Drake Star

📣 Drake Star was honored as Boutique TMT Investment Bank of the Year at the 6th Annual USA M&A Mid-Market Atlas Awards by the Global M&A Network, LLC. The award ceremony took place at the Metropolitan Club in New York City and our CEO & Managing Partner Gregory Bedrosian attended the gala together with Managing Partner Michael Metzger to accept the award on behalf of the entire Drake Star team. 🎉 Thank you to the Global M&A Network for this award and congrats to our team for this recognition of your hard work all year round. To learn more, follow this link to our website: https://lnkd.in/dnNdwyxf 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 #MergersAndAcquisitions #Awards #InvestmentBanking 

In our new #Telemedicine Report which covers the market in the US and Europe during the first half of 2024, we are diving deep into key developments, including recovering M&A activity and the promise technology brings to drive rapid evolution in the space.   Here’s a sneak preview of our findings:    ▶️ Telemedicine M&A activity increased during H1 2024, with 28 deals compared to 20 in H2 2023. The US remained a powerhouse of M&A activity with 71% of total deals in H1 2024.   ▶️ The primary rationales for M&A transactions were integrations from external players such as insurance and healthcare companies, and product offering reinforcements from Telemedicine players.   ▶️ Fundraising activity in H1 2024 decreased by 10% compared to H1 2023, with only 109 deals completed in the first semester but still increased by 30% compared to H2 2023.   ▶️ Seed and Early-stage fundraising activity slightly decreased in proportion, though it remained the predominant portion of deals. More mature fundraisings, such as growth and expansion investments, increased, already equaling 2023’s total.   Click through the slides below to explore our predictions for the second half of the year, download the full report for more details (https://lnkd.in/d6cSWPeK) and reach out to our sector experts, Christophe Morvan and Lawrence GIESEN for more information. #HealthTech #MergersAndAcquisitions #InvestmentBanking

Tech Market Pulse – Sentiment, M&A and Funding Activity, Outlook 🚀 Last week, entrepreneurs and investors came together in Cologne, Germany where we hosted an evening event together with leading global law firm CMS Deutschland. Before networking and dinner, Jörg Binnenbrücker from Capnamic, Kai Panitzki from BitStone Capital & Realyze Ventures and Jan Sessenhausen from Cusp Capital joined Klaus Jäger from CMS and Drake Star’s Julian Ostertag and Julian Riedlbauer for a panel discussion on the current state of #Tech M&A, market sentiment and deal activity, and the outlook going forward. The conversation kicked off with a market overview including M&A deal and funding activity, a detailed look at financing amounts in different regions, the record-high of unallocated #PrivateEquity ‘dry powder’, and key valuation drivers for software companies. The panel also discussed trending topics like #AI and #sustainability, the future of investments and many other things. Thanks to everyone who joined us and spent the evening with us. We had great conversations and an overall great time and are already look forward to our next event. #MergersAndAcquisitions #VentureCapital

M&A in the MSP/IT Services channel: The European #IT channel community with leading MSPs and VARs came together at XChange EMEA 2024 hosted by CRN in The Hague, Netherlands recently. Drake Star Partner Julian Riedlbauer kicked off day two of the conference with a keynote presentation: “Deals with Financial Investors and Strategic Buyers – Opportunities to Grow Faster, Consolidate the Market, or Sell Your Business”. It focused on the accelerating acquisition dynamics in the space and how IT Services businesses can ensure they pick the right PE buyer and a smooth business transition. Here are some highlights: ▶️ Financial investors, especially PEs, are some of the most active buyers in the IT Services sector, often preferring businesses with recurring revenues and diversified client bases. ▶️ Strategic buyers look for acquisitions that enhance their offerings or provide access to new clients and markets, while private equity investors focus on building value over a set investment period before exiting. ▶️ This value can include access to the PE investor's network or the potential domain expertise of a specialist PE house. ▶️ IT Services and MSPs are highly attractive to buyers due to their stability, industry size, and recurring revenue streams, which are highly valued in M&A transactions. ▶️ Last year, the IT Services segment saw nearly 1,800 M&A transactions, underscoring the sector's dynamic activity and growth potential driven by trends like hybrid and multi-cloud, cybersecurity, and AI. ▶️ To achieve the best sale price for your business, it's essential to engage multiple potential buyers, creating competition and leveraging an M&A advisor to navigate the complex process and maximize value. Thanks for having us, CRN Deutschland, and for the detailed write-up, Victoria Pavlova! cc: Martin Fryba, Afari Dioum, The Channel Company #XCH2024 #ManagedServiceProvider #MSP #MergersAndAcquisitions 

🎮 #Gaming M&A Deal! Drake Star acts as exclusive financial advisor to Singularity 6 on sale to Daybreak Game Company LLC, a subsidiary of Enad Global 7 AB (STO: EG7) 🚀 Based in Los Angeles, California, S6 is the developer and publisher behind Palia, an online multiplayer life simulation game currently available in open beta on PC and Nintendo Switch. Michael Metzger, Managing Partner at Drake Star commented: “It was a pleasure to work with Anthony Leung and the team at Singularity 6 and advise on such a landmark deal in the online multiplayer gaming space. Daybreak, renowned for its blockbuster franchises like EverQuest, is a global leader in live service MMO games and a fantastic match with Singularity 6. The combined companies are well-positioned to significantly grow Palia's already large player base and solidify the game as one of the most beloved and successful titles for generations to come.” Press release with full details here: https://lnkd.in/eiR6PP64 Drake Star Team: Michael Metzger, Mohit Pareek, CFA, Pei Chao Zhuo #VideoGames #DigitalMedia #MergersAndAcquisitions

