Tag archives: technology

Funding M&A Deals with Bitcoin

By Alexandra David on April 1, 2021 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

As Bitcoin gains increasing traction since its inception 11 years ago, we begin to question whether it will slowly replace traditional dollar funding in M&A deals. Whether Bitcoin will be used to fund large M&A deals will likely depend on its ability to stabilize in value. One of the most common concerns of using Bitcoin … Continue reading

Transforming Adversity into Opportunity: The Need for New Technologies Fuels Insurance M&A

By nrfdigitalteam on March 18, 2021 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way in which we interact with the world. From working, to shopping, to socializing, most aspects of our daily lives have moved to the online world. Consumers now expect effective online platforms for all goods and services, and businesses have been forced to adapt quickly. The need for robust … Continue reading

Digital Taxation – Novel Considerations in M&A Transactions

By Alexandra David on November 24, 2020 Posted in M&A, Tax

Digital taxes have become a subject of significant debate in recent years. Following allegations that tech giants have paid very little tax anywhere in the world, some countries have moved to impose new taxes on profits derived from digital services provided by multinational enterprises on a jurisdiction-specific basis. For instance, France recently adopted a digital … Continue reading

The Dynamic Duo: Cyber-security and Due Diligence during the COVID-19 Pandemic

By nrfdigitalteam on November 6, 2020 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

The widespread impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (“pandemic”) continues to highlight the several ways in which M&A transactions have had to adapt to changing times, particularly by ramping up cyber-security measures in a digital world. Prior to the pandemic, there already existed a shift towards cyber-security due diligence since many businesses relied on digital assets. … Continue reading

M&A Opportunities in the COVID-19 Digital Transformation

By nrfdigitalteam on October 23, 2020 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

While the COVID-19 pandemic initially had a general chilling effect on merger and acquisition (“M&A”) activity, we have seen an increase in M&A activity recently, particularly as industries rapidly adapt to the new environment and consider opportunities. Both consumer preferences and business models have been forced to change quickly due to the circumstances of the … Continue reading

Fintech M&A Activity in 2020: The Digital Economy is Here

By nrfdigitalteam on August 5, 2020 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

Paying for Payments While uncertainty arising from the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed down most deal activity, Fintech, in particular the payments space, is a big exception. Recent analysis from KPMG revealed that UK payment deals in the first quarter of 2020 alone exceeded the total number of deals in 2019. Granted, deal sizes were relatively … Continue reading

Providing or Procuring Ed-Tech Products? Educate Yourself about Privacy Matters

By Shreya Gupta (Toronto) on June 30, 2020 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

A new wave of advancement in the education industry has emerged. Schools, universities and colleges are relying more on technology now than they ever have before – and this reliance on technology will only increase in the coming years. Educational institutions are using technological solutions to assist in teaching, engaging in discussions with their students … Continue reading

Evaluating the Legal Risks of Data Assets in M&A

By Jamie Parker on March 31, 2020 Posted in M&A, Privacy and data protection, Technology and innovation, Uncategorized

Data is an essential asset for many businesses, and one that is increasingly acquired through M&A transactions. Identifying and assessing the particular legal challenges of data assets is crucial for acquirers to mitigate the risks associated with these assets and unlock their full value. While issues will depend on the particulars of each transaction, the … 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

Examining data analytics in M&A

By nrfdigitalteam on March 6, 2020 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

The M&A world continues to evolve as transactions are becoming more diverse and complex. Timelines are getting shorter and acquirors have less time to assess their targets but more pressure to justify their acquisitions. Acquirors must simplify the process of acquiring a target, while simultaneously improving the accuracy of their predictions about the acquisition’s profitability. … Continue reading

How to ensure that emails of former employees do not fall through the cracks when purchasing a business

By Mark Bissegger (Toronto) on February 21, 2020 Posted in M&A, Privacy and data protection

The importance of email in the workplace presents a variety of legal challenges when purchasing a business. Among those are concerns relating to emails and the email addresses of the seller’s employees who are no longer employed by the purchaser after closing. First, there are confidentiality concerns in connection with former employees receiving information they … Continue reading

2019 in Review: eSports edition

By Joseph Palmieri (Toronto) on February 5, 2020 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

The eSports industry experienced monumental growth in 2019 and is well underway to becoming a financially lucrative market. By the end of last year, eSports had over 433 million global viewers, more than American Football and rugby combined, and is expected to reach over 645 million viewers in 2020. For perspective, the 2019 League of … Continue reading

Cybersecurity in M&A Transactions: Friend or Foe?

