Topic: Technology and innovation

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Keeping real estate on trend with RealTech

The impact of technology can be felt across virtually all sectors of the economy and real estate is no exception. In fact, technology affects all aspects of real estate from its procurement and development to its management and use. Real estate-specific technology is often aptly referred to as “RealTech”. Explaining RealTech The KPMG White Paper, … Continue reading

Why some tech M&As fail to deliver value

By Jaray Zhao (Toronto) on January 4, 2018 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

In a recent blog post, we explored the reasons why a sizable number of M&A deals fail to complete every year. As discussed in that post, the closing of an M&A deal does not necessarily announce the success of a transaction. In fact, as high as 60% of M&A deals fail to deliver value even after a … Continue reading

Smart contract applications in M&A: earn-outs

By Mark Bissegger (Toronto) on November 22, 2017 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

This blog has previously provided an overview of how blockchain technology and smart contracts might be adapted to the legal industry. In this post, we will explore the specific example of how these technologies may be able to simplify an earn-out agreement in an M&A transaction. What are earn-outs? In an earn-out, the seller of … Continue reading

Adding value through tech deals

By Saeed Teebi (Toronto) on October 31, 2017 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

A new report by BCG asks the question of whether wading into tech deals can add value to companies. Based on BCG’s analysis of 37,000 tech acquisitions, the returns from such deals are mixed: about half generate positive returns for acquirers. This is the case regardless of whether the buyer itself is in the tech … Continue reading

M&A: the automotive industry’s new fuel?

By Victoria Riley (Toronto) on October 24, 2017 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation, Transport

Automotive technologies are evolving rapidly and impacting not only drivers’ automotive experiences but also, the automotive industry more broadly. From assistive technologies like bicycle sensors and back-up cameras to self-driving technologies, it appears that technological innovation will be critical in order for automotive companies to maintain their relevance and competitive edge in the marketplace. However, … Continue reading

Trends and opportunities in InsureTech M&A

By Sara Josselyn (Toronto) on September 26, 2017 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

Insurance companies have increasingly looked at technological innovation as both an opportunity to increase profit margins, and as a potential disruptive force in the industry, with some insurance executives estimating that one third of their operations may be lost to FinTech. On-demand insurance that allows a consumer to purchase insurance on an as-needed basis has … Continue reading

From renegotiation to reticence: how changing NAFTA may slow the PE market

By Sara Josselyn (Toronto) on September 12, 2017 Posted in Antitrust, competition and regulatory, M&A, Technology and innovation

Renegotiating or withdrawing altogether from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has been a focal point of both President Trump’s presidential campaign and his administration. This threat of renegotiation or withdrawal has also been the source of immense speculation from lawyers, economists, politicians and the like regarding the expected implications for the economy, key … Continue reading

Smart contracts: how computer programs and blockchain could affect M&A

By Sara Josselyn (Toronto) on August 24, 2017 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

Smart contracts, which replace traditional paper documents with a computer program that automatically verifies and executes an agreement, are poised to fundamentally alter the way M&A and contract-based legal work is performed. Think of a smart contract as a small army of robot lawyers and accountants: once the parties agree to terms, these robots automatically … Continue reading

Virtual data rooms: don’t let the cloud cloud your judgment

By Sara Josselyn (Toronto) on August 16, 2017 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

Platforms that were once physical in nature – such as data rooms – are increasingly becoming digitized. The cloud has opened up new frontiers for data storage: It offers large amounts of storage, collaborative file sharing, and easy access to records at a low cost. On top of all that, the documents are not susceptible … Continue reading

Specificity is key: six archetypes of successful acquisitions

By Sara Josselyn (Toronto) on August 10, 2017 Posted in M&A, Pharmaceuticals and life sciences, Technology and innovation

Canadian M&A activity has continued to rise in 2017, but with the successes come many more stories of failure. Studies indicated that 70% – 90% of acquisitions ultimately fail. How does a company beat these odds? A recent article by McKinsey & Company suggests that companies who enter into acquisitions with a specific value proposition … 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

