Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
Smith + Howard is combining private-equity-backed expansion with an across-the-firm AI rollout. The accounting, assurance, tax, advisory and wealth-management firm has more than 800 employees in seven states, expects about $175 million in 2026 revenue, and is considering larger acquisition targets while testing where AI can improve productivity without compromising complex audit work.
What TPG’s investment changes
Smith + Howard previously expanded with backing from Broad Sky Partners. On June 9, 2026, TPG announced an investment intended to support national expansion, technology, talent, client-service capabilities and artificial-intelligence integration. TPG said the transaction was expected to close in the third quarter of 2026, subject to customary conditions and approvals; financial terms were not disclosed. The Information’s October 14, 2026 report describes the firm’s acquisition and AI plans in the period following that investment.
The firm reported more than 800 employees across Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Management expected approximately $175 million of revenue in 2026. Excluding acquisitions, revenue had increased roughly 10% to 15% annually for the previous decade, according to the report.
How the next acquisition round is expected to work
Two possible deals before the end of 2026
Management told The Information that two acquisitions could close by the end of 2026, with additional transactions planned for 2027. The firm wants acquisitions to add approximately 20% to 25% of 12-month forward revenue, a target that would make deal sourcing and integration a central part of its growth plan rather than an occasional supplement to organic expansion.
#1 Best Overall
- Powerful Turbo Fan:CAGIWIRU Electric Air Duster have reached speed up to 130000RPM,Can efficient remove dust and debris.With LED light and Three Adjustable Speed to meet with different cleaning tasks.
- With Attached USB C Fasting Charging cable.Charing 3 hours,Enjoy up to 240 minutes of use on the lowest setting, For third speed can use for 25mins.with four charging options to meet with your needs.
- Wide Application: attached 5 different nozzles,making it suitable for a variety of scenes, such as car,pet, pc, keyboards, and other electronic devices. It also serves for office and home clean duster.
- Handy Design & Portable:Cordless air duster electric nozzle is Light weight and small size, design and comfortable to hold and space saving, convenient to carry around. You can put it in your room or inside the car without taking up space.
- Economical &Reusable: Built durable materials with a long-lasting battery,our CAGIWIRU air duster it's a sustainable alternative to disposable air cans.
Larger sellers than in the earlier program
Smith + Howard previously considered firms generating about $2 million to $20 million in annual revenue. Its newer range is approximately $5 million to $50 million, bringing larger regional practices into consideration.
| Acquisition measure | Earlier range or approach | Current plan reported in October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Seller annual revenue | Approximately $2 million–$20 million | Approximately $5 million–$50 million |
| Near-term timing | Earlier purchases made under Broad Sky Partners | Two deals could close by year-end 2026 |
| Following year | Not stated | More acquisitions planned for 2027 |
| Contribution goal | Not stated | About 20%–25% of 12-month forward revenue |
Why valuation varies by target
The Information reported that smaller firms with established client bases but limited technology or marketing capabilities could command EBITDA multiples of roughly five to six times. Established firms taking direct private-equity backing were approaching 12 times EBITDA or more. Those figures are market observations in the article’s context, not a valuation formula for every accounting practice. A seller’s recurring revenue, partner succession, technology stack, service mix and growth record can materially change the price.
Where Smith + Howard is applying AI first
Claude is available to every employee
Smith + Howard rolled Anthropic’s Claude out to all employees rather than restricting experimentation to a central technical team. CEO Sean Taylor described the initial opportunity as work with “a lot of lather, rinse, repeat.” Giving every team access lets staff propose practical uses from audit, tax, advisory and administrative workflows while management observes which ideas produce measurable results.
Rank #2
- Screen Cleaner is Your Screen’s New Bestfriend! - EVEO is proud to present a screen cleaner that’s perfectly suited for your TV. Meet your new screen cleaner, computer screen cleaner, laptop cleaner, iPad cleaner, Macbook,tv cleaner or any other electronic device. Our screen cleaner spray and wipe along with the included plush microfiber cloth, easily removes dust, fingerprints & other smudges on the screen’s surface. Clean effectively for a streak-free screen
- Gentle on your Screens - Our screen cleaner spray and wipes is compatible to be used even for the most sensitive LCD, LED, CRT, and OLED screens in proper use. Be at ease knowing that this product is compatible with all the major brands: LG, SONY, Samsung, Sharp, iPad, iPhone, Android screens, Kindle, PC monitors - we’ve got you covered! Can be used as LCD screen cleaner, tv cleaner, smart tv screen cleaner, and more
- Premium Super Soft Plush Microfiber Cloth - Included in this efficient screen cleaning kit. This screen cleaner spray and wipe has our signature plush microfiber cloth specially designed to comply with screens and monitors and leave them streak-free. Has been shown to effectively absorbs stubborn stains, zero streaks, and no fiber shedding. Always use this together with our screen cleaner for the best results
- Easy-to-Use Screen Cleaner Kit + microfiber cleaning cloth - The EVEO Screen Cleaning Kit will easily be your new favorite tool when it comes to taking care of the things you love most, quick and easy solution for a streak-free screen. Simply screw on the sprayer gun on the screen cleaner bottle. Spray the cleaning liquid onto the microfiber cloth, then wipe the screen until desired cleanliness & shine is achieved.
