Equiteq to sponsor Collective 54's Reunion 2026 in Fort Worth

Collective 54 named Equiteq a sponsor of its annual founder gathering, The Reunion 2026, set for Oct. 26-27 at Hotel Drover in Fort Worth, Texas. The sell-side M&A firm will also lead a mainstage session on growing through acquisition as Collective 54 pushes more boutique firms toward exit readiness.

Why it matters: - Collective 54 says exits are the goal for many of its members, and 61 members have sold their firms since early 2020 for more than $3.5 billion in total value. - Equiteq's role at The Reunion 2026 adds M&A guidance for founders trying to build firms buyers want: specialized, run well, and not dependent on the founder. - The event is capped at 150 attendees, which makes the sponsor and programming highly targeted for boutique firm leaders.

What happened: - Collective 54 announced Equiteq as a sponsor of The Reunion 2026, the community's annual gathering of boutique firm founders. - The event runs Oct. 26-27 at Hotel Drover in Fort Worth, Texas. - Equiteq is a sell-side M&A investment bank focused on technology services and consulting firms. - The firm was founded in 2005 and operates from offices in New York, Boston, Atlanta, London, Sydney, Singapore and Bengaluru. - Equiteq is also a Collective 54 Ecosystem Partner. - On Oct. 27, Robby Riggs, Equiteq's chief transformation and operations officer and head of coverage, will lead a mainstage working session called Buy to Build on growing through acquisition. - Members will set acquisition criteria and draft the first names on target lists during the session, building on 2027 operating plans created on the reunion's first day.

The details: - Equiteq has completed hundreds of transactions for founders of knowledge-based businesses. - Collective 54 says the Reunion content is aimed at helping founders understand what makes a firm valuable to a buyer and how to prepare for an eventual sale. - Robby Riggs said the founders in the community are building firms that buyers want, and that sharing how to increase value and prepare for exit is useful work for founders. - Jeff Klaumann, president of Collective 54, said Equiteq has helped several members sell their firms and brings deal insights back to the community. - Collective 54 describes itself as the mastermind community for founders and executives of boutique professional services firms. - The group says it serves firms with 10 to 250 employees and $5 million to $50 million in revenue across NAICS 54 sub-verticals, including legal services, accounting and tax, architecture and engineering, specialized design, IT and software development, management consulting, scientific research and development, advertising and public relations, and other professional and technical services. - Collective 54 says it has a few hundred members across North America. - The organization says its members join to make more money, make scaling easier and make an exit achievable. - Collective 54 says its offering includes methodology, its AI tool Co-Founder, and staff support that operates Co-Founder on a member's behalf. - More information is available in Collective 54's announcement, the Pro Serv Podcast, and Collective 54 on LinkedIn.

Between the lines: - The sponsorship signals that Collective 54 is positioning The Reunion as both a networking event and an execution-focused workshop for founders who are thinking about acquisition and eventual sale. - Equiteq's participation also reinforces the overlap between growth-through-acquisition strategies and exit planning for boutique professional services firms. - The messaging around founder independence suggests that operational maturity remains a key part of valuation in this market.

What's next: - The Reunion 2026 takes place Oct. 26-27 in Fort Worth. - The Buy to Build session is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 27. - Collective 54 is likely to continue using its event programming and partner network to push members toward stronger operations and more sale-ready firms.

The bottom line: - Equiteq's sponsorship gives Collective 54's founder community direct access to M&A expertise at a moment when exit readiness and acquisition-led growth are central themes.