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Companies that buy startups come in a variety of shapes and sizes. However, tech companies with the largest mergers and acquisitions presence have very specific buyer profiles. Conner Forrest of Tech Republic listed the M&A strategies of 10 M&A power players in tech and assigned them corresponding nicknames to describe their approach to buying enterprise property.

Unlike most investment banks, a well well-known M&A advisory company will get engaged more greatly in knowing the business and its long variety objectives. This can lead to a more holistic financing that details the long term needs of the business. Furthermore, during the real merger or acquisition, an M&A advisory company can offer a variety of allied solutions.

When it comes to mergers and acquisition deals, companies that are looking to make a major purchase have a lot of ground to cover. From making sure that financing is in order, to conducting due diligence, it is critical to have all of the necessary details in place to ensure the deal goes through without a hitch. An M&A advisor can provide useful guidance when dealing with these aspects.

Mergers and acquisitions between companies are built on relationships between people. As the pace of tech M&A picks up even more, the shuffle of finding and persuading companies to take a look at your firm becomes even more frenzied. One of the best ways to put your brand on the map and get your foot in the door of important meetings is to build a strong professional network.

"Alphabet is mostly a collection of companies," wrote CEO Larry Page in a blog post. "The largest of which, of course, is Google. This newer Google is a bit slimmed down, with the companies that are pretty far afield of our main Internet products contained in Alphabet instead. What do we mean by far afield? Good examples are our health efforts: Life Sciences (that works on the glucose-sensing contact lens), and Calico (focused on longevity)."

On this blog, we recently discussed Uber's acquisition of deCarta, a digital mapping service. One of the most interesting aspects of that deal is how it could decrease the ride service's dependence on Google Maps. If speculation that Google could enter the ride share marketplace comes to pass, in the coming years the Silicon Valley-based tech giant might launch a credible competitor to Uber.

"Going forward, Polyvore will still be the same Polyvore that you love, but we'll have more resources to make it even bigger & better," writes Polyvore co-founder and CEO Jess Lee. "Our mission of empowering people to feel good about their style will stay the same. We'll continue to add cool new product features and roll out new perks for top members. We've accomplished a lot on our own, but together with Yahoo we can take Polyvore to its fullest potential."

The tech sphere is constantly expanding and adapting, and large corporations are continuously diversifying business models. For that reason, today's partner or service provider could be tomorrow's competitor. Native programming is essential to independence, reducing the influence of companies with competing interests. 

Companies have a diverse set of philosophies that guide their mergers and acquisitions activity. Some seem to apply no rhyme or reason at all to the decisions they make to buy or not buy other firms. Nevertheless, when a company demonstrates as much success as Google, it stands to reason that its litmus test should be particular and a bit bold. That's why a general rule of thumb Google applies before M&A is called the "toothbrush test."

For some companies, the decision to merge or be acquired is an easy one to make. For example, a small firm with very limited resources might need to be purchased for it to have any hope of reaching its growth objectives. On the other hand, a firm in a narrow market might see a competitor with whom it makes perfect sense to merge equitably.

"Get ready for a major boom in technology mergers," reads a Business Insider headline proclaiming the next wave of M&A deals in the tech industry. After a highly active year of deals among tech companies, experts say that 2015 is staged to witness another round of important mergers and acquisitions.

For companies in any stage of an M&A deal, carefully cultivating their corporate images is critical to success. This year, a host of new domain names will allow individuals and businesses to purchase websites with unusual words after the [dot]. Where websites have traditionally relied on .com, .org, .net and other popular domains, those have expanded to include .baby, .app and .fish.

In an industry where there is a new blockbuster device, app, service or platform every other week, staying relevant for the long haul can be challenging. On this blog, we recently discussed the Dell-EMC merger, the largest ever of its kind, which further repositions Dell as a leader in workplace tech. Western Digital and SanDisk are two other old-school tech entities that recently turned to M&A as a solution to achieve their next goals.

"When deciding whether Google should spend millions or even billions of dollars in acquiring a new company, its chief executive, Larry Page, asks whether the acquisition passes the toothbrush test: Is it something you will use once or twice a day, and does it make your life better?" reports David Gelles of The New York Times. "The esoteric criterion shuns traditional measures of valuing a company like earnings, discounted cash flow or even sales."

Perhaps you've explored M&A to discover whether now is when your company could benefit from such a deal. Through the discovery and negotiation process, it may become evident to you that there's more growth your startup can achieve on its own. In this case, it might be better to refocus your attention on research, development and other improvements that could position your company for a better deal down the road.

You've almost certainly heard of Publishers Clearing House, the sweepstakes direct-mail distributor that made its name before "spam" existed. PCH is the organization that videotaped citizens receiving gigantic checks for gigantic sums of money after they'd won a signature contest. Today, the model might seem a bit outdated, which perhaps explains the company's movements in tech M&A to beef up new avenues for reaching consumers in the digital age.

Personnel and departmental consolidation are a given in any merger. Naturally, integrating the moving parts of two or more operations requires some compromise, strategy and lateral thinking. However, in the last ten years, technology has further complicated the hurdles companies must clear to bridge a successful merger.

Because web applications are a new frontier in business strategy, absorbing one system into another, migrating data across platforms and training staff has less precedent than, say, adjusting a company's real estate portfolio. More and more, cloud-based technologies are changing the way employees interface with one another, as well as the work they do.

Like the tech market, the food marketplace has seen rapid growth of diversity over the last decade. As established brands attempt to make an impression in the industry, sometimes company mergers are the most prudent way to optimize the operations of both companies involved. When businesses grow as large as they can on their own, the next logical step is often to combine forces with a peer in the industry. With tremendous stature in the food space, Heinz and Kraft stand to make an even greater impact in supermarkets.

Some companies have seemingly no choice but to merge when market pressure or the cost of operations becomes unsustainable. However, many tech executives have a wide array of M&A options to consider when they feel their company's growing pains.