What's the Forecast for Tech M&A?

"2018 was a record year for tech M&A. We’re beginning to see those highs level off and return to a more sustainable model."

— Eric McCrath, Co-Chair, Morrison & Foerster's Corporate Department

The Tech M&A Leaders’ Survey is a joint effort by Morrison & Foerster and 451 Research to take the temperature of company executives, corporate development officers, lawyers, bankers, and other dealmakers focused on the technology sector. The mission of this annual survey is to dig into pertinent M&A-related issues with thought leaders and to spark a healthy dialogue about their topics of interest.

According to our October 2019 survey, the majority of dealmakers expect activity to increase over the next 12 months (40%), while 32% predict activity will remain the same, and 28% anticipate a decline. Although most dealmakers remain bullish, the results show a narrowing gap, with more respondents delivering a cooler forecast than they did in October 2018, when the last survey was conducted.

As noted in the press release, the report found that economic factors accounted for most of the dealmakers’ concerns, with 61% citing fears of a potential recession and 57% citing tariffs or trade disputes as possible deterrents to future deals.

Download the whole survey report to read more predictions on timely topics, including:

• the outlook for technology M&A deal activity and valuations;
• the economic factors impacting dealmaking;
• the outlook for unicorn debuts; and
• the emerging technologies that dealmakers are prioritizing.

Download Report