mergertech

"Start your capital search with a good business plan that shows investors and lenders your company's potential," explains Inc. Magazine. "Follow that up with a thorough knowledge of the resources available and a determination to make your business a reality, and you should be on your way to uncovering a source that fits your new business's cash needs."

As a meme, "there's an app for that" has come to fruition. Today, professionals and consumers rely on apps for virtually every area of their real and digital lives. As such, the platforms that power apps require management systems that are responsive, diagnostic and otherwise facilitate the implementation of many applications at one time.

One reason why companies merge and/or acquire smaller entities is to improve leadership on both sides. If your startup is on the verge of capitalizing through ecommerce or other sales, it's possible that current leadership doesn't have the expertise to bridge the transition. L

"Think beyond just the big tech names," writes Krantz. "Investors have been piling into the shares of the mega tech names for years…but now the game is shifting smaller. The recent tech deals have centered around companies with an average market value of roughly $1 billion…The greatest opportunities for tech investors lie with the smaller large companies and the larger mid-caps."

There may be nothing wrong with a particular system of operation or communication. It just might not make sense when IT decision makers scale it to a bigger, more diverse application. Part of remaining open to possibilities is acknowledging that some ways of doing business need to fall by the wayside.

Since it's so difficult to become the next Match.com or the next Tinder, online dating is a tech space where mergers and acquisitions aren't uncommon. This week, it was announced that Match bought PlentyOfFish for $575 million.

The intersection of advertising and social platforms has been long and evolving. Over the years, the primary goal for messaging services as well as other social media companies has been leveraging their wealth of engagement and usership into ad sales. However, the goal is to integrate advertising in a targeted, inconspicuous way that doesn't distract or deter users.

"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."

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.

Yesterday, Google released the surprising and pivotal news that the company will be reorganized under a larger brand, to be called Alphabet. The tech giant, whose standalone logo and brand name have been ironed into the public consciousness over many years, said it decided to make the change so it could devote more management resources to enterprises other than the search and browsing services.

"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)."

Merge Healthcare's technology involves an imaging management system, which will likely be combined with the cloud-based health analytics computing program IBM has devised. At present, IBM technology is capable of analyzing large volumes of data and interprets complex questions stated in natural language. As that technology evolves, more breakthroughs may be in store for health care providers who depend on accurate, comprehensive assessments. 

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.

This week, it was announced that Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) will acquire a majority stake in iStreamPlanet, a streaming video tech company. The terms of the deal were not disclosed but it's not challenging to predict how TBS will leverage its purchase.

One of the struggles small, successful startups face when they've been acquired by larger companies is reassuring their customer bases. Customers and users want confirmation that the same excellent quality and service they've enjoyed will continue through the new business partnership.

It's a scene that could go comically awry in a movie. Just as showtime nears, your small shop proves it's not ready for primetime. Employees roll into the office late and disheveled, none of the presentation technology works and your well-rehearsed elevator pitch escapes you at the last minute. Mergers and acquisitions are full of moments that seem like defining turning points in the negotiation process, when you can either win over or put off your potential buyer. 

Meredith Corporation, a publisher of women's magazines, has acquired Grocery Server to support location-based ads for food and retail brands. While Meredith Corp.'s primary focus is content creation, enterprises in the content space often need native platforms for advertisers. Following a successful partnership, the acquisition formalizes the company's relationship with Grocery Server and brings its line of advertising solutions under the Meredith Corp. umbrella.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but TechCrunch reports that the acquisition entails a total rebrand of Monsoon. The firm has done work with other high-profile clients in recent years but now will serve Capital One for various strategic and branding needs.

When speculating for a merger or acquisition, it's likely that companies with high national profiles will catch your attention. The most buzzed-about mergers and acquisitions in tech happen in hotbeds like New York and Silicon Valley. However, it's likely that there are potential deal makers in your geographic region that are worth checking out, whether it's the hot new startup down the block or the established digital media company in your small city.

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.