🎉 We’re delighted to announce that Drake Star has won “USA CORPORATE DEAL of the YEAR” for advising Nura on its Sale to Denon, a Brand of Sound United, in the 6th Annual USA M&A Mid-Market Atlas Awards by the Global M&A Network, LLC. Congratulations to the Drake Star deal team including our Managing Partners Michael Metzger, James Turino and Principal Mohit Pareek, CFA and congratulations to our clients on this landmark transaction! The award ceremony took place at the Metropolitan Club in New York City and Michael as well as our CEO & Managing Partner Gregory Bedrosian attended the gala to accept the award. Thank you to the Global M&A Network for recognizing and selecting this transaction for such a prestigious award. This achievement exemplifies how Drake Star’s blend of deep Digital Media expertise, transaction experience, creativity, and dedication continue to deliver exceptional results. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 #MergersAndAcquisitions #Awards #InvestmentBanking

🏆Michael Metzger, Managing Partner at Drake Star, was awarded “M&A Banker of the Year – Boutique Investment Banking” during the 6th Annual USA M&A Mid-Market Atlas Awards by the Global M&A Network, LLC yesterday. The award ceremony took place at the Metropolitan Club in New York City and both Michael and our CEO & Managing Partner Gregory Bedrosian attended the gala to accept & celebrate the award. This accolade highlights the exceptional talent and relentless dedication that Michael brings to our firm. It also underscores Drake Star’s ongoing commitment to excellence in serving our clients. Please join us in congratulating Michael on this well-deserved recognition! 👏🏻 #MergersAndAcquisitions #Awards #InvestmentBanking

🌇 We had the pleasure of hosting our 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 together with international law firm Dentons on their rooftop terrace overlooking the historic Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin last week. More than 100 entrepreneurs and investors from the German and European tech ecosystem came together to make new connections, foster existing ones and talk about what brings us all together: Technologies in different sectors, their advancement and their impact on society and our economy. To kick the evening off, Thomas Schubert from Dentons and our Ralf Philipp Hofmann, Julian Ostertag and Julian Riedlbauer gave an overview of the state of the tech market. Afterwards, it was time to enjoy a stunning view along with food and drinks, networking, and discussing the latest trends everyone is seeing in the market. The conversations proved once again that PE, Growth and VC investors are looking for deals and there’s lots of dry powder ready to be invested into high-quality companies. Thanks to everyone who joined us and spent the evening with us. #MergersAndAcquisitions #PrivateEquity #VentureCapital #Event #Recap 

💸 Sportico reports on AI-powered sports video and analytics company Spiideo landing $20M VC Investment. Spiideo’s tech is used by over 4,000 teams across some of the biggest leagues in the world including English football’s Premier League, NHL, NBA, Serie A, MLS, Ligue 1, NCAA, Liga MX, Bundesliga, and others. Drake Star acted as exclusive financial advisor to Spiideo on the transaction. See Brendan Coffey’s full story for all the details here: https://lnkd.in/dFJCz8dm Eric Ward, Gregory Bedrosian, James B. #SportsTech #SportsInvesting #Tech #InvestmentBanking

#SportsTech #SaaS Deal! Spiideo, the global leader in AI-powered sports video and data software, announces $20 Million funding round led by Cipio Partners. Drake Star acted as exclusive financial advisor on the transaction, further establishing leadership in the Sports Tech and SaaS space. Already a global market leader present in more than 60 countries, Spiideo’s products are installed in over 6,000 venues and used by more than 4,000 teams across English football’s Premier League, NHL (North America’s National Hockey League), NBA (North America’s National Basketball Association), Serie A, MLS, Ligue 1, NCAA, Liga MX, and Bundesliga, as well as numerous second and third tier international leagues. Spiideo’s cloud native cameras, which are the most flexible and powerful AI cameras on the market, enable a range of automated production and analysis services. The funding follows a year of rapid growth and significant milestones for Spiideo. In 2024, for the fourth consecutive year, Spiideo was named as one of the Financial Times’ fastest-growing companies. Spiideo also announced a new partnership to provide streaming services to ESPN's Wide World of Sports (a 220-acre multi-sport complex which plays host to up to 400 fixtures every weekend), as well as the expansion and renewal of its long standing relationship with the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in the US, providing every stadium in the league with Spiideo AI camera systems. Örjan Johansson and Patrik Olsson, co-founders of Spiideo commented: “Drake Star was a great advisor for Spiideo, providing us with a strategic market perspective along with the team and resources to run a comprehensive, well-organized and thorough process. Eric Ward, James Burrow and Greg Bedrosian were true partners to us. They were dedicated and strategic, ultimately helping us find the perfect investment from Cipio and current owners.” Additional details on the transaction including further comments from Roland Dennert, Managing Partner of Cipio Partners and Eric Ward, Managing Partner at Drake Star are available in the full press release here: https://lnkd.in/e-VfixMU Drake Star Deal Team: Eric Ward, Gregory Bedrosian, James B., Daniel Joyce, Kishen P., Peter Cox #MergersAndAcquisitions