Tomasz Tunguz’s Post

This is worth reading. A) for the stats on M&A activities over the last few years (this is what's driving investors' willingness to invest), and b) for the insights in the post. Not sure why interest rates didn't get mentioned, but food for thought in any case.

If big tech stops buying up competing technologies how long will it take for markets to become more competitive? A lot of entrepreneurs are trying to by-pass the platforms. Even if they can, it will take considerable time for them to exert competitive pressure. Others are aiming to solve current technical problems posed by existing systems. Remedies needed to restore competition will have to go much further than stricter merger control.

Foley and the NACD recently held a discussion on navigating the FTC in 2024. Partner Ed Burbach and Neora co-CEO Deborah Heisz shared lessons from Neora's seven-and-a-half-year battle and victory over the FTC. Later on, partners Louis Lehot and Ben Dryden discussed the current state of merger reviews by the FTC and DOJ, which has affected transactional activity. Learn more on key takeaways from their discussion below. #FTC #DOJ #Transactions

Foley and the NACD recently held a discussion on navigating the FTC in 2024. Partner Ed Burbach and Neora co-CEO Deborah Heisz shared lessons from Neora's seven-and-a-half-year battle and victory over the FTC. Later on, partners Louis Lehot and Ben Dryden discussed the current state of merger reviews by the FTC and DOJ, which has affected transactional activity. Learn more on key takeaways from their discussion below. #FTC #DOJ #Transactions

Growing your business acquisitively is one of the quickest ways to grow the value of your business. It is an approach used by many of the Iconic and fastest growing businesses in the world including Facebook, who acquired more than 90 companies since its inception in 2004; Google, who has made more than 200 acquisitions since 2001; Microsoft, who has acquired more than 200 companies since 1987; and Amazon, who has acquired more than 100 companies since 1998. However, growing acquisitively can be a double-edged sword. If done badly, it will destroy shareholder value and could even take your business down. If done well, it will work like alchemy and seemingly create value out of nothing. Growing acquisitively doesn’t only have to be the domain of large companies, smaller companies can also quantum leap their growth, but this comes with a warning that it needs to be done properly to avoid costly mistakes. To be truly effective at growing acquisitively you need to build a strong M&A capability, which involves building a dedicated and skilled M&A team tightly integrated into your management team and running a first-class acquisition process, including some of the good practices as detailed in this article - https://lnkd.in/dEBXNvYz

Thursday was the last trading day in Q1, which saw S&P 500 up 10.2%, its best Q1 since 2019. Dow Jones gained 5.7%, its strongest Q1 since 2021. Nasdaq was up 9.2%. For the week, S&P 500 was up 0.4%, setting an intraday all-time high Thursday. Dow Jones Industrial rose 0.8%, and set a record close Thursday. Nasdaq composite lost 0.3%, just below its peak. WSJ notes when S&P 500 gains over 8% in Q1, it has finished higher for the rest of the year 94% of the time, with an average gain of 9.7% for the final three quarters. Amazon on Wednesday said it would commit US$4 billion to Anthropic, capping the second-biggest fundraising by an AI startup in recent memory. Reddit stock's stellar market debut has drawn significant bearish bets, data from analytics company Ortex on Wednesday showed. The most popular DWAC options eye a 95% plunge over next month. DraftKings shares slumped on news NCAA wants to ban college prop bets. Robinhood stock surged as much as 7% on Wednesday after the company launched a solid gold credit card that offers its users 3% cashback rewards. Elon Musk said Tesla Optimus robot should cost ‘less than half of a car’. Sophic Capital Client, ADM Endeavors, Inc., received final building permits for its new Texas facility. Once completed, the facility could increase production capacity by up to five times, significantly increasing current maximum in-house revenue capacity of US$7 million. Quisitive announced an agreement to sell BankCard USA, which could unlock shareholder value. Canadian pension fund PSP will co-lead a funding round in Toronto based Cohere at a US$5 billion valuation. Four school boards in Canada Wednesday filed lawsuits against Meta Platforms, Snap and TikTok parent ByteDance, claiming the social media platforms have harmed children’s mental health and disrupted the education systems. https://lnkd.in/gRtNmDGY

Breaking News: Wiz Backs Out of $23 Billion Acquisition Offer from Google! In a surprising move, Wiz has rejected a $23 billion acquisition offer from Alphabet, Google's parent company. The offer was nearly double Wiz's previous valuation of $12 billion from a funding round in May 2024. So, what drove this decision? Wiz's management and investors are committed to maintaining independence, and concerns about antitrust issues and investor apprehensions also played a significant role. But what does this mean for Wiz's future? The company is positioning itself as a major player in the cybersecurity market, with an impressive growth metrics and market presence. Wiz's annual recurring revenue has surpassed $500 million, up from $350 million in 2023, and it protects over five million cloud workloads, serving about 40% of Fortune 100 companies. With plans to enhance corporate governance, including forming a structured board of directors and appointing a CFO, Wiz is poised for greatness. The company aims to reach $1 billion in annual recurring revenue before pursuing an IPO, a testament to its commitment to growth and innovation. This bold move raises questions about the future of cybersecurity and the role of Wiz in it. Will Wiz's independence allow it to be more agile and innovative, or will it struggle to compete with larger players? Share your thoughts in the comments below! What do you think this means for the industry, and how do you see Wiz's decision impacting the market?

