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Competitor landscape at M&A East

Ten firms attending M&A East that sell technology assessment, diligence or value-creation advice to the same PE sponsors and portfolio companies as AIT. For each: what they do, where they overlap, what they are pushing in the market right now, and who will be in the room.

Direct competitors4 firms: LCG Advisors, RingStone, Telmac, A&M
Adjacent5 firms: CFGI, Keystone, Strategex, CRA, Uniqus
Upstream influencers1: Chadd House Partners

Three things to know before the event

  • LCG Advisors is the closest head-to-head: IT and cyber diligence for the lower-mid market, now extending into integration, and posting almost daily about diligence timing.
  • The messaging in the market is shifting to hard numbers and AI: Telmac leads with savings figures, RingStone and CFGI with AI offers.
  • CFGI, Strategex and Telmac are all openly building referral relationships with sponsors this conference season, so expect them to work the same rooms.
FirmOverlapCore offerWho is attending
LCG AdvisorsDirect competitorIT and cyber due diligence for lower-mid-market deals, plus IT strategy, integration and an integration management office (IMO) for PE portfolio companies.Stan Kreydin (MD, Cyber Risk & Technology Advisory)
RingStoneDirect competitorTechnology due diligence ('Technology Due Diligence 2.0') with value-creation recommendations and 100-day plansAlek Klincewicz (VP Business Development, North America)
Telmac GroupDirect competitorVendor-neutral technology advisory for PEDavid Bass (Managing Partner)
Alvarez & Marsal (PE Performance Improvement)Direct competitor (enterprise)PE performance improvement practice that runs technology programmes, including systems-integrator selection and programme leadership.Brian Klarich (Senior Director)
CFGIAdjacentOffice-of-the-CFO consulting for PE portcosKarin Kovacic (Partner, National GTM, ACG Connecticut Chair)
The Keystone GroupAdjacentMid-market operations, integration, carve-out and restructuring advisory for corporate and PE clients, from diligence through integration.Barry Dunne
StrategexAdjacentCommercial and customer due diligence and voice-of-customer research for PE deal teams, plus value-creation planning ('jump-start value creation in under 30 days').Josh Emington (Director, PE Solutions)
CRA InternationalAdjacentEconomic and management consulting with a cyber due diligence practice and a digital transformation / M&A team.Aniket Bhardwaj (VP, Digital Transformation / M&A)
Uniqus ConsultechAdjacentTech-enabled accounting, reporting and risk consulting with an automation, data and AI practice and offshore delivery.Stefania DeMarco
Chadd House PartnersUpstreamExit planning and business-systems coaching that prepares founder-led companies for PE ownership.Alix James (founder, former PE-backed CEO of Nielsen-Kellerman)

Sources: M&A East attendee list, sponsor list, firm websites and public LinkedIn activity, checked 14 Oct 2026. Overlap ratings are our read of positioning, not a ranking of quality.

Direct competitor

LCG Advisors

At M&A East: Stan Kreydin (MD, Cyber Risk & Technology Advisory); Kevin Harvey

◆ In the DealSource meeting program

What they do

IT and cyber due diligence for lower-mid-market deals, plus IT strategy, integration and an integration management office (IMO) for PE portfolio companies.

Where they overlap with AIT

Same buyer (PE deal and operating teams), same moment (pre-close assessment), same deal size. Kreydin is a former CTO/CISO (Travel + Leisure / Wyndham), which gives LCG technical credibility in the room.

What they're pushingLinkedIn and public material, Oct 2026
  • Near-daily LinkedIn posts on IT diligence: 'it gets scheduled too late, after the LOI'
  • Questionnaire-only diligence is not enough
  • Cyber exclusions in R&W insurance policies
  • IT cost reviews during the hold period
  • Unplanned integration leaves teams running closes and pipeline reports by hand
Watch-out

LCG is publicly arguing the case for earlier, deeper IT diligence and extending into integration through its IMO. Expect them to pitch the same deal teams AIT talks to at M&A East.

Direct competitor

RingStone

At M&A East: Alek Klincewicz (VP Business Development, North America)

What they do

Technology due diligence ('Technology Due Diligence 2.0') with value-creation recommendations and 100-day plans; runs an AI practice.

Where they overlap with AIT

The closest match to a technology assessment front door for PE. Clients include KKR, EQT and Carlyle. Partnered with S-RM (Sep 2025) to bundle cyber.

What they're pushingLinkedIn and public material, Oct 2026
  • Tech diligence '2.0' positioning
  • AI value-creation and 100-day plans
  • Joint cyber offer with S-RM
Watch-out

Brand-name sponsor logos and an AI story make them the reference competitor in larger deals. Leans software/SaaS targets.

Direct competitor

Telmac Group

At M&A East: David Bass (Managing Partner)

What they do

Vendor-neutral technology advisory for PE: network, cloud and contact-centre sourcing, with a '100-day bankable savings' offer. Advises, runs the RFP, hands off.

Where they overlap with AIT

Same advise-then-hand-off model, sold to PE operating partners on hold-period value. In May it partnered with CLD Consulting so CLD deploys what Telmac recommends.

