AHEAD Acquisition, Valuation, Funding & Investors

AHEAD was acquired by Berkshire Partners for $3B in September 2022, a 1.2x multiple on $2.5B of revenue.

See full AHEAD profile

AHEAD acquisition price

$3B

Acquired by Berkshire Partners · Sep 2022

AHEAD revenue at acquisition

$2.5B

Last twelve months · Sep 2022

AHEAD revenue multiple at acquisition

1.2x

EV/Revenue · Sep 2022

AHEAD EBITDA multiple at acquisition

13.0x

EV/EBITDA · Sep 2022

AHEAD Overview

About AHEAD

AHEAD is an IT consulting firm optimizing data centers and cloud infrastructure for enterprises. Chicago-headquartered and founded in 2011, it serves healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, and retail clients including Northwestern Medicine and Ace Hardware. AHEAD delivers managed services on VMware, AWS, Azure, and Nutanix, with engineering teams specializing in hyperconverged infrastructure and private cloud deployments.


Founded

2007

HQ

United StatesChicago, IL

Website

ahead.com

Status

Acquired

Customer focus

B2B

Revenue model

Services

Revenue

$2.5B (Sep 2022)

Valuation

$3B (acquired Sep 2022)

AHEAD Acquisition

AHEAD was acquired by Berkshire Partners for $3B on 26 September 2022.

The acquisition price implies a 1.2x revenue and 13.0x EBITDA multiple on $2.5B of revenue.

Before the acquisition AHEAD had raised $98M across 5 funding rounds.

AHEAD acquisition details
AcquirerDateTypePriceEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
  • Berkshire Partners
26 Sep 2022PE buyout$3B1.2x13.0x

AHEAD Funding History

AHEAD has raised a total of $98M across 5 funding rounds.

AHEAD's first fundraising round was a $17M undisclosed-stage round in December 2020. The most recent completed round was a $6M Series A in May 2024.

AHEAD funding rounds

AHEAD funding rounds
DateStageRaisedDeal Summary
May 2024Series A$6MAHEAD raised $5.7M in an Unattributed - V funding round on May 6, 2024, from undisclosed investors, bringing total funding to $97.73M across 8 rounds. The company achieved $3.7B in revenue in 2024.
Feb 2024Undisclosed stage$44MAheadComputing Inc., founded in 2024, develops high-performance CPU microarchitecture using RISC-V for AI, data center, cloud, and edge computing demands, with a team boasting over 1000 years of CPU design experience. The company announced a $21.5M seed round on Feb 19, 2025, led by Eclipse with participation from Maverick Capital, Fundomo, EPIQ, and Jim Keller, to expand team from 40 employees, advance microarchitecture, and demonstrate CPU performance. A follow-on $30M Seed2 round was raised on Jan 21, 2026, co-led by Eclipse, Toyota Ventures, and Cambium, bringing total funding to $53M, to enhance R&D, software, test chips, and grow team to nearly 120, with first product in development via partners like Alchip, Cadence, Skyechip, and Tenstorrent.
Nov 2023Series A$6M-
Nov 2022Undisclosed stage$26M-
Dec 2020Undisclosed stage$17M-

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Acquisitions by AHEAD

AHEAD has acquired 10 companies to date.

Last acquisition by AHEAD was on May 11th 2026. AHEAD acquired Prolimax for undisclosed valuation.


Latest Acquisitions by AHEAD

Prolimax
Computer Design & Integration
MBX Systems
vCORE Technology Partners
Description
Prolimax is a supply chain solutions provider for North American companies in EMEA. The firm handles asset management, lifecycle management, modular repair, data erasure, project management, iOS and Android services, warehousing, server appliances, system integration, and final assembly.
Computer Design & Integration is a New York-headquartered IT solutions provider specializing in data center design, hybrid cloud management, and managed services for enterprise clients. The firm deploys its Hybrid Cloud Automation Framework and Zero Touch Operations platform to support business continuity, disaster recovery, and digital transformation projects. CDI serves financial services, healthcare, and government sectors from data centers in New Jersey and partnerships with AWS, Azure, and VMware.
MBX Systems is a Liberty Lake, Washington-headquartered manufacturer of customized hardware appliances for major independent software vendors and service providers. It produces turnkey solutions optimized for specific applications, including branded enclosures, pre-imaged software, regulatory compliance, global fulfillment, and extended warranty programs. Serving industries like telecom and healthcare, MBX handles full hardware lifecycle management.
-
HQ CountryIrelandUnited StatesUnited StatesUnited States
HQ City
Galway
New York City, NY
Chicago, IL
Phoenix, AZ
Deal Date11 May 20261 Feb 20245 Jun 20237 Mar 2022
Valuationundisclosed$705Mundisclosed$62M
EV/Revenue
EV/EBITDA

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AHEAD Competitors

AHEAD competitors include listed companies like Insight Enterprises, Nextdc, Biprogy and DigitalBridge Group, and private ones like Nxtra Data and Echelon Data Centres.

Public and private companies comparable to AHEAD
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
Insight EnterprisesUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$8.2B$417M$4.5B0.7x
NextdcAustraliaAustraliaPublicly listed$353M$138M$6B19.2x
BiprogyJapanJapanPublicly listed$2.8B$389M$3B1.1x
DigitalBridge GroupUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$71M$30M$3B41.4x
Nxtra DataIndiaGurgaonPrivate--$3.1B-
Echelon Data CentresIrelandDublinPrivate--$2.9B-

AHEAD Public Comps

AHEAD is no longer listed, but its public comps include Biprogy, DigitalBridge Group, Also Holding, Sinnet Technology, Csquare, Bitdeer, Guangdong Aofei Data, Matrix IT, DHC Software and Netweb Technologies India.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
Biprogy$2.8B$389M1.1x1.1x8.2x7.9x
DigitalBridge Group$71M$30M54.5x41.4x129.6x-
Also Holding$16B$324M0.2x0.2x10.4x9.1x
Sinnet Technology$1.1B$72M3.5x3.6x51.4x18.4x
Csquare$987M$375M8.7x-23.0x-
Bitdeer$620M$331M7.3x5.3x13.7x35.7x
Guangdong Aofei Data$376M$188M11.1x9.2x22.2x16.5x
Matrix IT$2.1B$224M1.7x-15.2x-

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Common questions about AHEAD

When was AHEAD founded?AHEAD was founded in 2007.
Where is AHEAD headquartered?AHEAD is headquartered in Chicago, IL, United States.
Is AHEAD publicly listed?No, AHEAD was acquired by Berkshire Partners in September 2022.
Who acquired AHEAD?AHEAD was acquired by Berkshire Partners in September 2022.
How much was AHEAD acquired for?AHEAD was acquired for $3B in September 2022, a 1.2x revenue multiple.
How much funding has AHEAD raised?AHEAD has raised $98M across 5 funding rounds.
What was AHEAD's last funding round?AHEAD's last funding round was a $6M Series A in May 2024.
Which companies are comparable to AHEAD?Companies comparable to AHEAD include Insight Enterprises, Nextdc, Biprogy, DigitalBridge Group, Nxtra Data and Echelon Data Centres.
How many companies has AHEAD acquired?AHEAD has acquired 10 companies, including Prolimax, Computer Design & Integration, MBX Systems, vCORE Technology Partners and Vertical Trail.
What was the largest acquisition by AHEAD?The $705M acquisition of Computer Design & Integration in February 2024 is the largest acquisition AHEAD has made to date.

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