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. Merida Biosciences
Merida Biosciences is a biotechnology company specializing in developing precision therapeutics targeting autoimmune and allergic diseases. Their innovative platform focuses on selectively eliminating pathogenic antibodies, aiming to address the root causes of these conditions with high specificity and durability.
- Sector: Health Care
- Last known transaction date: Series A, $121M announced in April 2025
- Why timing suggests a near-term transaction: Merida Biosciences raised a $121M Series A in April 2025, placing it squarely within the typical ~12–18 month window when biotech companies often return to market for a Series B or pursue strategic capital to fund clinical milestones. Given that early-stage life sciences firms frequently operate on milestone-driven financing cycles, the timing suggests a credible near-term follow-on raise or partnership transaction.
View all private company data in Dakota Marketplace.
2. Tracera
Tracera is a corporate sustainability platform that leverages artificial intelligence to streamline and enhance sustainability reporting for businesses. By automating data collection and analysis, Tracera enables companies to efficiently track and report on their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metrics, thereby facilitating compliance and promoting sustainable practices.
- Sector: Information Technology
- Last known transaction date: Series A, $12M announced April 2025
- Why timing suggests a near-term transaction: Tracera raised a $12M round in April 2025, placing it roughly 9–12 months into the typical venture funding cycle where software companies begin planning their next institutional raise. Given that early-stage IT firms often return to market within 12–18 months to extend runway and accelerate growth, the timing points to a credible near-term Series follow-on or strategic financing.
View all private company data in Dakota Marketplace.
3. Starday Foods
Starday Foods is a food innovation company specializing in AI-driven product development and consumer insights. They create owned brands and collaborate with retailers and consumer packaged goods (CPG) businesses to develop products that align with consumer preferences and market trends.
- Sector: Consumer Staples
- Last known funding round: Series A, Series A, $11M (April 2025) ($8M equity + $3M debt facility)
- Why timing suggests a near-term transaction: Starday Foods closed an $8M Series A in April 2025, putting it within the typical ~12–18 month window when emerging consumer brands often pursue a Series B or strategic capital to fund distribution expansion and product scale-up. Given the capital intensity and growth pacing of food product companies, the timing supports a credible near-term follow-on raise or partnership transaction.
View all private company data in Dakota Marketplace.
4. Blumind
Blumind is a Canadian deep-tech startup specializing in analog machine learning inferencing engines for edge smart sensors and devices. Their innovative all-analog AI neural network architecture delivers high-performance, low-power solutions using standard cost-effective CMOS process technology, enabling efficient AI deployment in always-on applications.
- Sector: Information Technology
- Last known funding round: Series A, $20 million CAD announced April 2025
- Why timing suggests a near-term transaction: Blumind raised a $20M CAD Series A in April 2025, placing it squarely within the typical ~12–18 month window when semiconductor startups begin preparing for a Series B to fund product development, tape-outs, and commercialization. Given the capital-intensive and milestone-driven nature of chip development, the timing supports a credible near-term follow-on raise or strategic investment.
View all private company data in Dakota Marketplace.
5. Qevlar AI
Qevlar AI is a cybersecurity startup specializing in autonomous Security Operations Center (SOC) solutions. Founded in 2023 by Ahmed Achchak and Hamza Sayah, the company develops AI-powered agents that autonomously investigate and respond to security alerts, enhancing SOC efficiency and accuracy.
- Sector: Information Technology
- Last known funding round: Seed, $14M total (April 2025) ($10M additional capital; total commitments now $14M)
- Why timing suggests a near-term transaction: Qevlar AI raised a $10M Seed round in April 2025, putting it roughly 9–12 months into the typical Seed-to-Series A planning window for early-stage software companies. Given that venture-backed AI startups often return to market within 12–18 months to capitalize on product traction and extend runway, the timing suggests a credible near-term institutional follow-on round.
View all private company data in Dakota Marketplace.
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!
