1H 2022 Technology M&A Report

Anyone remember the dotcom bubble? Anyone? Anyone? Because we’re wondering if there’s something like that going on now. Maybe not that dramatic, but if you’re a tech company, the mantra is starting to sound like, “Show me the money.” For those who don’t recall, in the early days of the tech boom, the 1990s, people seemed to be buying up anything that ended in .com. Then, the emperor had no clothes. Investors decided companies not only had to scale they had to make money. The Dotcom Bubble followed years of heavy investment in tech, lots of venture capital flow, and a period of record low interest rates and … wait. This all sounds familiar. Anyone up for some Pets.com, the online pet supplier that raised $82 million at its February 2000 IPO and went bankrupt nine months later? We’re not ready to call the end of growth tech speculation. There are always opportunities for smart money. There have been amazing advances in tech. It is indeed incredible our doorbell can capture video of someone delivering something we ordered hours ago on a laptop. It’s hard to believe we can say “Play something good” and a sleek piece of plastic on our countertop will play music we like. But it’s starting to feel like the smart money is collectively saying, “Show us the money.” We’re watching interest rates rise, geopolitical uncertainty, inflation, and falling stock market valuations. The venture capital money waterfall is showing signs of drying up…