WeVOIS 

WeVOIS Labs Pvt. Ltd. is a waste management company based in Jaipur, India, specializing in automated IoT-based door-to-door waste collection solutions. Founded by Abhinav Shekhar Vashistha and Abhishek Gupta, the company leverages Internet of Things (IoT) technology and optimized route management to enhance the efficiency and impact of waste collection processes. Their mission is to build a cleaner, greener future by transforming traditional waste management practices through innovative technology. In June 2025, WeVOIS secured ₹36 crore (approximately $4.2 million) in a Series A funding round led by Negen Capital and Vyom Wealth, with participation from other investors. This funding is intended to scale operations and advance their mission of creating 100 zero-waste cities in the next five years. The company is committed to sustainable waste management and is actively establishing textile waste recycling facilities and bio-CNG plants to convert wet waste into clean energy.

  • Sector: Industrials
  • Industry: Commercial Services & Supplies
  • Last known transaction date: Series A, $4.2M announced in June 2025.
  • Major sponsors/backers: Led by Negen Capital and Vyom Wealth, with participation from Venture Catalysts, SN Capital Management, WarmUp Ventures, and Mars Shot Ventures.
  • Why timing suggests a near-term transaction: Since closing its Series A in June 2025, WeVOIS has had time to deploy capital, advance its platform, and build early commercial traction. As the company approaches the one-year mark post-financing, it is entering a natural inflection point where additional capital, a strategic partnership, or a broader transaction could help accelerate growth and expand market reach.

3. Snabbit

Snabbit is a Mumbai-based on-demand home services startup founded in 2024 by Aayush Agarwal, a former Chief of Staff at Zepto. The company offers a range of services including general cleaning, dishwashing, laundry, fan cleaning, kitchen preparation, bathroom cleaning, window cleaning, and kitchen cleaning. Services are booked by the hour, with professionals arriving within 10 to 15 minutes. Snabbit employs a full-stack approach, handling the sourcing, training, and management of its workforce, and provides benefits like health and accident insurance to its service providers. The company utilizes artificial intelligence to optimize service matching and enhance user experience over time. Snabbit operates across select locations in Mumbai and plans to expand to more locations and build a strong team.

  • Sector: Consumer Discretionary
  • Industry: Diversified Consumer Services
  • Last known funding round: Series C, $30M, announced October 2025
  • Major sponsors/backers: Elevation Capital, Nexus Venture Partners, angel investors including Vidit Aatrey, Sanjeev Barnwal, Gaurav Munjal, and Niraj Singh
  • Why timing suggests a near-term transaction: After completing a Series C in October 2025, Snabbit is entering a period where post-raise performance, unit economics, and market positioning become clearer to both investors and strategics. In diversified consumer services, this visibility often coincides with renewed capital or acquisition interest as companies evaluate opportunities to accelerate scale or consolidate market position.

4. Wingbits

Wingbits is a pioneering Web 3.0 startup based in Stockholm, Sweden, that has developed the first decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) for aviation. The company leverages blockchain technology to create a global flight tracking network that rewards contributors for providing real-time aircraft data. By deploying custom-engineered, cryptographically secure ADS-B receivers, Wingbits ensures accurate and reliable flight tracking, addressing inefficiencies in traditional flight data collection methods.

  • Sector: Industrials
  • Industry: Aerospace & Defense
  • Last known funding round: Series A, $5.6M, announced January 2025
  • Major sponsors/backers: Led by Borderless Capital and Bullish Capital, with participation from Spartan Group, Tribe Capital, Antler, SNZ, and Heartcore.
  • Why timing suggests a near-term transaction: With its Series A completed in January 2025, Wingbits has had enough time to demonstrate operational progress and sector relevance while now approaching a point where forward-looking capital and partnership decisions come back into focus. In Industrials and Aerospace & Defense, that interval often aligns with renewed strategic interest, making the current timing supportive of a near-term financing or strategic transaction.

5. Baton

Baton is a New York-based company founded in December 2021 by Chat Joglekar, Dylan Gans, and Jamie Roth. The company specializes in providing data-driven valuations and facilitating the buying and selling of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Baton aims to empower SMB owners by offering free valuations and insights to enhance their businesses' value and attractiveness to potential buyers. The platform serves as a marketplace connecting sellers and buyers, streamlining the sales process, and increasing the likelihood of successful transactions. Baton has experienced significant growth, with over 1,300 free valuations provided to small businesses, 175+ owners listing their businesses on the platform, and 16 deals successfully sold, achieving a closing rate 50% faster than the industry average. The company has also expanded its team to support its growing operations.

  • Sector: Industrials
  • Industry: Professional Services
  • Last known funding round: Series A, $10M, announced January 2025.
  • Major sponsors/backers: Led by Obvious Ventures, with participation from Burst Capital, FJ Labs, Fluent Ventures, Spencer Rascoff via 75 & Sunny, Divergent Capital, Bloomberg Beta, and Zeno Ventures.
  • Why timing suggests a near-term transaction: Following its Series A in January 2025, Baton is now at a point where operating progress and customer traction are clearer, while decisions around scaling, services expansion, or strategic partnerships typically move back to the forefront. In Professional Services–oriented industrial platforms, this period often aligns with increased interest from investors or strategic buyers, supporting the case for a near-term transaction.

Use Dakota’s Sponsor Backed Company Intelligence to Spot Likely Exits Before the Market Does

Dakota’s private company data gives you a real-time view into thousands of sponsor-backed companies, including platform acquisition dates, funding rounds, parent sponsors, add-on activity, and sector categorization. 

Instead of guessing where companies are in their lifecycle, you can instantly identify which ones are approaching the typical timing windows for a sale or recap.

Fully integrated into Dakota Marketplace, this dataset enables deal sourcers, investor relations teams, and allocators to anticipate transactions, build targeted outreach lists, and stay ahead of market announcements, every single day.

To explore more companies likely to transact, book a demo of Dakota Marketplace!