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A recent article in the Harvard Business Review made a perhaps surprising conjecture: that as far as mergers and acquisitions are concerned, those companies that focus on what they’re going to get from an acquisition are less likely to succeed, in terms of the deal outcomes, than those companies that focus on what they can give to the process. Acquiring companies being in ‘take’ mode was a dangerous place to be, it claimed…. Read More
It’s no secret that music streaming website SoundCloud is hurtling towards a period of financial difficulty. Last March the company followed in the footsteps of the likes of Spotify and Apple Music with the launch of SoundCloud Go, a premium music service that costs users $9.99 per month. Although it has since seen an increase in users, SoundCloud Go did little to alleviate the $52 billion loss the company reported for 2015,… Read More
The technology sector has long dominated M&A media coverage, with some of the most recognisable brands sparking the public’s interest with mega-deals grabbing headlines. Increasingly, these deals are focusing on one of the next big battlegrounds for technology companies: the cloud. The cloud is currently attracting significant attention for acquirers of all stripes, from acquirers of all kind, from tech giants looking to pivot to cloud technology to private equity houses. The… Read More
A month is a long time in business and nothing has demonstrated this as much as games giant, Nintendo. Just a few weeks ago we discussed the £11.1bn that gaming phenomenon Pokémon Go had added to the value of Nintendo, with shares soaring by more than 86 per cent. Now, we are looking at quite a different story. “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” Overnight, the whole world was talking about the augmented reality… Read More
If you have children or know any young adults, you may have noticed them being even more engaged in their smartphones than usual. The reason is Pokémon Go – the gaming phenomenon that’s sweeping the world. Its popularity has added £11.1bn to Nintendo’s value within just one week and its share prices are at a six year high. We take a look at why Apps are making companies so profitable and attractive… Read More
M&A within the tech sector saw a relatively slow start to 2016. However, analysts predict that the recent announcement of Microsoft’s intention to acquire professional social network LinkedIn for $26bn could trigger a tech M&A boom. So far, $209bn worth of deals have been announced, placing 2016 back on track to match last year’s record deal making. With this in mind, we reflect on the tech sector’s biggest M&A deals of all… Read More