M&A — Blog — Sampford Advisors - Expert Tech M&A Advisor (Software, IT Services, SaaS, Hardware)

A Typical Sell-Side M&A Process Timeline

An overview of the four key phases of a broadly marketing M&A process

Ed BryantApril 30, 2025M&A, Mid-market, software, hardware, private equity investing

The Rise of Private Equity in Technology M&A

Diving into how Private Equity has become a staple in the Technology M&A environment.

Ed BryantMarch 31, 2025M&A, Mid-market, software, hardware, private equity investing

Canadian Tech Sectors Driving M&A Activity: Software, IT Services, and Beyond

A look into recent M&A history for Canadian tech, and the sectors driving activity.

Ed BryantFebruary 28, 2025M&A, Mid-market, software, hardware, private equity investing

Canadian Tech Success Stories – Plusgrade

Analyzing the story of Plusgrade, from inception to the present day.

M&AEd BryantJanuary 31, 2025M&A, Mid-market, private equity investing, private equity

The Role of Private Equity in M&A

Analyzing how Private Equity investment has impacted the technology M&A landscape.

M&AEd BryantDecember 24, 2024M&A, Mid-market, private equity investing, private equity

Sampford's CEO Survey Summary

Recapping the results from our bi-annual CEO survey.

M&AEd BryantNovember 29, 2024M&A, Mid-market, private equity investing, private equity

Sampford's PE Survey Summary

Recapping the results from our bi-annual PE survey.

M&AEd BryantOctober 29, 2024M&A, Mid-market, private equity investing, private equity

Sampford's VC Survey Summary

Recapping the results from our bi-annual VC survey.

VC, Venture CapitalEd BryantSeptember 30, 2024VC, M&A, Mid-market

How Tech Executives Are Managing M&A Inbounds (Part 2 of 2)

The second part of the Peerscale poll results, where we dive into the key insights and takeaways concerning M&A inbounds.

M&AEd BryantAugust 28, 2024M&A, Tech, private equity, private equity investing, Mid-market

How Tech Executives Are Managing M&A Inbounds (Part 1 of 2)

In June 2024, Canadian tech executives provided insight to how they’re handling M&A inbounds in an exclusive Sampford poll stemming from the Peerscale annual retreat.

M&AEd BryantJuly 9, 2024M&A, Tech, private equity, private equity investing, Mid-market

Asset vs. Equity Deals: Why it Matters

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) involve choosing between asset and equity deals, each with distinct advantages. Understanding these differences is crucial for a successful M&A process.

M&AEd BryantJune 12, 2024M&A, Canada, sampford advisors, asset deals, equity deals, negotiation

Private Equity Success Stories – Community Brands

Private equity is a form of financing where pools of capital are used to invest in or acquire privately held companies across various industries. The private equity model has been around for decades and has gained investor interest due to its history of high returns and unique risk profile.

Are Initial Software IPO and VC Valuations Converging?

Software Initial Public Offering (“IPO”) valuations have skyrocketed over the past decade, climbing 430%+ since 2010, with a majority of the gains realized over the past 2 years. On the other hand, Venture Capital (“VC”) investments in the broader software space have always commanded elevated valuation expectations.

Ed BryantOctober 31, 2021M&A, software, venturecapital, vc, ipo

The Rise of Growth Equity

Over the past decade a new term in the alternative investment space has seen quite the increase in usage – growth equity (GE). Falling under the umbrella of private capital, growth equity investments are often seen as a middle ground between traditional venture capital and private equity strategies.

Ed BryantJuly 17, 2020growth equity, private equity, venture capital, M&A, acquisitions

Where are we in the Software M&A market cycle?

When Covid-19 hit North America in earnest in mid-March, its no secret that the M&A market saw a dramatic slow-down in activity. Three months on, and the M&A market has shifted dramatically again, this time for the better.

Ed BryantJune 14, 2020covid, Mergers, acquisitions, M&A, software

Software M&A Deals in Challenging Markets

Covid-19 has had a dramatic impact on the overall markets and especially the venture capital and M&A markets. And while the market has bounced back significantly from recent lows, many clients are asking what this means for the private markets like M&A and raising VC capital. As such, we keep getting questions from various software companies on what is the best course in these challenging markets.

Ed BryantApril 19, 2020M&A, mergers, acquisitions, merger of equals, tech, software, SaaS

S&P vs. Software – Comparing 2008 to 2020

Since the markets began their freefall in mid-February, the global financial community has been looking to history for answers as to what comes next and how to best prepare for uncertainty.

Ed BryantApril 6, 2020M&A, Tech, Canada, mergers, acquisitions, canadiantech, saas, software

Venture Capital’s Lure to Canadian Technology Companies

But what makes Canada a great country for investment? With the explosion of private capital availability in global capital markets over the last decade, Canadian technology companies have attracted venture capital investment at an annualized growth rate of 23% per year, far surpassing our southern neighbor’s growth rate of 15% over the same period.

Ed BryantFebruary 23, 2020M&A, mergers, acquisitions, tech, technology, canada, saas

Growth of Private Equity and Its Focus on Software

One sector where private equity has become more active over the past decade has been Software. Private equity’s share of total software M&A deals has nearly doubled from 2010 to 2019 and now accounts for over a third of all Software deals.

Ed BryantJanuary 23, 2020M&A, acquisitions, tech, technology, mergers

Software Update - M&A and VC Trends (October 2019)

October was a busy month and we saw a nice rebound in both the software VC and M&A markets. Let’s dive a little deeper into both.

Ed BryantNovember 4, 2019M&A, Mergers, Acquisitions, VC, Venture Capital, Software, Canada, Mid-market