Event category: Plenary

In today’s rapidly evolving mid-market tech M&A landscape, understanding the trends shaping valuations and acquisitions has never been more critical. This session will equip you with the tools to identify opportunities, tackle challenges, and learn how AI is redefining valuations, driving demand and boosting competitive value. Whether you’re a founder, investor, or corporate acquirer, you’ll walk away with actionable insights to elevate your acquisition strategy and capitalize on the tech industry’s biggest trends. 

Hear from a panel of CEOs and founders who have recently navigated successful exits and are ready to share their journey with you. With the benefit of hindsight, they’ll share their own tales from the trenches, helping you broaden your understanding of the exit process.

You’ll hear:

• What factors that influence the decision to sell a company
• Reasons behind each founders’ decision to exit
• Insights into what they wish they had known before the sale and what they might have done differently
• The transition from leader to team member—what it’s really like to go from CEO to employee
• The emotional journey of selling and walking away from a business you’ve poured your heart and soul into
• Each founder’s personal growth and what you can learn from your own entrepreneurial journey

Join us for an exclusive fireside discussion featuring Michael and Richard Hyatt, successful tech entrepreneurs-turned-investors who previously built, scaled, sold, and exited Toronto-based Dyadem and BlueCat in deals totalling more than $1 billion, as they share insights into the strategic acquisition of DataStealth, an enterprise cybersecurity firm. This is a rare opportunity to learn from seasoned executives about the key elements that make an acquisition successful and gain practical advice for your own business endeavours.

Whether you’re selling or buying, marketing is cold, hard cash that impacts your EBITDA. Understanding the upper limits of how much you can increase or decrease marketing dollars can dramatically affect your valuation. In this presentation, we’ll discuss the best practices for evaluating the marketing line item, so you don’t overvalue your purchase or undersell your company.

Understanding your potential acquirer’s motivations, goals, and decision-making processes can be a game-changer in the M&A landscape. This session will focus on the strategic considerations and internal dynamics that shape an acquirer’s perspective. By gaining insight into what drives acquirers and how they evaluate potential targets, you’ll be better equipped to position your company for a successful acquisition.