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on November 8, 2019 Posted in M&A, Privacy and data protection, Technology and innovation

The heavy reliance on technology in today’s data-driven world means that cybersecurity threats must be taken seriously. More specifically, with respect to M&A transactions, a target’s cybersecurity mechanisms have become an important part of the due diligence consideration. Indeed, it is important to have a firm grasp on the nature and extent of a target’s … Continue reading

Chamber of Digital Commerce Releasing the First Ever Comprehensive Report on Canada’s Blockchain Ecosystem

By nrfdigitalteam on October 17, 2019 Posted in Technology and innovation

Over the last decade in which the digital economy has grown at an unprecedented pace across industry sectors, blockchain technology and distributed ledger technology have shown the ability to reform the ways in which businesses and governments operate. To better understand Canada’s blockchain ecosystem, on October 4, 2019, the Chamber of Digital Commerce Canada released … Continue reading

Emerging Trends in Information Technology (IT) Mergers and Acquisitions

By nrfdigitalteam on October 11, 2019 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

Canada’s burgeoning information technology (IT) sector is a standout in the Canadian mergers and acquisitions landscape. A recent report by Duff & Phelps illustrates that in the first half of 2019, IT was the third most active deal-making sector in Canada with over 104 closed transactions. Against this backdrop, three trends emerge: ‘Buying into’ privacy … Continue reading

(Un)masking value: how the data masking market can impact M&A activity

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on September 17, 2019 Posted in M&A, Privacy and data protection

Recent rumblings about the “data masking” market have put this concept on the radar of many, which warrants a closer look at the relevant trends and the potential of data masking. The information age has made cybersecurity a necessity and the increase of data breaches and malware attacks have led to calls for greater data … Continue reading

Merge with caution: the future of food delivery services

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on July 25, 2019 Posted in Technology and innovation

The convenience and efficiency of meal ordering applications (“apps”) has led to a rapid development in food delivery services. However, despite the ever-growing popularity of online takeout, the increase in food-delivery companies and the decrease in restaurants offering food delivery service is slowing the growth of what could be a lucrative market. Consumers of this … Continue reading

Good eats: rising interest in dairy & meat alternatives driving M&A activity

By Olga Lenova (Toronto) on June 26, 2019 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

As consumer demand for dairy and meat alternatives increases, established food manufacturers are looking to supplement their offerings by entering into M&A transactions with emerging meat and dairy alternative manufacturers. According to a recent report by the Good Food Institute (GFI), there have been 46 completed investments and acquisitions of vegan food manufacturers in 2018 … Continue reading

Uses of blockchain in the M&A process

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on June 20, 2019 Posted in Technology and innovation

We have previously explored some potential uses of blockchain in the M&A process. Generally, blockchain refers to a growing list of blocks linked by cryptography. Each block contains a timestamp and a link to the previous block. When a new block is added to the growing list, it is verified by independent parties on the … Continue reading

3D printing – the manufacturing industry’s “comeback kid”

By Olga Lenova (Toronto) on March 26, 2019 Posted in Technology and innovation

Speed. Scale. Diversity. What do these words have in common? According to Deloitte, they are the three main reasons that 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing (AM), is experiencing a sustained resurgence in 2019. Deloitte recently published the 18th edition of its Technology, Media & Telecommunications Predictions report, which forecasts both global and regional … Continue reading

eSports: a new MVP for real estate?

By Samantha Sarkozi (Toronto) on March 5, 2019 Posted in Real estate

As we have previously discussed, the eSports industry has garnered immense popularity and is projected to grow considerably. While this projected growth may present new targets for acquisitions, partnerships, sponsorships and the like, it may also create new real estate opportunities – specifically, in the form of eSports stadiums and arenas. Although likened to traditional … Continue reading

Technology and creativity: keys to unlocking real estate?

By Samantha Sarkozi (Toronto) on December 11, 2018 Posted in Real estate, Technology and innovation

With increasing globalization, shifting demographics and advancing technologies, just to name a few, society is changing rapidly. These changes, as reflected by evolving tastes, preferences and needs, influence both how and where people live and work. As part of their joint publication, Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2019 (the Report), PwC and the Urban Land … Continue reading

Digitalization – the pill for M&A failures?

By Jaray Zhao (Toronto) on July 19, 2018 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

It is a generally accepted fact that a significant number of M&A deals fail to deliver value post-closing. In a recent survey (the Survey) discussed in the Deloitte 2018 M&A trends report (the Report), 55% of respondents agreed that up to 25% of their M&A deals fall short of meeting or beating expectations. We’ve discussed … Continue reading