GovTech & Public Safety M&a: What We’re Seeing as 2026 Approaches
Market Insights
The GovTech and Public Safety landscape is undergoing one of its most active consolidation waves in recent memory. Between strategic acquisitions, private-equity rollups, and massive capital injections into high-growth platforms, the space is shifting rapidly — and reshaping the talent market along with it.
At Peskind Executive Search, our position at the intersection of public safety, GovTech, venture capital, and private equity–backed scale-ups gives us a front-row seat to the trends driving this acceleration. Below is our overview of what’s happening — and why it matters for founders, investors, and leaders building mission-critical technology.
Recent M&A Moves Reshaping the Market
The last 12–18 months have produced a series of high-impact transactions across software, communications, and infrastructure:
Axon → Prepared (2025)
Axon’s acquisition of Prepared brings AI-powered dispatch intelligence, real-time video/text ingest, and instant language translation into the Axon ecosystem. This is a major step in unifying call-taking, CAD, field data, and evidence management into a true end-to-end platform.
GovHost → True North Software (2025)
GovHost expanded its footprint in cloud-native CAD/RMS for smaller agencies by acquiring True North. This segment — Tier 3 & 4 public safety agencies — remains massively underserved and ripe for disruption.
Motorola Solutions → Silvus Technologies (2025)
Motorola’s $4.4B acquisition of Silvus represents a huge bet on MANET mesh networking — an increasingly critical backbone for tactical operations, rural agencies, and contested environments where traditional infrastructure struggles.
NEOGOV → EQT & CPP Investments (2025)
A landmark deal signaling the return of institutional capital to GovTech. NEOGOV’s sale, valued around $3B, reflects strong investor confidence in the broader government-technology market.
First Due Raises $355M Growth Round (2025)
One of the largest capital raises in public safety SaaS history. This signals heightened investor appetite for platforms serving fire/EMS operations, incident pre-planning, and all-hazards readiness.
Key Themes Driving Consolidation
Based on our work supporting PE firms, founders, and scaling public-safety vendors, several themes are emerging across the industry:
AI + Real-Time Intelligence Are Becoming Table Stakes
Emergency response is moving toward integrated data streams: 911 calls, video feeds, GPS, body-cam data, and automated translation. Vendors with AI-driven workflows are commanding premium valuations — and talent able to build and operationalize these models is in increasingly high demand.
Cloud-Native CAD/RMS Platforms for Small & Mid-Size Agencies Are Hot
Historically overlooked, smaller agencies represent a massive TAM — and cloud-first platforms are enabling fast, profitable penetration. Buyers want these assets for both revenue and strategic differentiation.
Communications Infrastructure Is Consolidating
Silvus → Motorola highlights a trend: traditional radio vendors are expanding deeper into software-defined networking, tactical mesh, and resilient comms. The next wave of acquisitions will likely blend hardware, networking, and analytics.
PE Firms Are Re-Entering GovTech Aggressively
Large firms are reloading on the sector. As we work with more PE-backed companies building their first scaled GTM teams, we’re seeing meaningful hiring surges in sales, product, customer success, and leadership.
Agencies Want Platforms—Not Point Solutions
Budget pressure is driving consolidation of vendors. Integrated suites (CAD/RMS/jail/records/comms/analytics) are winning. Vendors without cross-functional breadth will be forced to partner or exit.
What This Means for Talent & Hiring
As M&A accelerates, the talent landscape shifts with it — and this is where Peskind Executive Search continues to play a critical role.
Cross-functional leaders are becoming essential
Companies need executives who understand both legacy public-safety workflows and emerging technologies like AI, mesh networks, and cloud-native architectures.
PE-backed companies are building GTM engines from scratch
This includes first Heads of Sales, VPs of Marketing, SDR teams, customer success build-outs, and product leadership — areas where we’re currently seeing heavy demand.
M&A creates churn — and opportunity
As platforms integrate acquisitions, reorganize product roadmaps, or consolidate sales teams, top talent becomes mobile. We often intercept these candidates well before they hit the open market.
Execution-oriented operators are especially valuable
With so many companies in transition, those who can stabilize teams, integrate acquisitions, and deliver operational transformation are in high demand.
Looking Ahead to 2026
Based on everything we’re seeing:
Expect more rollups in CAD/RMS, dispatch, and jail management systems.
Expect hardware-to-software convergence, especially in communications and sensors.
Expect AI-first platforms to attract premium multiples.
Expect PE firms to aggressively hire leadership to power post-acquisition growth.
Expect agencies to consolidate vendors and demand modern user experiences.
And as always, expect the competition for elite talent to intensify.
About Peskind Executive Search
Peskind Executive Search partners with mission-critical GovTech, Public Safety, and Defense-Tech companies — from venture-backed innovators to large PE-backed platforms — to build the leadership teams that scale technology, accelerate growth, and modernize public-sector operations.
If you’re building your leadership team in GovTech or AI-driven public sector solutions, we’re always happy to share what we’re seeing in today’s talent market. Feel free to reach out if you’d like a conversation.
ROBERT PESKIND
CEO & Founder
Peskind Executive Search
About the Author
Before launching the firm, Robert Peskind was recognized as a “Top 50 Global Recruiter” with Management Recruiters International (1,100+ offices worldwide). Over time, he became the go-to resource for executive talent across the public safety sector—helping organizations build leadership teams serving government agencies throughout North America, LATAM, EMEA, and APAC.
Peskind Executive Search takes a hands-on, market-driven approach to recruiting, staying deeply connected to both the candidate marketplace and the M&A landscape. We not only recruit for the companies we help build, but also partner with private equity firms and investors to develop high-performing leadership teams that drive growth and long-term value.
Our global reach extends beyond public safety into emerging technologies and industries including GovTech, Blockchain, FinTech, AI/ML, IoT, e-commerce, healthcare, and more. We’ve successfully placed leaders who drive growth across diverse markets and evolving industries.
At Peskind Executive Search, we don’t just fill roles—we help shape the teams that move industries forward.