As we close out the year, we wanted to take a moment to thank our colleagues and clients and share a few reflections as we head into 2026.

This past year was a record one for our firm in terms of revenue, value, and transaction volume. We were fortunate to work alongside an exceptional group of clients, industry colleagues and management teams. We also invested meaningfully in strengthening our team, ensuring we are even better positioned to support our clients in 2026.

Across many conversations with boards, founders, and sponsors, we appreciated the depth and thoughtfulness brought to navigating a rapidly changing deal environment, particularly around AI, shifting market dynamics and the broader geopolitical backdrop. More recently, we have seen increasing certainty around funding markets and policy direction, including greater clarity on the impact of recent announcements from the Trump administration, which has helped improve visibility and confidence across the market.

Looking ahead, we feel very good about the setup for 2026. Historically, strong public markets, robust large cap buyout activity, and a healthy credit environment tend to translate downstream into increased activity in the lower middle market, and we are already seeing those effects emerge. Pipeline activity entering the new year is the strongest we have seen, and we are currently forecasting ten transactions closing in the first quarter alone.

In 2026, we anticipate sponsors will increasingly deploy previously sidelined capital, strategics will pursue platform expansion, and founder led businesses will seek liquidity amid greater valuation clarity. Together, this is driving demand for scaled assets with clear profitability profiles, as well as tuck in acquisitions that expand product capabilities, human capital, and market reach.

We are grateful for the trust you place in us and look forward to continuing to serve as a trusted advisor. We are excited to build on this momentum together in the year ahead.

Wishing you and your teams a healthy and successful start to 2026.

20+ Deals and Counting: Tyton Partners’ 2025 Sets the Stage for 2026

A more detailed transaction summary and predictions for 2026 are below: 

Corporate Training and Continuing Education Transaction Spotlight

Corporate training and continuing education will remain a core focus for investors in 2026 as employers place renewed emphasis on building job-ready skills, maintaining compliance standards, and improving workforce performance in a rapidly changing economy. Demand is increasingly concentrated in learning models closely tied to roles in regulated, safety-critical industries, where compliance requirements are higher, and performance outcomes are well defined. As buyers become more disciplined, capital is gravitating toward platforms and services that can support enterprise-wide learning needs with measurable impact.

Vocational and technical training will play an increasingly important role in this landscape, reflecting a broader shift toward skills-based hiring and alternative employment pathways. Employers are investing more heavily in technical upskilling and certification-aligned training that shortens time-to-productivity and reduces reliance on traditional degree pipelines. Solutions that effectively blend digital learning with hands-on instruction, assessment, and credentialing are being increasingly valued as long-term workforce partners.

Tyton Partners represented the following corporate training and continuing education transactions: Triad, a provider of behavioral and mental health exam prep, continuing education, and career resources, in its sale to Level Education Group, a portfolio company of Baum Capital Partners; Axcel Learning a portfolio company of Alpine Investors, in the divestiture of Ascendient Learning, an IT Training and certification provider, to Accenture; Mosaic Learning, a bespoke learning design and delivery firm, in its sale to Banyan Software; Realizeit, a personalized learning technology provider for organizations and educational institutions, in its merger with Skillwell; Clover Learning, a diagnostic imaging training, exam preparation, and continuing education provider, in its sale to Ascend Learning; and a provider of online education and workforce credentialing programs, in the carve out of a career discovery and guidance platform, in its sale to a leading higher education marketing and enrollment organization.

K-12 Transaction Spotlight

We expect K-12 investment to remain robust in instructionally critical, outcomes-oriented segments, particularly where districts are under pressure to show measurable improvement amid constrained resources. Our 2025 K-12 transactions underscore continued demand for solutions that sit close to the core of teaching and learning. We believe literacy, intervention and MTSS, digital curriculum and content platforms, and alternative or flexible delivery models will remain top priorities for districts and investors alike, particularly where solutions demonstrate strong educator adoption and clear impact on student outcomes.

At the same time, we see continued emphasis and focus on operational and instructional infrastructure that helps districts do more with less. This includes AI-enabled administrative and back-office tools, data and assessment platforms that simplify decision-making, and systems that integrate cleanly into existing district workflows. Importantly, adoption in K-12 remains pragmatic: districts are prioritizing technology that reduces friction for educators and administrators. As a result, the most attractive K-12 assets in 2026 will be those that combine instructional relevance, operational efficiency, and trusted implementation at scale.

Tyton Partners represented the following K-12 education transactions: Edulink, a provider of student data and school administration software, in its sale to Tyler Technologies; U.S. Performance Academy, a flexible and performance-based virtual school operator, in its sale to Inspired Education; Keys to Literacy, a provider of evidence-based literacy training and instructional services, in its sale to K‑12 Coalition; and Wordwall, a digital content creation and engagement platform for teachers, in its sale to Queen’s Park Equity. 

Higher Education Transaction Spotlight

Higher education in 2026 will be shaped by both demographic headwinds and the imperative to reframe institutional value for schools. Institutions that expand into dual enrollment, non-degree credentials, experiential programming, and workforce-aligned programming are best positioned to sustain enrollment and relevance. There are also growing expectations around transparency and outcomes, driven by federal and state accountability measures, which are pushing colleges and universities to invest in solutions that enable data interoperability, lifecycle engagement, and measurable impact on student success.

Against this backdrop, buyers and investors will continue to prize assets that help institutions navigate structural change, manage costs, and extract maximum value from their data. Tools and services that support college advising, student recruitment, student success analytics, and integrated data ecosystems will also see rising adoption.

Tyton Partners represented the following higher education transactions: Zap Solutions, a digital marketing and enrollment growth partner to colleges and universities, in its sale to Banyan Software; GoReact, a provider of experiential learning and skills assessment technology, in its sale to Echo 360; RNL, a provider of enrollment, fundraising, and student success solutions, in its sale to Encoura, a portfolio company of Nexus Capital Management; Bain Capital Double Impact, in their strategic growth investment in American College of Education; OculusIT, a higher-education-focused IT and cybersecurity services platform, in its sale to Avathon Capital; a provider of student advising and application support services, in its sale to a leading private equity firm; and a managed services partner supporting graduate and professional programs, in its sale to a professional, personal, and creative development focused marketplace.