Conference Overview

Looking ahead to 2024, there are notable shifts in M&A activity.  Current market conditions have created a more complex financing environment, with valuations reaching historic lows and financial headwinds expected to persist. However, Canadian tech companies remain attractive assets for profitability, growth and consolidation. 


TechExit.io has been educating technology entrepreneurs since 2017 on the importance of M&A in enhancing shareholder value for companies looking to sell and those aiming to acquire. By attending, you can gain tangible tips to help you confidently react to acquisition opportunities. You will also have the opportunity to hear from the major players behind the biggest acquisition and exit success stories and connect with the players that made them happen.

1

Main Stage

Get inspired, learn, and hear from the biggest acquisition and exit success stories from this past year and connect with the players that made them happen.

2

Buy-Side:
Acquiring a tech company  

Must-attend sessions to learn how to acquire a technology company and what pitfalls to avoid.

3

Sell-Side:
Getting Acquired

Tactical sessions on what it takes to get ready for an acquisition, even if you have no plans to sell.

Topics Addressed:

The State of Tech M&A

Gain insights into market dynamics, partners, key sectors, emerging trends, valuations and multiples, industry consolidation, new business avenues, liquidity options & more. …And yes, we’ll talk about AI.

Establishing An M&A Mindset

Discover the M&A process, roadmap, and steps to successfully plan for both sell-side and buy-side acquisitions. Learn how to operate and run your business effectively while integrating processes that will improve M&A outcomes.

Exit Options  

Navigating exit options requires careful consideration and analysis of the relative strength of the company, the makeup of the investors, and the ultimate long-term goals of the founders and investors. While this can be overwhelming for founders, having different exit options will help you make informed decisions.

Your M&A Growth Strategy

Learn everything you need to know when buying a technology company. Discover how to spot strategic opportunities, what to look out for, what to avoid, how to successfully integrate acquired companies and how/when to build your corporate development team.

The Foundational Building Blocks of M&A

Whether you want to be ready for a knock on the door or you are embarking on an acquisition strategy, it takes time (and sometimes years) to check all the boxes. Early and measured preparation is key throughout all phases of the process – from strategy to integration. Operating efficiently, professionalizing processes, limiting vulnerabilities around IP, source code, and accounting records are some things to consider. Learn the most comprehensive and essential must-dos to get M&A ready.

What’s Hot in the Current Market: Profitable and Growing

It's no secret: buyers are interested in well-performing, capital-efficient companies - companies that have exhibited strong margin profiles and minimal cyclicality. The pool of quality deals has shrunk relative to the amount of capital looking to be deployed, meaning that there's a fight for quality.  Can you capitalize on this?  At TechExit.io, we’ll profile recently-exited Founders AND acquirers that are actively looking.

Partial Exits & Two-Part Exits

Learn about recapitalizations and other liquidity options that may allow you to take chips off the table.

Deal Terms, Types and Negotiation Tactics

Learn the trends with respect to deal-types, agreement terms, earn-outs and tactics to retain and enhance bargaining power. Deep dive into how a professionally managed process could increase proceeds.

Building out M&A: Are You Bringing in the Right Expertise?

Understand what the ideal M&A team is, how to select the best external or internal talent for your business, what your M&A team will cost and how they are compensated.

Deal Killers

Learn tools and advice to avoid acquisition pitfalls, including avoiding "deal fatigue," handling confidentiality, and ensuring things don't go off the rails during the due diligence phase.

The People & Talent Side of M&A

The people side of M&A is critical but often overlooked. While retaining key talent is important for long-term success, managing employees during the transition is frequently disregarded. Learn the steps that founders and teams must take to integrate talent successfully.

Current State of Valuations

After years of explosive startup valuations, has the bubble burst? Is this a relatively temporary setback or the start of a new era of VC caution? Are there still opportunities to be sold? Where are valuations currently? Understand the different factors that drive your company's valuation. Learn how investors and acquirers value acquisition targets and how the current market slowdown, rising inflation and a tightened economic environment impact the investment landscape.

Board Governance + M&A

Evaluating M&A opportunities can be the board's highest stake role and the most frustrating. While some companies regularly engage in acquisitions as part of their corporate strategy, most are occasional and can be stressful due to many uncertainties.

Board actions and decisions get made quickly. Decisions reached today will be scrutinized for years to come. And often, no matter how diligently the board acts, there can be an information gap between what they need to know and what they are told by leadership.

Learn best practices of Board Governance, its role in M&A and how to do it right.

The Entrepreneur's Experience Post-Acquisition

Getting acquired is one thing, effectively integrating into the acquirer is another.

What happens after the deal has (seemingly) crossed the finish line? Furthermore, what is post-merger integration, and how to get it right? Learn about the importance of M&A integration, process and best practices.

Learn the challenges of integrating products, companies, teams and cultures and how to overcome them.

In the Mind of Your Acquirer

Understand different potential buyers for your organization, including strategic and private/growth equity, financial buyers and their motivations. Dive into the metrics your potential acquirer is looking for and the ones that are most likely to lead to a favourable acquisition.

Founder Acquisition Stories Untold

Get insider knowledge from tech entrepreneurs with exits who have been there before. Hear what worked, what didn't, and what they would do differently.

And More!

TechExit.io is the go-to event for technology industry players who want to understand the ins and outs of selling and buying technology companies.