What it does
Roll-Up Tracker surfaces **platforms that are actively closing add-onacquisitions** — ranked by how many they've done in the last 6, 12, or 24 months. It answers the question "who's being stitched together right now, and how fast?"
When to use it
Source add-on targets by working backwards from a hot platform. If a platform is closing two deals a quarter in your sector, the next add-on candidate is someone in their orbit.
Identify exit-ready platforms. A Cooling tag — active in the last 24 months but quiet in the last 6 — often signals integration pause, recap, or pre-sale preparation.
Map sector momentum. The Sector Momentum panel ranks sectors by L12M add-on count across all platforms — useful for spotting where consolidation is accelerating.
Track a sponsor's portfolio activity. Pick a firm to see every platform they own, ranked by add-on velocity, with a summary of add-ons-per-platform under their ownership vs. lifetime.
Compete on origination. Know which strategics and public-co roll-ups are bidding against PE for the same niche assets — toggle the Public and Acquired pools to see them.
Where to access
How to use it
Two modes:
Pool view (default) — the top 150 platforms across the universe, ranked by add-on velocity. Filter by sector, country, and pool type (PE-backed, public, strategic).
Lifetime view by firm — pick any PE firm and see every platform it has ever owned, with full ownership history per platform and add-ons split by era.
Each platform card shows L6M / L12M / L24M / Lifetime counts, a quarterly sparkline, a Hot or Cooling tag for tempo, and the actual add-on deals with a one-sentence rationale pulled from the press release.
Pick a pool
PE-Backed (default) — platforms currently owned by a PE firm. The classic LBO roll-up universe.
Public — publicly traded acquirers running roll-up strategies (sub-roll-ups inside public-company segments)
Acquired — platforms currently owned by another operating company (strategic). Captures sub-roll-ups under corporate parents.
All — every active acquirer regardless of ownership.
2. Choose a velocity window
The Sort pills set the ranking lens:
L12M (default) — last 12 months. Best balance of signal and noise.
L6M — last 6 months. Sharper "hot right now" view; smaller counts.
L24M — last 24 months. Smooths over quiet quarters.
Lifetime — total add-ons since the platform was acquired by its current sponsor.
3. Filter the sidebar
Search keywords — match platform name or description.
Sector — multi-select. Clicking a row in the Sector Momentum panel also applies it as a filter.
Country — multi-select.
All filters apply in place; the count and ranking update immediately.
4. Pick a firm for the lifetime view
Type a PE firm name into the Lifetime view by PE firm box at the top of the page. Pick a match.
The view switches from pool mode to firm mode:
The sidebar now shows a firm summary (total platforms, average add-ons per platform under this firm vs. all-time).
A Status toggle appears next to Pool: All / Currently held / Exited.
Platforms held across multiple sponsors show add-ons split by era — add-ons made during this firm's ownership are separated from those made by prior or later owners.
Tips
Start with PE-Backed + L12M. The default view is calibrated for the most common use case — find active PE platforms in motion.
Switch to L6M when prospecting. It gives you the freshest read on who's currently aggressive; pair with the Hot tag to short-list.
Toggle Public and Acquired to see who else is bidding. Strategic and public roll-ups compete with PE for the same niche assets; ignoring them undercounts the buyer universe.
Firm-mode is the fastest way to see a sponsor's narrative. Pick a firm whose deck claims an "active platform strategy." If their Avg/Platform under their ownership is below 1, the strategy is aspirational.
Sector Momentum is a thesis-generator. Click the top sector to see exactly which platforms are driving the consolidation wave.
FAQ
Q: How is "add-on" defined?
Any acquisition where the platform itself is the buyer (acquisition_side = buyer). The tool excludes non-control deal categories — growth equity, PIPE, minority stake, venture, JV — so the count reflects M&A activity specifically.
Q: What's the cutoff for showing a platform?
Pool view caps at the top 150 platforms by velocity in the selected window. Firm view shows every platform with 2+ add-ons under the selected firm's ownership.
Q: What's the difference between Pool view and Lifetime view?
Pool view is a universe ranking: "who's most active right now across all PE." Lifetime view is firm-scoped: "show me every platform this specific firm has ever rolled up, including platforms they exited or acquired from prior owners." Different question, different mode.