Blockchain technology: an imminent driver of investment and M&A

By Matthew Lau (Toronto) on August 8, 2017 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

Blockchain technology has been making headlines since it emerged in 2009 in connection with the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. We’ve covered the potential use of Bitcoin in M&A transactions in previous articles in 2016 and 2014. As discussed in these articles, the volatility and lack of central authority has so far meant that the cryptocurrency plays a … Continue reading

Exciting new technologies for corporate legal transactions

By Sara Josselyn (Toronto) on August 3, 2017 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

The legal industry is not immune to the influx of new technologies designed to make our lives, and equally if not more importantly, those of our clients, easier and more efficient. Early last year, we reported on content management tools that revolutionized the way due diligence is performed in M&A transactions. Since then, new technologies … Continue reading

Modern M&A deal process: focus on negotiated sales and increased usage of technology

By Bruce Sheiner on June 8, 2017 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

Technology is increasingly playing a bigger role in M&A deals, transforming the way transactions are priced, negotiated and completed. The use of different platforms is facilitating transmission of deal information to a wider group, and as a result, crucial stages in a deal can now be done remotely and simultaneously by several deal parties. Moving … Continue reading

M&A trends: augmented and virtual reality

By Matthew Lau (Toronto) on May 25, 2017 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

Since Facebook’s $3 billion acquisition of Oculus VR – a company that develops and manufactures virtual reality headsets – augmented and virtual reality technology has become a major topic of discussion in the M&A world. For those who are new to this emerging industry, virtual reality is an artificial, computer-generated simulation of a real life … Continue reading

M&A trends and how to add value in medtech deals

By Eliza Dinale on May 23, 2017 Posted in M&A, Pharmaceuticals and life sciences, Technology and innovation

It is well documented that the medical technology (MedTech) industry has been one of the fastest growing sectors in North America over the past several years. In Ontario alone, there are currently 24,000 employees and over 1,300 companies working in this space. While it is quite healthy (Ontario’s MedTech exports amounted to roughly CAD $1.7 … Continue reading

New cybersecurity requirements for DFS-regulated entities

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on March 23, 2017 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

New cybersecurity requirements for Department of Financial Services (DFS)-regulated entities took effect on March 1, 2017. The New York DFS created these requirements in response to recent or potential threats to sensitive electronic information, particularly financial information and private consumer information. EY’s report provides an overview of the new framework with implications for the affected entities. … 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

Technology M&A outlook

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on February 8, 2017 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

KPMG LLP’s survey predicts M&A deal levels in 2017 will be steady from 2016, with the technology industry leading expectations for high activity. This follows from 2016’s profile for tech M&A deals, which had EY’s Global technology M&A report for Q3 2016 highlighting digital technologies as driving tech M&A deals for both tech and non-tech … 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

M&A transactions between fintech companies and traditional banks

By Denise Gan (Toronto) on November 23, 2016 Posted in Finance, M&A, Technology and innovation

Financial technology (fintech) companies like Square, Wealthsimple and Mint are already having disruptive effects in their respective industries, changing the way Canadians pay for goods and services, invest their savings, and manage their finances. A recent survey shows that Canadians are becoming less dependent on traditional banks given the variety of options to self-manage their … Continue reading

The new trend of M&A in the media industry

By Sara Josselyn (Toronto) on November 22, 2016 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

On October 22, 2016, AT&T Inc. (AT&T), the second-largest U.S. wireless provider, and Time Warner Inc. (Time Warner), one of the world’s largest producers of TV shows and movies and the owner of HBO and CNN, announced an agreement whereby AT&T intends to acquire Time Warner for $85.4 billion. After the announcement, share prices of other media companies, including … Continue reading

Merging of digital and physical worlds: impact on M&A in non-digital industries

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on November 10, 2016 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

Strategy& of PwC published Mergercast “Digital Deals – A New Frontier” (Episode 56) in July 2016, which discusses the growing rationale for digital deal-making and post-deal challenges. Particularly, this podcast identifies that digital deals accounted for nearly 32% of all transactions in 2015, up by 20% since 2011, indicating the growing appetite for digital M&A. … Continue reading