👀 Can you believe it? Google’s about to make its largest purchase yet, but not without some controversy. Visit our website to learn more about it today! Visit: https://lnkd.in/d2uxD3GV #tradeflock #google #technews #businessnews #acquisition #bigtech #technology #innovation #digitaltransformation #industrynews #businessstrategy #investing #marketnews #googlenews #mergersandacquisitions #growth #financenews #economicnews #digitaleconomy #corporateworld #businessinsights #latestnews #financialtimes #companynews #techupdate #globalbusiness #businessdevelopment 

E245: Why California is the Perfect Place for Industrial Rollups and Business Growth Watch Here: https://lnkd.in/gQEAnfDG About the Guest(s): Jules Brenner is the founder of Industrial Succession, focusing on acquiring and rolling up industrial manufacturing businesses in California. With a background in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Brooklyn, he combines technical expertise with business acumen. His experience in industrial technology and electric vehicle software fuels his mission to modernize traditional manufacturing through technology and drive growth. Summary: In this episode of How2Exit, Ronald Skelton interviews Jules Brenner, founder of Industrial Succession, about his industrial roll-up strategy focused on metal fabrication in California. Jules shares how his background in industrial tech and software led him to mergers and acquisitions, and why he saw potential in manufacturing despite skepticism. He covers key themes like operational improvements, retaining knowledge during transitions, and growing in California despite regulatory challenges, with plans to scale into a major player on the West Coast. Key Takeaways: *Contrarian Thinking in M\&A: Jules emphasizes that sometimes going against conventional wisdom, such as investing in manufacturing or focusing on California, can reveal significant opportunities. *Importance of Process and Technology: Modernizing traditional manufacturing businesses with updated processes and technology can lead to remarkable efficiency gains and scalability. *Retaining Institutional Knowledge: Ensuring that critical knowledge from outgoing owners is retained within the company is vital for a smooth transition and continued success. *Strategic Location Benefits: Despite California's regulatory and cost challenges, its substantial industrial base and infrastructure needs present unique growth opportunities. *Diverse Industry Exposure: Diversifying the customer base across different sectors like infrastructure, defense, and medical can mitigate risks and stabilize revenue streams. How2Exit Joins IT ExchangeNet's Channel Partner Network! Have an IT Company doing between $5M and $30M You may Sell? The IT ExchangeNet M&A Marketplace @Ronald Skelton - How2Exit Host has a proprietary database of 50,000+ global buyers seeking IT Services firms, MSPs, MSSPs, Software-as-a-Service platforms and channel partners in the Microsoft, Oracle, ServiceNow and Salesforce space. If you are interested in learning more about the process and current market valuations, complete the contact form and we’ll respond within one business day. Everything is kept confidential. https://lnkd.in/gbzzcgbU Our partnership with IT ExchangeNet focuses on deals above $5M in value. If you are looking to buy or sell a tech business below the $5M mark, we recommend Flippa. -------------------------------------------------- #How2Exit # # 💖Thanks for watching! 💖

E245: Why California is the Perfect Place for Industrial Rollups and Business Growth Watch Here: https://lnkd.in/g2VWynzy About the Guest(s): Jules Brenner is the founder of Industrial Succession, focusing on acquiring and rolling up industrial manufacturing businesses in California. With a background in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Brooklyn, he combines technical expertise with business acumen. His experience in industrial technology and electric vehicle software fuels his mission to modernize traditional manufacturing through technology and drive growth. Summary: In this episode of How2Exit, Ronald Skelton interviews Jules Brenner, founder of Industrial Succession, about his industrial roll-up strategy focused on metal fabrication in California. Jules shares how his background in industrial tech and software led him to mergers and acquisitions, and why he saw potential in manufacturing despite skepticism. He covers key themes like operational improvements, retaining knowledge during transitions, and growing in California despite regulatory challenges, with plans to scale into a major player on the West Coast. Key Takeaways: *Contrarian Thinking in M\&A: Jules emphasizes that sometimes going against conventional wisdom, such as investing in manufacturing or focusing on California, can reveal significant opportunities. *Importance of Process and Technology: Modernizing traditional manufacturing businesses with updated processes and technology can lead to remarkable efficiency gains and scalability. *Retaining Institutional Knowledge: Ensuring that critical knowledge from outgoing owners is retained within the company is vital for a smooth transition and continued success. *Strategic Location Benefits: Despite California's regulatory and cost challenges, its substantial industrial base and infrastructure needs present unique growth opportunities. *Diverse Industry Exposure: Diversifying the customer base across different sectors like infrastructure, defense, and medical can mitigate risks and stabilize revenue streams. How2Exit Joins IT ExchangeNet's Channel Partner Network! Have an IT Company doing between $5M and $30M You may Sell? The IT ExchangeNet M&A Marketplace @Ronald Skelton - How2Exit Host has a proprietary database of 50,000+ global buyers seeking IT Services firms, MSPs, MSSPs, Software-as-a-Service platforms and channel partners in the Microsoft, Oracle, ServiceNow and Salesforce space. If you are interested in learning more about the process and current market valuations, complete the contact form and we’ll respond within one business day. Everything is kept confidential. https://lnkd.in/ga4qkYNA Our partnership with IT ExchangeNet focuses on deals above $5M in value. If you are looking to buy or sell a tech business below the $5M mark, we recommend Flippa. -------------------------------------------------- #How2Exit # # 💖Thanks for watching! 💖