mergertech

"AOL has once again become a digital trailblazer, and we are excited at the prospect of charting a new course together in the digitally connected world," said Lowell McAdam, Verizon chairman and CEO. "AOL's advertising model aligns with this approach, and the advertising platform provides a key tool for us to develop future revenue streams."

What is your company worth? The balance sheet of assets probably doesn't tell the entire story when you consider the potential for your company to generate serious revenue as it grows and thrives. The value of your startup might be even higher when you consider how it can be leveraged in conjunction with the resources and reach of a larger buying company. For that reason, determining what price or payment arrangement is "fair" can be tricky for entrepreneurs to determine.

On this blog, we've discussed the importance of securing branded domain names, social media handles and other calling cards that can keep your marketing efforts airtight. A high-profile example of overlooking this step in the branding process is newly announced Republican presidential candidate, Carly Fiorina.

Adobe has given technology users a suite of programs that helps with content creation. From Photoshop to InDesign and the convenient PDF format, the company is responsible for many of the products and applications professionals and creative types use every day.

Comcast has been identified as the least popular company in America by a number of surveys. Because cable users have felt dissatisfied with the service and pricing structure of Comcast's services, convincing the country that this deal would improve user experiences was a tough sell.

One of the hardest parts of freelancing is getting paid. One of the most challenging aspects of working with freelancers, especially spread out geographically, is paying them. As a result, tech firms have seized that window to provide solutions for connecting freelance professionals with cash flow.

This week, it was announced that Chinese firm Ninebot has purchased Segway. Sequoia Capital, Shunwei Foundation and Xiaomi's MIUI Technology backed the deal with a reported $80 million in capital, though the total price of the acquisition was not disclosed.

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.

"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.

Crafting solutions for the medical industry is a lucrative and bustling corner of the tech marketplace. This week, it was announced that IBM acquired Explorys and Phytel, two health tech startups that stand to improve the company's health-focused data-analytics capabilities.

One of the clashes that can result from an acquisition is that of corporate cultures. For example, a hip and casual startup might be acquired by a more formal, buttoned-up buyer. The startup thrives on looser approaches and informal communication, while the larger corporation would descend into chaos if it weren't strictly managed. These differences can be exacerbated when the two companies join forces and merge goals.

For businesses in any industry, developing a strong web presence has never been more critical. That's how hosting companies like GoDaddy have pitched themselves to individuals and corporate entities who need a home for all of their content online. By selling website domains and supporting clients with design services, GoDaddy has amassed a serious following.

For a company as big as Apple, a single app has many channels of development. This week, it was revealed that Apple acquired Ottocat, a search engine company that has helped to develop the "explore" tab in Apple's app store application. In an unusual twist, it turns out that Apple purchased Ottocat years ago, as early as May 2013.

On this blog, we've discussed the importance of sharpening your elevator pitch. It might seem implausible that you would literally find yourself in an elevator with the executive who will buy your company, but it's likely that you're networking in circles where making the best, briefest case for your firm is important.

One of the most lucrative and rapidly expanding tech fields is "ed tech," or startups and companies focused on improving educational experiences. From learning modules for secondary schools to coursework platforms for college students, solutions for teachers and administrators have become a hot commodity. One city where this is especially true is Boston, where colleges per capita outpaces every other metro area.

The last two years have marked rapid growth in health care mergers and acquisitions. From merging hospitals to pharmaceutical companies buying small biotech startups, the medical field is rife with opportunity and examples of successful mergers. The key word is "solutions."

Many are accustomed to thinking of "spring cleaning" as a set of chores to tidy up a home or office. However, tech companies seeking to merge, acquire or be acquired in 2015 might want to conduct a spring cleaning of their brand presentation.

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.

On this blog, we recently discussed 2015's ambitious start to the first quarter, but a new study about 2014 tech M&A activity puts the rapid growth into perspective. According to Tech World, the total value of mergers and acquisitions in the tech industry hit the $1 trillion mark last year.

Analysts and executives were floored by the blazing pace of tech mergers in 2014 but in the first quarter of 2015, the size and rate of mergers has already improved on last year. So far, six deals have netted more than $55.3 billion in total, up 9.5 percent from this time last year. The stat shows how busy the first quarter has been and bodes well for continued activity moving into the second, third and final quarters of 2015.