Tag archives: Artificial intelligence

Deal-maker or deal-breaker: the legal ins and outs of using AI in M&A

By Imran Ahmad, Roxanne Caron and Suzie Suliman on July 13, 2023 Posted in M&A

Deals involving AI bring about specific and unique issues for consideration during the due diligence process. Understanding the specific challenges created by AI is important for companies to ensure that the AI technology holds genuine value and would not raise red flags during the course of a transaction. Some important advice for companies looking to … Continue reading

Acqui-hiring: What we know and what we need to know from a Canadian perspective

By nrfdigitalteam on March 10, 2020 Posted in Employment and labour, M&A, Technology and innovation

“Acqui-hire” transactions, which are particularly prevalent in the context of start-up technology-related M&A transactions in the U.S., focus on acquiring a company primarily to obtain its employees and their skills, in addition to other possible assets (see our earlier post on acqui-hires). In these type of transactions, it is thought that the greatest perceived value … Continue reading

“DARQ” technology and disruptive M&A: gearing up for the “post-digital era”

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on July 18, 2019 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

As technology has become embedded into most parts of our lives, the majority of companies have completed a digitization process. Maintaining a digital platform has become the new norm, and increasingly sophisticated technologies continue to be developed. Accenture’s Technology Vision 2019 (Vision Report), describes this as the transition to the “post-digital era,” where “digital” is … Continue reading

AI as a solution for cybersecurity problems in M&A deals

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on July 4, 2019 Posted in M&A, Privacy and data protection, Technology and innovation

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has immense potential as a solution for cybersecurity vulnerabilities in M&A deals. Generally, M&A deals generate value and as such, understanding vulnerabilities on the acquirer and target sides is important for completion of the transaction. With the common usage of networks and servers to store high volumes of data by corporations, vetting for cybersecurity attacks has become a … Continue reading

A-I Captain! Know the legal risks of buying an AI company… or go down with the ship

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on May 7, 2019 Posted in M&A, Privacy and data protection, Technology and innovation

On February 21, 2019, Blackberry completed its acquisition of Cylance, a privately-held artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity company. Acquisitions of AI companies like Cylance are becoming increasingly common as businesses seek to realize the opportunities in offering much-improved products or services to their customers. Canada, in particular, has become a hotspot for activity in the … Continue reading

The tech takeover: disruptive technology as a driver of M&A

By nrfdigitalteam on April 11, 2018 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

A relentless parade of new technologies is unfolding on many fronts – one of which includes the M&A scene. While not every emerging technology will alter a business’ landscape, certain technologies have the potential to disrupt the status quo, alter the way companies operate and rearrange value pools. These “disruptive technologies” can quickly displace established … Continue reading

Better, faster, stronger: revamping the M&A due diligence process with Artificial Intelligence platforms

By Sam Zadeh (Toronto) on March 27, 2018 Posted in M&A

Voluminous information in M&A transactions M&A transactions can be time-intensive, often involving contract discovery and analysis, due diligence, data room preparation, verification of representations and warranties, privacy issues and multijurisdictional privacy legislation and intellectual property protection, among other important aspects. As deals become larger in value and scope, the review and analysis of the foregoing … Continue reading

A look at the venture capital landscape in Canada

By Nader Hasan (Toronto) on November 15, 2017 Posted in M&A

PwC has recently released the 2017 MoneyTree Canada report for Q3 2017 (the Report), which provides insight into the landscape for equity financings in emerging venture capital (VC) backed companies headquartered in Canada. While it may come as no surprise that financing activity has increased in Q3 2017, the magnitude of the increase, especially for … Continue reading

Artificial intelligence: real results

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on August 9, 2017 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

Earlier this year, we discussed the increasing use of technology in the M&A deal process. To recap, a recent Mergermarket study revealed that the use of technology and big data were likely factors in the increasing frequency of unsolicited bids and corresponding decrease in frequency of broad auctions. Building on our earlier discussion, we now … Continue reading

Back to the basics: the business value in keeping human interaction

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on February 9, 2017 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

In today’s market, there is significant buzz around phrases such as automation, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, robotics and the like. Many businesses are investing in the fast-paced technology sector and innovating outdated systems for customer engagement. For example, earlier this year, the first U.S.-based robotic café opened its (figurative) doors to patrons in San Francisco, … Continue reading

Artificial intelligence M&A: the new gold rush

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on December 14, 2016 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation, Uncategorized

While many people are still in shock after discovering that there is actually no human controlling the steering wheel in autonomous cars, tech companies, including Google, IBM, Yahoo, Intel and Apple, have found themselves in the middle of a gold rush for artificial intelligence (AI) companies. According to recent research by CB Insights, around 140 … Continue reading