A Massachusetts IT solutions provider recorded nearly 700 percent two-year growth as channel companies capitalize on surging demand for artificial intelligence technology and services, according to the 2026 CRN Fast Growth 150 list. The annual ranking spotlights solution providers with at least $1 million in yearly sales by their average growth rate from 2023 to 2025. The list shows that many channel firms are thriving in the AI era, posting double-digit and even triple-digit expansion as they pivot to bring transformative technology to their clients.
Troubadour Technology, a Lowell, Massachusetts-based firm founded in 2023 by industry veterans James Czarnecki and Mark Arsenault, topped the ranking with its nearly 700 percent growth over two years. The list features major channel players including Carahsoft Technology at No. 63, Computacenter at No. 74, EPAM Systems at No. 120, SHI International at No. 129, CGI Group at No. 132, Wipro Technologies at No. 143, and Cognizant at No. 149. Other recognizable names include AHEAD at No. 25, DoiT at No. 26 with 74.6 percent growth, Caylent at No. 12 with 123.1 percent growth, and Blue Mantis at No. 72 with 35.7 percent growth. Troubadour focuses on networking, data center, and cybersecurity solutions with an emphasis on modern infrastructure design and AI-driven operations, and despite its young age has secured high-level partner certifications with HPE, Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks, and Extreme Networks.
The AI wave has forced channel companies to transform on multiple fronts, the report notes, working with new vendors, changing business models, learning new skills, and developing fresh services to help clients extract real value from AI. "AI is moving faster than most organizations can keep up with, and midmarket companies are feeling it the most," Blue Mantis CEO Josh Dinneen told CRN, noting that companies have been using AI through SaaS platforms like Salesforce and ServiceNow often without realizing it. The report highlights that acquisitions have become a key growth driver, with solution providers pursuing deals to expand geographically, add to their technology and service portfolios, and accelerate market momentum beyond organic growth alone.
The rapid expansion reflects how the AI boom has shifted from experimentation to real-world deployment over the past two years, as a wave of AI applications and agents has flowed from IT vendors into the market. Caylent's CTO Randall Hunt told CRN in November that the company's unique AI portfolio and booming business migrating VMware customers to the cloud were major drivers of its 123.1 percent growth, while Blue Mantis launched full-scale managed security services in September 2025 and debuted AI Readiness and Enablement services a month later. Evotek CEO Cesar Enciso attributed his company's 22 percent growth to partnering with early-stage startups like cloud security firm Wiz to bring disruptive technology to clients, combined with an approach where everything starts with security. The channel's fastest-growing firms are those that successfully navigated the pivot to AI, combining organic expansion with strategic acquisitions to capture the opportunities created by enterprises racing to deploy transformative technology.