New York | August 4, 2026 – Drake Star won U.S.A. Deal of the Year – Small Mid Markets at the 18th Annual Americas M&A Atlas Awards in New York City, for advising Vault Verify, a portfolio company of PSG, on its sale to Equifax (NYSE: EFX).
Founded in 2012, Vault Verify is an outsourced provider of employment and income verification services, offering real-time, transactional, API-based verifications through its proprietary technology, with a concentration in the healthcare sector. The acquisition enhances the data that Equifax provides to verifiers and also provides another mechanism for employers to provide data to a verifications provider, expanding options available to Equifax employer clients.
Jim Holzer, Managing Partner at Drake Star and deal team lead, commented: "This award is a strong recognition of the work our team put into finding the right outcome for Vault Verify and PSG. It was a privilege to advise on a transaction that gives Vault Verify's technology an even greater platform to help streamline some of life's most important moments for consumers. Congratulations to the Vault Verify, PSG, and Equifax teams on this well-deserved market recognition."
Gregory Bedrosian, Managing Partner & CEO at Drake Star, added: "Deals like Vault Verify's sale to Equifax show exactly why clients trust Drake Star with their most important transactions: deep sector knowledge, a global network, and a team that gets the details right. Congratulations to Jim and the entire deal team, as well as to Vault Verify, PSG, and Equifax, on this achievement."
About Global M&A Network
Global M&A Network is a diversified digital media and conference company. It produces the Turnaround Atlas Awards, Women Leaders & Dealmaker Awards, and the M&A Atlas branded awards programs worldwide, from New York and Chicago to San Francisco, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Mumbai, and London.
For more information on how winners are chosen, visit: www.globalmanetwork.com.
About Drake Star
Drake Star is an award-winning global tech investment bank that has completed over 500 transactions since 2003. The Drake Star global team of experienced professionals and senior advisors across offices in New York, Munich, London, Paris, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berlin, West Palm Beach, and Dubai* focuses on mergers & acquisitions and corporate finance services worldwide in Software/SaaS, Artificial Intelligence, HR Tech, Digital Services, FinTech, Digital Media, Industrial Tech, Consumer & Retail Tech, and Mobility & Sustainability.
Drake Star is the marketing name for the global investment bank Drake Star Partners Limited and its subsidiaries and affiliates. In the USA, all securities are transacted through Drake Star Securities LLC. In the USA, Drake Star Securities LLC is regulated by FINRA and is a member of SIPC. Drake Star UK Limited (FRN 942020) is an appointed representative of Razlin Ltd (FRN 730805), which is authorized and regulated by the FCA. © 2026 Drake Star Partners Limited.
For more information, visit: www.drakestar.com.
*Partner Office
