Market Consolidation of Technology Companies

Hi @[email protected] — Yes, there are a lot of tech start ups and it is constantly growing. No, it is not sustainable from the standpoint of each start up being a long-term viable and independent business, and yes there will inevitably be consolidation within the industry. In fact, a large number of the entrepreneurs launch their businesses not with the intent that they will be long-term stand-alone entities but rather with the actual intent that they will be acquired, thus freeing them up to move on to their next creative adventure. Very few want to be the next Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Jack Dorsey, or Steve Jobs. Most would like to be the founders of Whatsapp, Jan Koum and Brian Acton, Instagram, Kevin Systrom, or CloudKnox, Balaji Parimi. But start ups are risky acquisitions in their own right and tech start ups are even riskier for a variety of reasons. Due diligence is critical, and not just the financial due diligence but also (perhaps most especially) the human capital due diligence, so there will be an ever present need for able and capable M&A specialists to lead these transactions from inception through close and integration.