A Massachusetts startup founded just two years ago recorded a 698.5 percent two-year growth rate, topping the newly released 2026 CRN Fast Growth 150 list, which ranks technology solution providers by their expansion from 2023 to 2025. Troubadour Technology, launched in 2023 by industry veterans James Czarnecki and Mark Arsenault, led a field of channel companies that have thrived despite economic and geopolitical uncertainty by helping clients navigate the AI-driven transformation reshaping the IT industry.
The list, which recognizes solution providers with at least $1 million in annual sales, includes well-known channel names like AHEAD (No. 25 with a 75.0 percent growth rate), as well as some of the industry's largest players. SHI International ranked No. 129, CGI Group came in at No. 132, Wipro Technologies at No. 143, and Cognizant at No. 149—demonstrating that even billion-dollar companies are achieving significant percentage gains. The top 25 fastest-growing firms span diverse specialties: NEXA (No. 2) focuses on enterprise mobility and IoT with a 309.4 percent growth rate, while Zinfinity (No. 3) posted 267.3 percent growth delivering AI readiness and cloud engineering services. Harbor IT ranked No. 4 with a 221.9 percent expansion rate providing cyber-first managed IT for complex regulated environments, and MGT—celebrating its 50th anniversary—achieved 213.3 percent growth serving government and education sectors at No. 5.
Aggressive acquisition strategies fueled much of the rapid expansion among the fastest-growing companies on the list, according to the report. Solution providers pursued deals to expand geographically, add technology and service portfolios, and accelerate market momentum. Caylent, which landed at No. 12 with a 123.1 percent growth rate, got a boost from its October 2025 merger with Trek10, a fellow AWS Premier Services partner, creating what the report describes as "a heavyweight contender in the AWS services space." Park Place Technologies (No. 18) completed a large-scale merger with competitor Service Express in January, uniting two global data center service providers. Arctiq (No. 8, with 179.0 percent growth) acquired four companies over the past two years—Summit Partners, Verinext, Shadow-Soft, and Forty8Fifty Labs—while Cyber Advisors (No. 6) made five acquisitions including S&L Computer Services, BAI Security, eDot, Stratum Security, and Infranet Technologies Group.
The report highlights that solution providers are pivoting to develop new business plans, acquire AI-related technical skills and certifications, and establish partnerships with AI-focused startups—while also re-evaluating relationships with long-standing IT vendors adjusting to the rapidly changing landscape. Companies like Caylent specialize in cloud modernization and AI integration with deep AWS expertise, while The Redesign Group (No. 9, 176.3 percent growth) has focused on organic growth as it transitions from boutique consultancy to enterprise-scale provider, achieving Pinnacle partner status in Broadcom's program. US Cloud (No. 16) built its 106.5 percent expansion entirely from cash flow by delivering enterprise-grade alternatives to Microsoft support, while Quorum Cyber (No. 15) expanded its North American presence through strategic acquisitions in Canada and the U.S., adding a security operations center to its Microsoft-focused threat-led cybersecurity services.
Looking ahead, the unprecedented opportunities created by accelerating AI development position solution providers for continued expansion as clients increasingly turn to channel partners for help managing technology transformation. The report notes that companies are not just succeeding but thriving, recording double-digit and triple-digit growth rates even as they themselves navigate the pivot to AI-driven business models. For the newest entrants like Troubadour Technology—which despite being founded in 2023 has already achieved high-level certifications with HPE, Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks, and Extreme Networks—the combination of AI expertise and traditional infrastructure services represents the future of the channel business.