Financial Deals Monthly Roundup, Technology, December 2007

Introduction

In the years of the internet bubble, public offerings dominated; more recently, private equity has been in favor. Meanwhile, M&A activity has re-shaped domains as diverse as enterprise applications and consumer internet software. Getting an understanding of which technology sectors are experiencing the most activity, advisor and legal specialists are playing the significant role.

Scope

• Covers global markets, including North America, EMEA and the emerging markets in APAC and Latin America
• Covers mergers and acquisitions, public offerings (both IPO and secondary offerings) and venture finance
• Includes a detailed appendix covering top legal advisors, financial advisors, top private equity firms, and top venture capital firms

Highlights

Deal activity in the technology sector increased in December 2007 after a sharp decline in the previous month. The global credit squeeze has affected private equity buyouts, which remained more focused on the mid-market deals valued between $200m and $500m.

However, ongoing consolidation in the telecoms sector in emerging markets drove deal volume in the $1 billion-plus category. Consolidation in the gaming, BPO and hardware sectors continued, in line with trends witnessed recently.

Venture capitalists invested over $1.1 billion in fast-growing sectors such as media and entertainment, and in wireless telecommunication products and internet companies, especially those offering social networking websites and gaming portals.

Reasons to Purchase

• Track major deals among your competitors and plan your acquisition strategy accordingly
• Understand which sectors in the technology industry have proven the most attractive to investors, and identify the key deal makers