What they're pushingLinkedIn and public material, Oct 2026
  • $25M+ / 38% cost reduction case across 48,000 employees
  • $17M savings found in 5 months for a client
  • Named to the Avant Advisory Board (top 25 partners)
  • AI tools get approved, then never reviewed
  • CCaaS renewals on '2021 logic' overpay
Watch-out

Leads with hard savings numbers, which land well with operating partners. Philadelphia-based, so likely to be well connected in this room.

Direct competitor (enterprise)

Alvarez & Marsal (PE Performance Improvement)

At M&A East: Brian Klarich (Senior Director)

What they do

PE performance improvement practice that runs technology programmes, including systems-integrator selection and programme leadership.

Where they overlap with AIT

Competes for the same tech-assessment and SI-selection role, but at enterprise scale and bundled with operational turnaround work.

What they're pushingLinkedIn and public material, Oct 2026
  • Tech services brochure lists 'SI selection' and programme leadership
Watch-out

Large and procurement-led. Wins on brand and breadth rather than specialism.

Adjacent

CFGI

At M&A East: Karin Kovacic (Partner, National GTM, ACG Connecticut Chair); Sean O'Reilly

What they do

Office-of-the-CFO consulting for PE portcos: carve-outs, IPO readiness, technical accounting, ERP (NetSuite partner), data and analytics, AI, SOX, cyber, interim finance.

Where they overlap with AIT

Overlaps wherever a technology assessment touches finance systems and carve-outs. Sells into the same PE sponsors via heavy ACG presence.

What they're pushingLinkedIn and public material, Oct 2026
  • 'Week four of conference season': ACG Chicago, Great Lakes, CT/Boston, Markets Group PE Summit
  • Launched Automated Finance (Sep 25)
  • On the ACG DealMAX 2027 planning committee
  • Actively meeting 'potential referral partners'
Watch-out

Very visible on the ACG circuit and openly building referral relationships, so they will be working the same sponsors at M&A East.

Adjacent

The Keystone Group

At M&A East: Barry Dunne; Logan Randall (Business Development)

What they do

Mid-market operations, integration, carve-out and restructuring advisory for corporate and PE clients, from diligence through integration.

Where they overlap with AIT

Overlaps on post-close integration planning and value-creation programmes where technology is one workstream.

What they're pushingLinkedIn and public material, Oct 2026
  • Case study: +320% EBITDA, 14 acquisitions, 70 new locations for a PE-owned industrial services company
  • Facility consolidation (60+ projects)
  • Tariff refund recovery after IEEPA ruling
  • M&A momentum: carve-outs and AI-driven acquisitions
Watch-out

Sells outcomes (EBITDA, locations) rather than technology. Attendees are business development, not partners.

Adjacent

Strategex

At M&A East: Josh Emington (Director, PE Solutions)

What they do

Commercial and customer due diligence and voice-of-customer research for PE deal teams, plus value-creation planning ('jump-start value creation in under 30 days').

Where they overlap with AIT

Competes for the same pre-close diligence budget and the value-creation conversation, from the commercial side rather than the technology side.

What they're pushingLinkedIn and public material, Oct 2026
  • Just expanded its PE Solutions practice with two senior hires (Sep)
  • 51 customer interviews in 2 weeks for a deal that closed at $6.3B
  • Pricing as an underused value lever
  • Highly active networker; runs tables at ACG events
Watch-out

Newly expanded PE team hungry for pipeline. Expect active outreach to sponsors at M&A East.

Adjacent

CRA International

At M&A East: Aniket Bhardwaj (VP, Digital Transformation / M&A); Jeffrey Jansen

◆ M&A East sponsor

What they do

Economic and management consulting with a cyber due diligence practice and a digital transformation / M&A team.

Where they overlap with AIT

Cyber due diligence overlaps the security part of a technology assessment.

What they're pushingLinkedIn and public material, Oct 2026
  • Event sponsor ('Philly Special')
  • Cyber due diligence practice
Watch-out

Large firm whose core is not digital; competes mainly where cyber is the lead concern.

Adjacent

Uniqus Consultech

At M&A East: Stefania DeMarco; Avinash Ramkumar

◆ Diamond sponsor

What they do

Tech-enabled accounting, reporting and risk consulting with an automation, data and AI practice and offshore delivery.

Where they overlap with AIT

Overlaps on finance-led technology and AI work for PE-backed companies; low-cost delivery model.

What they're pushingLinkedIn and public material, Oct 2026
  • Diamond sponsor of M&A East
  • Automation, data and AI consulting
Watch-out

Heavy sponsorship means high visibility at this event.

Upstream

Chadd House Partners

At M&A East: Alix James (founder, former PE-backed CEO of Nielsen-Kellerman)

◆ Speaking: Founder-Led to Institutional Platforms, Oct 21, 11:00am

What they do

Exit planning and business-systems coaching that prepares founder-led companies for PE ownership.

Where they overlap with AIT

Works before the deal, so the firm sees technology gaps early and influences which advisors founders bring in.

What they're pushingLinkedIn and public material, Oct 2026
  • People and culture: 'your people are your most powerful flywheel'
  • 'Right people, right seats' talent decisions
  • Standard costing hides real manufacturing profitability
Watch-out

Solo or boutique practice. More of an influencer on future deals than a head-to-head competitor.