Specialty Chemical Distribution M&A
The specialty chemical distribution sector has seen a wave of acquisitions as financial and strategic acquirers look to build out sizeable platforms. What drives buyer interest in this market? What can potential sellers do to help maximize value and acquirer interest in their business? We’ve worked with two specialty chemical distributors recently and have developed […]
NP Tech: The Non-Profit Sector is Heating Up
When people think of software and technology for the non-profit sector, they generally think of Blackbaud, and more recently, Salesforce.com. Blackbaud is the biggest player in non-profits for sure, with over $546 million in revenue over the past twelve months, but Salesforce.com (which gives software away to small non-profits through its charitable foundation) is coming […]
BPO Trend Spotting – “Nearshoring”
American firms are finding that native proficiency in languages such as Italian and German, as well as Spanish, coupled with the closer proximity to headquarters are some of the benefits that client corporations can obtain from “nearshore” BPO.
M&A Activity Heats Up in the BPO Space
Procurian, Pactera, and PMSI were acquired during the month of October. Demand has increased for BPO services. This trend, paired with a lower cost of capital for would-be acquirers has resulted in a spate of transactions in recent weeks.
7 Deadly Sins to Avoid When Acquiring a Business
Why do so many acquisitions fail? Because those companies failed to avoid these 7 Deadly Sins.
Venture Financing was up in 2010
Overall, Cooley’s data pointed to a year marked by slow but steady improvement in the financing environment. In 2010, deal volumes reached a level not seen in the last five years. Median pre-money valuations increased across all deal stages and saw a significant increase in “up rounds” versus flat/down rounds. Up rounds represented 60% of all financings in 2010, a level not seen since 2008. Additionally, the percentage of recapitalization transactions fell in 2010, though the number of tranched deals remained flat from prior years.
Bernanke: More Needed To Boost Small-Business Lending
Wall Street Journal article by Tom Barkley. Declaring small businesses as “central” to tackling unemployment, the Fed chief said not enough is being done to ensure that financially sound companies can obtain loans.
Harvard Study Says Angels Add Value to Start-ups
“Overall, the results suggest that the bundle of inputs that angel investors provide have a large and significant impact on the success and survival of start-up ventures,” the study says.
The study examined the performance of 130 firms that received interest from Tech Coast Angels and CommonAngels between 2001 and 2006. The samples include companies that ultimately won funding or were turned down.
