By Published On: April 13, 2022

Ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky once famously defined what made him such a great player: “I skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.”

To help private equity firms skate to the proverbial “MSP Puck,” FOCUS Investment Banking’s Managed Service Provider (MSP) Team has created the first and only predictive “signal-driven” custom scoring of the top 1,138 MSP targets that appear on the most prominent industry lists (MSP 501, CRN 500, ChannelE2E Top 100 Vertical, Inc. 5000 – IT Management and/or Redmond Channel Partners, Microsoft’s Top 350).

Our proprietary algorithm looks for demonstrative organic growth “signals” that influence a company’s rank, including:

  1. Growth intent (e.g., % change of new job postings on LinkedIn, Indeed and Glassdoor)
  2. Employee count (12 months % growth rate)
  3. Web traffic (12 months Alexa rank % change)

The onus is on modern dealmakers to differentiate themselves and position their firms for growth by conceiving “New School” approaches to help their clients find and create exceptional assets—and close deals.

FOCUS believes its research will shine a well-deserving light on MSP founders and CEOs (and their respective teams) and make it easier for them to access private equity capital to fuel even more growth.

Announcing the “MSP Market Maker Unicorns” for 2022

 FOCUS has risen to the occasion by creating a list of “MSP M&A Unicorns,” which it believes will provide outsized returns to MSP Founder/CEOs and their private equity investors by mining the predictive growth “signals” described above. Today we are announcing the “Second 50” Ranking for 2022:

MSP Market Maker Unicorns – “Second 50”

RankingInformal NameCityState
51Mytech PartnersSaint PaulMN
52Helion TechnologiesLuthervilleMD
53Integrated IT SolutionsMilfordMA
54Applied Tech SolutionsMadisonWI
55AT-NET ServicesCharlotteNC
56Innovien SolutionsAtlantaGA
57Hub Technical ServicesSouth EastonMA
58ComputerSupportChelmsford CenterMA
59NENSLowellMA
60Merit TechnologiesGreenvilleSC
61GRIT TechnologiesClinton TownshipMI
62Forthright Technology PartnersHollywoodFL
63Iuvo TechnologiesWestfordMA
64LantiumBlue BellPA
65E-N ComputersWaynesboroVA
66Netrix ITSaint PaulMN
67ASi NetworksSan DimasCA
68ITPartners+Grand RapidsMI
69Revel TechnologyHoustonTX
70Salvus TGLee’s SummitMO
71Veracity TechnologiesHopkinsMN
72SyandBurnsvilleMN
73DLC Technology SolutionsMarltonNJ
74Bell TechlogixIndianapolisIN
75ExpedientPittsburghPA
76Systems EngineeringPortlandME
77Cerium NetworksSpokaneWA
78PEIBoulderCO
79Safety NetTraverse CityMI
80IntegraONEAllentownPA
81iCorps TechnologiesWoburnMA
82KinettixCincinnatiOH
83Solutions IILittletonCO
84TechMDSanta AnaCA
85CyberlinkASP TechnologyDallasTX
86Envision Technology AdvisorsPawtucketRI
87Texas Systems GroupAustinTX
88MagnitechNapervilleIL
89Adopt TechnologiesPhoenixAZ
90Method TechnologiesCypressCA
91VirtuIT SystemsNanuetNY
92Vector Choice Technology SolutionsDuluthGA
93Radcomp TechnologiesWhite SalmonWA
94PICS ITechMount HollyNJ
95Nerds SupportMiamiFL
96A Couple Of GurusMinneapolisMN
97DEVsourceMurrayKY
98Networking Technologies + SupportMidlothianVA
99PSMChicagoIL
100Wheelhouse ITFort LauderdaleFL

If you’re looking for the Top 50 unicorns, that list has been reserved for new FOCUS buy-side clients who are seeking:

About the FOCUS MSP Team

In addition to pioneering the first and only predictive “signal-driven” custom scoring of the top 1,138 MSP targets, no investment bank has been more active or aggressive in serving the MSP market than FOCUS Investment Banking.

For example, FOCUS served as M&A advisor to five of the 10 MSP platforms that were established in 2020 and announced by ChannelE2E (see 2020 MSP & Technology M&A List).

Most recently we have served as catalyst for, and exclusive financial advisor on, MSP/MSSP transactions with 18 legendary MSP Founder/CEO/President references including: Tom Andrulis, Rashaad Bajwa, Kevin Blake, Willis Cantey, Steven Cariglio, Kevin Cook, Brian Desrosier, Jim Kennedy, Buddy Martin, Donald C. Monistere, Karl Muehlberger, Eric Noonan, Edward M Reade, David Robinson, Tony Schafer, Jake Spanberger, Mohit ‘Mo’ Vij and Mike Williams.

These deals resulted in nine MSPs becoming newly-minted PE-backed platforms, with five more currently under Letters of Intent.

For more information, please contact FOCUS Managing Director and MSP Team Leader Abraham Garver at [email protected].

Abraham Garver is a MSP banker for FOCUS Investment Banking. Over the past four years the team has advised on MSP transactions with 76 parties including catapulting the 12 MSP below into “New Platforms” for private equity sponsors:

The Purple Guys (ECS + My IT)
TechMD (formerly ICS)
General Informatics
Integris (Domain + Tier 1)
Cantey Tech (Cantey Tech + Cantey EDU)
CyberSheath
ITS (Intelligent Technical Solutions + Intivix + PC Miracles)
Entech (Entech + ITVantage)
ProVelocity + IronEdge
Lockstep + Renovus Capital
MSP Corp + Groupe Access

Over his career Mr. Garver has worked on sell-, buy- and valuation assignments with approximately 150 public, private, and fastest-growing members of the MSP 501, CRN500, ChannelE2E Top 100 & Inc. 500 and served as a guest commentator on Bloomberg, MSP Business School and at NASDAQ.

Mr. Garver is a recurring conference speaker for IT Nation Connect, Channel Partners and MSSP Alert Live and recurring news source for ChannelE2E, CRN, Channel Futures, TechTarget & PEHub. As an author he has contributed over 125 articles in numerous publications including FORBES.

Prior to joining FOCUS, Abraham worked with Merrill Lynch’s M&A Technology Group in San Francisco and E&Y’s Business Valuation Group in Los Angeles. In addition to his professional pursuits, Mr. Garver is a member of The University Club of New York and Governor (Emeritus) of the University of Southern California Alumni Association.

Mr. Garver holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from The University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, and a master’s degree in finance from the Manderson Graduate School. He is registered with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) as a General Securities Representative (Series 7 and 63) and a Limited Representative – Investment Banking (Series 79).

Recent MSP/MSSP Deal Experience
MSP Corp
ProVelocity
Entech Computer Services, Inc.
Cantey Technology Consulting, LLC
Golden Technologies, Inc.
Security7 Networks, LLC
DS Tech
Versiant Corporation, Inc.
Cantey Technology Consulting, LLC
The Network Support Company, LLC
Integrated Computer Solutions of Vestal, LLC
DSM Technology Consultants, LLC
Intelligent Technical Solutions, Inc.
Lighthouse Technology Partners
Accelerate, Inc.
CMS IP Technologies
Unicom Technologies
CyberSheath Services International, LLC
AKUITY Technologies
General Informatics
Frontenac XI Private Capital, L.P.
ECS Acquisition Holdings, LLC