Growth equity firm Tercera releases its fifth annual Tercera 30, highlighting the software and AI
ecosystems with the greatest potential for IT service firms.
CHICAGO, Oct. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Tercera, an investment and advisory firm for AI and technology service firms, today released the 2026–2027 Tercera 30. The Tercera 30 is an annual ranking of the top software and AI vendors for IT services firms and the partner ecosystems that offer the greatest potential for services growth. The vendors and trends highlighted in this fifth anniversary edition reflect the shift happening across IT services in the new AI era.
Eleven vendors are new or have boomeranged back onto this year's Tercera 30 list, underscoring how quickly the AI and software partner landscape is changing. Three new vendors – Anthropic, OpenAI and Palantir – join the Market Anchors category, vendors with large TAMs, large clients and broad platforms. That is the most movement in this category ever.
This year's Tercera 30 report also features redesigned Domain Leaders and Builders categories, reflecting how IT services partners are increasingly specialized by industry and required to have data and AI depth.
In Tercera's July 2026 IT services survey of 378 technology services leaders, only 5% of firms focused on a single software partner, down from 10% last year. Firms are increasingly moving from single-vendor platform implementations to orchestrating data, systems and agents around domain processes and clear business outcomes.
"The services market is radically shifting," said Chris Barbin, CEO of Tercera. "The vendor landscape is in chaos, traditional partner motions are at risk, and new growth opportunities are presented daily – often at the intersection of data, AI, software and services."
Introducing 2026–2027 Tercera 30
Market Anchors. Large vendors that can support a dedicated services business: Databricks, Snowflake, Anthropic, ServiceNow, OpenAI, Palantir, Microsoft, Google Cloud, AWS, and Salesforce.
Domain Leaders. Platforms that can serve as pillar partners for firms specializing in an industry or function: Oracle, SAP, Guidewire, Atlassian, Workday, HubSpot, OneStream, Saviynt, commercetools, and Ada.
Builders. Data and AI vendors representing different layers of the AI stack: Nvidia, VAST Data, MongoDB, Cohere, Dynatrace, Glean, Dataiku, Quantexa, Denodo, and Credo AI.
Vendors in the Tercera 30 were selected through a rigorous data analysis, interviews with software executives, input from analysts and bankers, and insights from Tercera's annual services survey. More info on the methodology can be found here.
Services leaders should use this report to assess partner strategies, identify the most promising AI partner ecosystems, and anticipate where demand is heading. Download the full report here.
About Tercera
Tercera is an investment and advisory firm focused on helping AI and technology services businesses grow. Its team of experienced operators provides capital, counsel, and connections to help leaders build and scale their firms.
SOURCE Tercera
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