How many independent sponsors does DFX track?

DFX currently tracks 1,041 independent sponsors, as of 7 October 2026.

1,041

As of

Definition

Firms the independent sponsor graph records as sponsors: buyers who raise capital deal by deal instead of from a committed fund, verified and candidate alike.

Geography

United States lower middle market.

Included

  • Firms that filed Form D deal vehicles, were named as the buyer in a deal announcement, or describe themselves as independent sponsors.
  • Both verified sponsors and candidates; the verified subset is counted on the by-state page.

Excluded

  • Capital providers that finance sponsor deals, which are counted separately.
  • The companies sponsors buy or might buy.

Methodology

Each sponsor is one entity on the independent sponsor graph. Verification is a separate, stricter test, explained on the methodology page.

The graph behind this figure reads 36 registered sources, each listed with its rights determination on the sources page.

Update cadence

Recounted every time the graph's published totals are rebuilt, which happens several times a day; the date above is the latest rebuild.

The lists behind this figure

Other statistics