Hello reader,
Welcome to the May 2020 issue of The Dealmaker.
The impact of COVID-19 in transactions has been felt globally. If you have not read our whitepaper on our view of whats is going on and what might come next you should! Click here.
A couple of themes from the last 4 weeks. Dealmaking by the largest US tech companies for the second quarter is going strong. Last week, Facebook announced the acquisition of GIF-sharing platform provider Giphy, Microsoft agreed to buy virtual networking company Metaswitch Networks, and Apple reportedly bought NextVR, a virtual reality streaming startup. On the other hand, some key deals are coming to a halt with a number of sellers fighting it out with PE suitors that are trying to walk away from deals.
Here are some of the most important M&A news we have read this month:
- JAB seeks €2bn shot for coffee business with listing – Financial Times
- Carlyle’s fight with AmEx Global shows perils of COVID-19 for dealmakers – Pitchbook
- Investors bet on HR automation as potential boon amid mass layoffs – Pitchbook
- KKR still hunting for deals despite $1.3B loss during Q1 – Pitchbook
- PE’s $1.1B battle for the .org domain may not be over – Pitchbook
- SoftBank in talks to sell down T-Mobile U.S. stake to Deutsche Telekom – Reuters
- Uber’s pursuit of Grubhub could be a sign of consolidation to come – Pitchbook
- Renwables Infrastrucuture Group acquires stake in German wind farm, exits Swedish project – Reuters
