Summary

In this episode of the In/organic Podcast, co-host Christian Hassold shares insights from the KPMG Technology M&A Conference, discussing the current landscape of mergers and acquisitions, particularly in the tech sector. In this episode, Christian shares highlights from the conference, including the pervasive influence of AI on M&A decisions, the challenges and opportunities presented by the AI investing landscape, and the importance of creative deal structures in navigating the current market dynamics. The episode also covers the “operator's dilemma” faced by CEOs - that is, the rise in peer pressure to do M&A, and what are the best practices are from leading strategics. Finally, Hassold provides an overview of current B2B SaaS deal activity and market trends based on Pitchbook data.

Takeaways

• The KPMG M&A Conference provided valuable insights into current market dynamics.
• AI is a major factor influencing M&A decisions and strategies.
• VCs are increasingly making investments in AI startups without getting governance rights, and not always checking the underlying economics of the business
• The operator's dilemma highlights the challenges that CEOs face in mergers and acquisitions (M&A).
• Corporate development roles are seeing a significant increase in demand.
• Top CEOs simplify their M&A strategies to focus on core problems.
• Deal activity in the tech sector is on the rise, indicating a healthy market.
• Earnouts are becoming a significant component of deal structures.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Context of the Episode

02:50 Insights from the KPMG M&A and Tech Conference

06:04 AI's Pervasive Influence on Tech and M&A

08:54 The AI Investing Landscape

11:40 Deal Structures Sparking Innovation

16:42 The Operator's Dilemma in M&A

21:48 Corporate Development and Deal Activity

24:38 Priorities in M&A for Corporates vs. Private Equity

29:19 Case Studies of Successful M&A Strategies

32:59 Market Update on Deal Activity and Earnouts

Connect with Christian and Ayelet

Ayelet’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayelet-shipley-b16330149/

Christian's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hassold/

Web: https://www.inorganicpodcast.co

In/organic on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InorganicPodcast/featured

Episode References

KPMG M&A Conference Agenda

KPMG 2025 Deal Market Study (buyer priorities)

Kirkland & Ellis M&A Bring Down Report 2025 (earnout data)

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