Uplift acquires financial services technology consultant Engage Fi
What's the deal? Uplift InvestorsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has acquired Engage FiDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Tampa-based consultancy that helps banks and credit unions cut technology costs and negotiate with vendors. It marks the private equity firm's third platform investment and its first in financial services.
The players: Founded in 2014 by Jennifer AddabboDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and James Guild, Engage Fi advises banks and credit unions on implementing technology from core banking and payments systems to digital banking. The company employs just under 100 people and serves a couple of hundred active clients, said managing partner Brad Skaf.
Engage Fi says it has negotiated over $3 billion in savings and incentives for clients, including State Employees' Credit UnionDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the second-largest US credit union, which signed a multiyear engagement in April.
Why now? Demand is driven by technology decisions that have outgrown banks' in-house capacity, particularly as they overlay new AI-based tools onto existing systems, said managing partner Will Hausberg. US financial services technology budgets are projected to reach $495 billion in 2026, a 10.3% increase on the year before, according to ForresterDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
The details: Uplift completed fundraising on a $670 million debut pool in July 2026, following its 2025 spinout from Gridiron CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. Engage Fi sits at the larger end of Uplift's target range of companies with $10 million to $40 million of EBITDA, Hausberg said.
What's the endgame? The Darien, Connecticut-based firm plans to invest further in Engage Fi's technology and data, and use AI tools to boost employee productivity. Engage Fi is paid in part by sharing the savings it achieves for clients.
Financial services is one of Uplift's five focus areas, alongside knowledge and talent, legal services, technical trades, and industrial services. Its first deal was the January 2026 formation of Orion Legal MSODealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a managed service organization selling operational support to law firms.
The signal: Uplift, founded in early 2025 by Hausberg, Skaf, and Doug RosensteinDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, is building out its services strategy as banks lean harder on outside help. It pegs the technology optimization services market at $29 billion, growing about 5.4% annually.
Read more: Yahoo Finance
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
