Announcing o11's backing from Y Combinator.
Essential Private Equity Software for 2026
Private Equity has been slower to adopt tech than Venture Capital, but the tide has turned. With competition for deals at an all-time high, PE firms are arming their associates with better software to source faster and diligence deeper.
Here is the essential stack for 2026.
1. Sourcing: Grata & Harmonic
The Goal: Find the company before the auction. Traditional databases (PitchBook) are saturated. Grata and Harmonic use AI to scan websites and LinkedIn to identify bootstrapped companies that fit niche thesis criteria.
2. CRM: DealCloud
The Goal: Track the relationship. If it isn’t in DealCloud, it didn’t happen. It is the central nervous system for managing intermediaries, bankers, and pipeline.
3. Virtual Data Room: Datasite or iDeals
The Goal: Secure file exchange. Datasite remains the heavyweight for large deals; iDeals is winning the middle market with superior UX (and lower price points).
4. Diligence / Analysis: Hebbia
The Goal: Read the docs. For the “Data Room Dump,” Hebbia is becoming standard issue to triage legal and operational documents quickly.
5. Execution / Creation: o11
The Goal: Do the work. This is the newest and most critical category. Sourcing and CRM are about finding and tracking. o11 is about doing. It’s the tool associates use to parse the CIM, build the LBO model, and write the IC Memo. It connects the data from the other tools into the final deliverable.
6. PortCo Monitoring: Cobalt or Chronograph
The Goal: Track performance. Once the deal is done, you need to track it. These tools automate the collection of KPIs from portfolio companies.
Conclusion
The “Excel & Email” days are over. The modern PE associate is a “Bionic Analyst”—leveraging AI at every stage of the funnel to outperform the market.
