M&A Market Dynamics – Software & Technology
- Software and Technology M&A spending continued its unprecedented rebound as global tech M&A activity registered its highest aggregate deal value, rising 6.7% from the prior quarter to $303B with 871 deals announced in the first quarter 2021.
- Financial Services, Real Estate, Education, and Healthcare were the most active verticals for Software M&A activity during the first three months of 2021
- Financial buyers are making the most from receding risk and uncertainty levels as distress levels in capital markets continue to subside by acquiring tech targets at a pace that puts them on track to match record deal-making witnessed in 2020.
Sector Spotlight – Workplace Productivity
A lesson learned from the COVID-19 pandemic is the effectiveness and ability to work remotely. As companies prepare to partially or fully return to offices, they face many unknowns; however, data startups emerged to tackle that uncertainty.
Startups developing workplace management tools have been scaling their offerings to prepare for the hyper-managed office of the future. Employee data is being collected directly from mobile apps that survey their health, allow them to manage desk and room reservations, and help companies limit capacity. Startups also collect real-time data from badge swipes and in-office sensors that give a detailed view of how space is used over time.
The expansion of data will let companies manage space in previously unthinkable ways and help reduce their real estate footprint.