- Quality Screen Care Kit Worth Purchasing - Enjoy a convenient Screen Cleaner anytime, anywhere you need it. Your satisfaction is our top priority. We stand behind the quality of our products and that’s why, you shouldn’t be worrying at all. We manufacture the Best Screen Cleaner. and can be used for laptop cleaning kit, laptop screen cleaner, tv screen cleaner for smart tv. MacBook screen cleaner, monitor cleaner or screen cleaner spray for electronic devices with microfiber cleaning cloth
Repetitive audits and manual work are the opening targets
Early candidates include automating industry-specific audits, reducing repetitive documentation and cutting manual work or outside software costs. These tasks often follow recognizable procedures and may be easier to standardize than engagements requiring extensive judgment.
Complex financial-statement audits are a different case. The firm expects them to be harder to automate because they involve more judgment, unusual transactions, evidence evaluation and professional responsibility. The current strategy therefore points to AI assisting accountants with preparation and repeatable procedures, not eliminating the need for auditors in the most complicated engagements.
Possible client products and an AI executive
The firm is also evaluating AI-enabled products for clients and searching for a C-suite executive to lead its AI efforts. That role could coordinate governance, security, training, vendor selection and the conversion of successful internal experiments into repeatable services.
Rank #3
- 【Large size】：Measuring 800 x 300 mm/ 31. 5×12 inches, which is wider and taller than others. Large mouse pad can perfectly fit your keyboard and mouse of any size, and there is also ample space for peripherals such as phones, tablets, etc.
- 【LED backlight mouse pad】：Blade Hawks RGB mouse pad provides 7 static modes and 7 dynamic modes will give you the options you are looking for. Power-off memory function remembers the last lighting mode you selected. The super glow fiber Chroma will give you a colorful gaming setup that you want.
- 【Anti-slip rubber base】：Made from Natural rubber, this gaming mousepad will firmly grip your desktop, allowing you to enjoy the ultimate precision in the games you are most passionate about. It also comes with a texture that enhances this ability even further.
- 【Smooth and waterproof surface】: Micro-textured cloth surface, for extremely precise mouse control and a smooth movement. When liquid splashes on the gaming mouse pad, it forms water droplets and slides down. Will not delay your work or gameplay.
- 【Plug and play】: This mouse and keyboard pad is powered by USB, plug and play, no driver required. One button control light modes. Press one time to change the lighting mode, press twice to change the brightness, press and hold about 3 seconds turn ON/OFF.
How management will decide whether AI pays off
TPG managing director of AI Brian Goffman identified revenue per employee as TPG’s primary measure of AI returns. For accounting operations, he suggested examining how many audits a given employee can complete. He argued that accounting firms may retain more of the savings from efficiency than businesses in some other sectors, saying, “In accounting, that doesn’t seem to be the case” when discussing whether productivity gains must be passed entirely to customers.
Recommended Free Tools
| Decision area | Measure or method | What it is intended to show |
|---|---|---|
| Firm-level productivity | Revenue per employee | Whether output rises faster than headcount |
| Audit operations | Audits completed per employee | Whether teams can handle more work without equivalent staffing growth |
| Project economics | Monthly return on investment | Whether a deployment is producing benefits after implementation costs |
| Technology investment | Five-year cash-flow projections including AI costs and growth | Whether building software internally is justified over the expected payback period |
Smith + Howard tracks ROI month by month. Before deciding to build software internally, it models expected technology costs and growth in five-year cash-flow projections. That approach is designed to prevent a promising demonstration from becoming a permanent expense without a measurable operating benefit.
Goffman also described an aggressive acquisition rationale: “We’ll pay more than the other firm because we know we can create that value” through AI. The logic is that better workflows, shared technology and broader distribution could make a target worth more inside the combined platform than as a standalone practice.
