Uplift Investors has acquired Engage fi, a technology and strategic advisory firm serving banks and credit unions, from Falfurrias Management Partners. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
The acquisition marks Uplift’s third platform investment from its inaugural fund and its second investment organized around a professional services business model following the creation of Orion Legal MSO earlier this year.
Uplift closed its debut fund at its $670 million hard cap in July 2026.
Engage fi helps financial institutions evaluate, select, negotiate and implement technology solutions across areas including payments, digital banking, core banking, integrated communications, CRM and AI.
The company also provides strategic advisory and conversion services intended to help banks and credit unions modernize operations, improve efficiency and manage complex technology transformations.
Engage fi has completed more than 2,700 engagements.
Its services include technology evaluations, contract negotiations, vendor benchmarking and end-to-end support for conversions, migrations, mergers and implementations.
The company also operates proprietary platforms including 360fi Workflow and DataFusion.
Uplift plans to support Engage fi through its 5-5-5 Framework, which maps five scalable business models against five durable services sectors and applies five functionally aligned Value Creation Centers to each investment.
Those Value Creation Centers focus on organizational design, technology, data and AI, go-to-market strategy, talent and M&A.
Uplift said Engage fi is positioned at the center of increasingly important technology decisions facing banks and credit unions.
Financial institutions are under pressure to modernize legacy systems while responding to changing customer expectations and the rapid development of AI.
Uplift plans to use its Go-to-Market Excellence Value Creation Center to expand Engage fi’s reach to additional financial institutions while broadening the services offered to existing clients.
The firm also plans to invest through its Technology, Data and AI Value Creation Center.
That work is expected to build on more than a decade of proprietary data accumulated by Engage fi while expanding the use of AI tools in how the company delivers its advisory services.
For Engage fi, the transaction provides a new private equity partner as the company looks to expand its platform and deepen the range of technology and strategic services it provides to financial institutions.
Uplift is a middle-market private equity firm focused specifically on services businesses.
The firm is headquartered in Darien, Connecticut, and structures its investment strategy around scalable services business models and operational value creation.
William Blair & Company and KeyBanc Capital Markets served as financial advisors to Uplift.
Kirkland & Ellis served as legal counsel to Uplift.
Guggenheim Securities served as financial advisor to Engage fi, while K&L Gates served as legal counsel.
KEY QUOTES:
“Engage fi operates at the center of some of the most important technology and strategic decisions facing banks and credit unions today.”
“The company’s deep expertise, trusted client relationships, and ability to deliver measurable value across the technology lifecycle have created a differentiated platform in attractive end markets. We are excited to partner with their team to build on that strong foundation and support the company’s next phase of growth.”
Brad Skaf, Managing Partner at Uplift Investors
“Modernization, changing customer expectations, and the rapid proliferation of AI are making it very difficult for companies to stay in control of their technology stack. Engage fi offers exceptional solutions to these growing challenges.”
“Through Uplift’s Go-to-Market Excellence Value Creation Center, we will bring proven solutions in front of more institutions and expand what Engage fi does for the clients it has. Through our Technology, Data and AI VCC, we will invest behind a decade of proprietary data and the AI tools that sharpen how the work gets delivered.”
Will Hausberg, Managing Partner at Uplift Investors
“Our team has built Engage fi around a simple principle: our success is measured by the success of our clients.”
“As we considered the right partner for our next chapter, Uplift stood out for its deep understanding of our business, thoughtful approach to partnership and value creation, and shared commitment to investing in our people and capabilities.”
“We look forward to working together to build on the platform we have created, broaden the ways we support our clients, and plan to continue delivering the expertise and results financial institutions rely on us for.”
Andres Pasantes, President and Chief Executive Officer of Engage fi
