IncQuery

According to PitchBook data, the average global software private equity buyout has exceeded $2 billion so far in 2026. But the median is just $163 million. What’s driving the biggest deals? As AI reshapes the software industry, proprietary data can help differentiate acquisition targets from their competitors. That data is an asset that’s hard for other companies to replicate, even with AI. “Data as the Proprietary Edge in Private Equity Dealmaking,” a new IncQuery report powered by PitchBook data, examines this changing landscape. Download it here: https://lnkd.in/eTRfM5wr/?utm_campaign=Boost_Post_Engagement_Oct26,2026&utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=paid&utm_id=1242051453&hsa_acc=507993526&hsa_cam=1242051453&hsa_grp=897592393&hsa_ad=1594450143&hsa_net=linkedin&hsa_ver=3 #PrivateEquity #SoftwareMA #ProprietaryData

Can you automatically verify survey logic? 💡 That's the question we brought to UCLA's Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IPAM) this summer. Through the 2026 Research in Industrial Projects for Students (RIPS) program, four undergrads took it on: Karma Brame, Jade Jiao, Bao Truong, and Liz Tsalaja. They used formal verification to test whether respondents could reach the right questions and whether quotas could actually be met, and finished the summer with a working framework. It's already shaping how we think about automated checks before fielding. Thanks to London Bielicke, and our very own Felipe O. and Kelly Mazur, for mentoring the team, and to UCLA for hosting. Fellow sponsors this year included NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration, OpenAI, AMD, RTX and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eeEgPZ7m

When AI gives everyone access to the same research and analysis tools, proprietary research provides a unique advantage. As IncQuery CEO Felipe O. tells The AI Journal, "firms are increasingly competing on what might be called evidence advantage: the ability to generate proprietary insights that competitors cannot simply prompt, scrape, or summarize." Read the article to see how success involved combining AI and primary research. https://lnkd.in/eViU-sxi

IncQuery surveyed consulting and private equity professionals to get their perspectives on research quality, market intelligence, and priorities.

Improving the quality of insights is the top priority for due diligence and strategy projects above speed, automation, and cost.

How are consulting and private equity professionals approaching primary research today? And how do they see things changing? Download the report.