Big data is exactly what it sounds like – a vast amount of structured and unstructured information, collected from an increasingly diverse set of digital and traditional sources. For credit unions, every interaction with members, every loan processed, fee collected, call center, or branch interaction is an opportunity to collect data which when aggregated, becomes […]
Uber plans to buy Dubai-based rival Careem for $3.1 billion, the largest acquisition for the ride-hailing company. The acquisition ends Uber’s costly rivalry with Careem over market share in the Middle East. In the past, Uber has taken similar action with rivals, most notably forming a joint venture with local rival Yandex in Russia in […]
It’s typically much quicker to acquire rather than build your own solution. When it comes to technology, acquiring can help you leapfrog the research and development cycle to purchase a solution that has already been developed, tested and not only proven to be superior, but is already widely used. Large tech companies like Google, Amazon, […]
Fintech startups are disrupting traditional financial institutions as consumers rely more and more on technology for everyday activities, including banking. Robust M&A activity is expected to continue in this space. It’s not only banks and credit unions that are acquiring or investing in fintechs, established technology firms like Amazon are snapping up these startups in […]
Facebook is said to be the latest firm looking to bolster its cybersecurity capabilities through acquisition. Facebook recently detected a breach affecting 30 million users. This latest news comes on top of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, and has negatively impacted the technology giant. Cyber security is increasingly an area of concern for many companies across […]
Alibaba, China’s internet giant, will purchase a 10% stake of Mail.Ru, one of Russia’s largest internet companies, to expand its ecommerce reach in Russia. As part of the deal, Alibaba, Mail.Ru, telecom company MegaFon, and Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, will form a joint venture called AliExpress Russia. Alibaba will have a 48% stake in the […]
Intel has acquired eASIC, a small company specializing in customizable chips in order to diversify beyond CPU chips that are used primarily in personal computers. As consumers move more and more to using mobile phones over personal computers, demand for Intel’s base product, CPU chips, is declining. eASIC’s 120 employees will join Intel’s programmable solutions group, […]
On Tuesday AT&T and Time Warner received approval for their $85 billion merger that brings together channels like CNN, HBO with the number two mobile carrier in the US. The deal is just the start of what is shaping up to be a very busy year for technology and media mergers and acquisitions. Less than […]
Deal activity in the technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) sector is heating up as companies acquire to keep up with evolving technology and consumer demand. The internet and smartphones have changed how people view and share information with consumers, abandoning cable TV in favor of streaming services that provide customized TV and music on demand. […]
Rather than spending all their efforts competing, Uber and Russia’s top internet company, Yandex, have decided to join forces. Uber and Yandex will form a joint venture operating in 127 cities across Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia and Kazakhstan. Uber will contribute $225 million and own a 36.6 percent stake, Yandex will contribute $100 million […]
Are you keeping up with industry changes fast enough? Or are you being left behind? It’s no secret that technology is disrupting industries from manufacturing to telecommunications to retail. “…The risk of being left behind because of technological disruption and change is driving companies to make acquisitions faster,” Steven Davidoff Solomon writes in Dealbook. For many […]
Yahoo says the private information of at least 500 million has been compromised due to a cyber-attack in 2014. In the biggest security breach to date, hackers gained access to sensitive information including names, emails addresses, telephone numbers, birth dates, passwords, and security questions. The security breach has ramifications not just for Yahoo and its […]
Ford announced it would acquire Chariot, a shuttle-van startup based in San Francisco, in order to expand beyond auto manufacturing and become a mobility company. This is the first acquisition by Ford Smart Mobility, which was established in March of 2016 in order to focus on “emerging mobility services.” Ford reportedly paid $65 million for […]
Another blockbuster tech deal was announced yesterday. Verizon will acquire Yahoo’s core business for $4.83 billion to boost its digital advertising capabilities. The deal includes Yahoo’s search, mail content and ad-tech business, but does not include Yahoo’s shares in Alibaba and Yahoo Japan. The combined company will reach over one billion users. Verizon plans to merge Yahoo […]
As we near the end of the fourth quarter, everyone is wondering what will happen in 2016. Will the frenzied M&A activity of 2015 continue into the new year? There seem to be mixed reviews on what activity will look like next year. The Intralinks deal flow predictor indicates a 7% increase in global M&A […]
March madness is in full swing as basketball fans across the U.S. excitedly (or anxiously) watch the games. Hopefully your bracket has survived this weekend, despite a number of major upsets. As we wait for March Madness to resume this Thursday with the sweet 16, let’s turn our attention to another craze that is sweeping […]
How important is BlackBerry’s newest smartphone, the Q20, to the future of the company? Recently I had the opportunity to speak with CNNMoney about this. With Q20, which will be released in the second half of 2014, BlackBerry is returning to its core customers by offering them what they want: a hard keyboard, buttons, and […]
The biggest tech M&A disasters were the Time Warner-AOL $350 billion merger and Google’s $12.3 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility. In my observations, the greatest hurdle facing tech mergers is integration. Even where the strategy of the acquisition is solid, if the integration of the two workforces and assets is not executed properly, it will fail. Even […]
Welcome back and Happy New Year! 2014 is looking to be an exciting year for M&A. I was recently able to share my predictions and insights for the coming year on First Business News. In case you missed the segment, you can view the full interview below.
Facebook’s $3 billion offer to buy Snapchat points to a growing number of mobile technology acquisitions. Yesterday The Wall Street Journal reported Facebook offered $3 billion to acquire Snapchat. While Snapchat has declined, Facebook’s offer points to growing trend of technology companies acquiring rather than building new mobile apps. Most recently, we’ve seen a string […]
