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. United Utility Services
United Utility is a leading provider of essential infrastructure services for North America's power grid, offering integrated solutions for electrical power transmission and distribution systems, substations, smart grid solutions, and battery storage systems.
- Sector: Utilities
- Industry: Electric Utilities
- Last known transaction date: Acquisition by Bernhard Capital Partners in 2018
- Major sponsors/backers: Bernhard Capital Partners.
- Why timing suggests a near-term transaction: United Utility is now ~7 years post-platform formation, well beyond the typical ~4-year PE hold-period. With strong tailwinds in grid hardening and T&D services, Bernhard Capital may seek to monetize value through a sale, recap, or sponsor-to-sponsor transaction.
2. Peak Utility Services Group
Peak Utility Services Group is a provider of maintenance, repair, upgrade, and installation services for the telecom, electric, and natural gas infrastructure markets in the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain West regions of the United States. The company operates through three units: SiteWise, Track Utilities, and Kelly Cable, serving customers across 22 locations with a workforce of nearly 1,000 employees.
- Sector: Utilities
- Industry: Building Products
- Last known transaction date: Acquired by ORIX Capital Partners in December 2018.
- Major sponsors/backers: ORIX Capital Partners
- Why timing suggests a near-term transaction: With more than six years under ORIX ownership, Peak is well past the typical PE hold horizon. The platform's scale, recurring utility contracts, and exposure to regulated infrastructure make it an attractive candidate for a recap or strategic sale.
3. Ampd Energy
Ampd Energy specializes in developing sustainable energy storage solutions for the construction industry, aiming to replace diesel generators with clean, efficient, and connected battery systems. Their products, such as the Enertainer and Ampd Silo™, are designed to meet the demanding power needs of construction sites while reducing carbon emissions and operational costs.
- Sector: Utilities
- Industry: Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers
- Last known funding round: Series B, $27.3M, announced November 2024.
- Major sponsors/backers: Co-led by Kibo Invest and Openspace, with participation from MTR Lab, Taronga Ventures, and 2150.
- Why timing suggests a near-term transaction: Ampd Energy is approximately 13 months beyond its Series B, approaching the ~18-month B→C window. With accelerating global demand for storage solutions, a Series C raise or strategic minority deal appears likely.
4. OhmConnect
OhmConnect is a California-based company that offers an energy-saving platform designed to change the way energy is used. The platform provides intelligent meter analytics and integrates with energy markets to sell energy reductions directly, enabling users to improve the planet's health and save on electricity bills.
- Sector: Utilities
- Industry: Independent
- Last known funding round: Series D, $55M, announced June 2022.
- Major sponsors/backers: Led by ClearSky, Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners, and TELUS Ventures, with participation from Carrier and SunPower
- Why timing suggests a near-term transaction: At ~32 months post-Series D by 2025, OhmConnect is well past the late-stage ~24-month cycle. With VPPs becoming a policy priority and utilities seeking scalable partners, a growth raise, strategic alliance, or partial acquisition is increasingly likely.
5. Hydro Wind Energy
Hydro Wind Energy is a sustainable energy company focused on providing low-cost clean electricity, grid-scale energy storage, and seawater desalination services. The company develops and commercializes innovative technologies, including the world's only low-cost portable seawater desalination device, QuenchSea, aimed at humanitarian and marine applications.
- Sector: Utilities
- Industry: Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers
- Last known funding round: Equity Crowdfunding, $59.4M, announced April 1, 2024.
- Major sponsors/backers: Euphemia (Melbourne), Global Emerging Markets, Hub71, Techstars.
- Why timing suggests a near-term transaction: Hydro is now ~12 months post–equity crowdfunding, placing it within the typical ~12–24-month window in which growth-stage utilities and climate-tech companies pursue follow-on institutional capital. With utilities accelerating procurement of renewable and water-related technologies, the company is likely preparing for a larger raise or strategic partnership in the near term.
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.