Rank #4
- 【Softer and More Comfortable】Vaydeer wrist rest has unique diamond pattern, which is the combination of softness and aesthetics. The materials of wrist rest are improved into higher quality memory foam and covered with silky smooth lycra. The computer wrist rest makes you as comfortable and cushiony as like rest your wrists on clouds.
- 【Ergonomic Wrist Saver】The wrist rests for keyboard and mouse comes with a 17.32×3.15×0.83 inch keyboard wrist pad and a 5.94×3.15×0.83 inch mouse wrist support. Based on ergonomic design, the unique concave shape is the perfect fit for your wrist joints. The wrist rest pad fits most computer keyboards and laptops, improve hand and wrist posture, release your wrist and arm stress.
- 【Non-Slip Rubber Bottom】Featuring an anti-skid silicone base on the bottom, this wrist keyboard support stays firmly in place on your desk, preventing the padding from sliding around, ensuring stable and consistent wrist support during extended computer sessions.
- 【Better Experience & Pain Relief】Our keyboard arm rest is beneficial to alleviate the soreness caused by direct contact and friction between your arm and a hard desk surface, reducing the risk of wrist fatigue or carpal tunnel. The soft texture of memory foam can evenly distribute the pressure around your wrists and provide good support with just enough give.
- 【Helpful in Multiple Scenarios】Whether you're working, studying, writing, typing, gaming, this keyboard and mouse rest combo is an essential accessory to add comfort and support to your hands and wrists. It’s also a great gift for men, women, family, friend, coworker, gamer, teacher, etc.
The broader private-equity consolidation strategy
Smith + Howard’s plan reflects a wider effort to consolidate professional-services firms and improve margins with technology. A platform can spread software, recruiting, marketing, compliance and training costs across more offices while giving smaller practices access to capabilities they might not build alone.
TPG has relationships involving Anthropic, Microsoft and Google. Smith + Howard was not a customer of OpenAI’s private-equity venture at the time of the report, although that could change as the venture expands its technical capacity. Those relationships provide context for TPG’s technology strategy; they do not establish that Smith + Howard uses each provider in its operations.
What employees and clients should watch
Integration capacity
Closing two deals in a single year would test onboarding, systems migration, partner alignment and quality control. The larger $5 million–$50 million target range could bring more resources and capabilities, but it can also make integration more complex.
Best Value
- 【No Drill Mounted】Cable management tray can be assembled in as little as 3 minutes or less-simply. Side clips easily clampe the edge of desk, pass through the holes on the sides, and secure excess cables with baskets. Desk cable management supports inward or outward installation to meet your needs in different scenarios, and provides you with great convenience when collecting and organizing wires.
- 【Rubber Pad Protects Desk】Wire organizer under desk built-in soft rubber pads on the clamp protect your desk from scratches, so you will not damage your furniture or office.
- 【Sturdy and Beautiful】Cord management under desk is made of high-quality carbon steel and holds about 15 lbs. The wire basket has 2 holes on each side of the tray to enable your cables to pass freely. Cable baskets are suitable for desk thickness use from 0.4" to 2.4".
- 【Space Saving & Keep Organized】Desk cable management tray holds all your power cords, outlet strips, USB hubs and computer transformers hidden from your feet, and the data cables will not enter the vacuum cleaner to keep your desk clean and tidy. Desk wire organizer is also suitable for use in the kitchen and outdoors.
- 【Reduce Safety Risks】Cable tray under desk keeps all plugs away from your kids, no more worry about tripping. Using 2 holes wire tray saves extra space, helps you easily cabling and wire protection. The mesh design is not easy to accumulate dust, but avoids safety accidents caused by messy wires.
Audit quality and oversight
Automating repeatable procedures does not transfer professional responsibility to a model. Smith + Howard’s distinction between simpler industry-specific audits and complex financial-statement audits signals that human review, evidence standards and engagement-level accountability remain important boundaries.
Whether productivity becomes growth
The key evidence will be whether higher output per employee supports faster service, improved margins, additional capacity or new client products. Taylor said, “We are monitoring it, but we definitely feel like the return is going to be there.” Monthly ROI reporting and the five-year investment model will determine whether that expectation survives implementation.
Deal pace in 2027
After the potential 2026 closings, the number, size and revenue quality of 2027 targets will show whether the raised seller range is a durable strategy. The reported 20%–25% forward-revenue goal also provides a benchmark for judging whether acquisitions are accelerating the platform or merely replacing slower organic growth.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
