TechMandA.com today announced an online marketplace dedicated to connecting potential acquirers with owners of technology businesses through a confidential listing service. TechMandA.com, the marketplace for technology businesses, provides targeted access to potential buyers and sellers of technology business, with reduced effort and expense.
Cisco announced today that it is buying Starent Networks for $2.0 billion following last week’s announcement that it is buying Norwegian video conferencing maker Tandberg for $3 billion - signaling the beginning of the Q4 technology m&a rally.
Earlier this week Dell announced the acquisition of Perot Systems. All cash and a 68% premium this transaction is consistent with the theme that I mentioned in my initial post. Dell has a strong cash balance and needs to compete with HP and IBM. This deal is well timed and very strategic for both.
The financial crisis of 2008 signaled the end of the era of the private equity backed/financial buyers as limited access to credit reduced their ability to finance acquisitions. With the financial buyers sidelined and valuations tempering, the decline in the stock market ensured a stall in technology M&A as corporate buyers focused internally. Strategic buyers look for sympathetic decreases in M&A valuations and acquisitions candidates capable of holding off an exit hold on for higher valuations.