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. Freightmate
Freightmate Ai is a technology company specializing in AI-powered solutions designed to automate and streamline freight forwarding operations. Their flagship product, Docmate, automates the collection, digitization, validation, and integration of shipping documents, significantly reducing manual processing time and costs. The company aims to enhance operational efficiency for freight forwarders by eliminating tedious, error-prone tasks, thereby allowing teams to focus on sales and customer service.
- Sector: Industrials
- Industry: Air Freight & Logistics
- Last known transaction date: Seed, $5M, announced in January 2025
- Major sponsors/backers: Led by Fuse VC
- Why timing suggests a near-term transaction: Freightmate’s $5M seed round announced in January 2025 places the company approximately 12–18 months removed from its initial financing by mid to late 2026. At this stage, venture-backed logistics and supply chain technology platforms often begin preparing for a follow-on growth round, strategic partnerships, or early acquisition discussions, as customer adoption, operational proof points, and commercialization efforts continue to take shape.
2. Manas AI
Manas AI is a biotechnology company leveraging proprietary artificial intelligence and generative computational chemistry to revolutionize drug discovery, aiming to accelerate the development of treatments for cancer and rare diseases.
- Sector: Health Care
- Industry: Biotechnology
- Last known transaction date: Seed Round with Extension totalling $26M announced in September 2025
- Major sponsors/backers: Led by General Catalyst and Reid Hoffman, with participation from Greylock Partners. The extension also includes The General Partnership, Wisdom Ventures, Blitzscaling Ventures, Westbound Equity Partners, Mosaic Ventures, and a number of individuals.
- Why timing suggests a near-term transaction: Manas AI’s $24.6M seed round announced in January 2025 places the company approximately 12–18 months removed from its initial financing by mid to late 2026. At this stage, venture-backed AI platforms often begin preparing for a follow-on growth round, strategic partnerships, or early acquisition discussions, as technical validation, early use cases, and commercial momentum continue to develop.
3. Piclo®
Piclo is an independent marketplace that enables electricity grids to become smarter, more flexible, and sustainable. By connecting renewable energy sources, batteries, and electric vehicles, Piclo facilitates local flexibility in distribution networks, supporting the transition to a low-carbon future and promoting resilient grids.
- Sector: Information Technology
- Industry: Software
- Last known funding round: Series B, £8.3 million, announced March 2023
- Major sponsors/backers: Co-led by Future Energy Ventures and Clean Growth Fund, with participation from Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions, Sustainable Future Ventures, and Japan Energy Fund.
- Why timing suggests a near-term transaction: Piclo’s £8.3M Series B announced in March 2023 places the company well beyond the typical post–Series B funding window. At this stage, venture-backed energy and infrastructure platforms are often evaluating follow-on capital, strategic minority investments, or acquisition opportunities, particularly as commercialization, market adoption, and strategic relevance to utility and energy partners become clearer.
4. Relive
Relive is a Portuguese real estate startup specializing in property mediation services both in Portugal and the United States. The company focuses on enhancing property visibility through digital marketing strategies, collaborating with professional real estate consultants to facilitate property sales and rentals.
- Sector: Real Estate
- Industry: Real Estate Management
- Last known funding round: Series A, $5.5M, announced February 2025
- Major sponsors/backers: Led by Indico Capital Partners
- Why timing suggests a near-term transaction: Relive’s $5.5M Series A announced in February 2025 places the company roughly 12–18 months removed from its most recent financing by mid to late 2026. At this stage, venture-backed platforms often begin evaluating follow-on growth capital, strategic partnerships, or acquisition interest, as product-market fit strengthens and early commercial traction becomes more clearly established.
5. PseudolithIC Inc.
PseudolithIC is a semiconductor company specializing in the development of next-generation RF and millimeter-wave chipsets. Utilizing proprietary heterogeneous integration technology, the company combines diverse semiconductor materials and functionalities into single chips, aiming to enhance performance and efficiency in wireless applications.
- Sector: Information Technology
- Industry: Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment
- Last known funding round: Seed Round $6M, announced January 2025
- Major sponsors/backers: Led by Entrada Ventures, with participation from Foothill Ventures and Uncork Capital.
- Why timing suggests a near-term transaction: PseudolithIC Inc.’s $6M seed round announced in January 2025 places the company approximately 12–18 months removed from its initial institutional financing by mid to late 2026. At this stage, venture-backed materials and advanced manufacturing companies often begin exploring follow-on capital, strategic partnerships, or early acquisition interest, as technical validation, pilot deployments, and early customer engagement continue to develop.
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!
