Jonathan Cantwell, Partner & Head of Software at GP Bullhound, said: “In Q1, we saw a variety of factors at macro and micro levels impacting the SaaS market. IPO activity was down significantly, as economic conditions and geopolitical tensions tremble the market. The closed IPO door has resulted in more M&A processes embarking and deal activity by strategics and PE funds. Private financings remain stable across all regions, although check sizes are moderate and deal processes have taken longer to complete. Furthermore, many businesses and government entities carried out security assessments via software to identify ways of improving detection and mitigation of future vulnerabilities across the internet, following several security breaches.”
Matt Stamp, Partner in the Software team at GP Bullhound, said: “Despite the continuing volatility on public markets and the geopolitical and economic uncertainty, the SaaS funding and M&A landscape in Europe has remained robust in Q1. This strength is driven by several factors: the long-term conviction of strategics and investors, which tailwinds from 2020/2021 when we’ve seen a permanent shift in digital transformation; the digital adoption across every part of the economy; and the amount of dry powder focused on the sector, for example the $450bn across European investors. We expect these trends to continue into Q2, albeit processes taking longer and investors paying more attention to fundamentals such as medium-term profitability.”
Enquiries
For any enquiries, please contact:
Jonathan Cantwell, Partner (US), at jonathan.cantwell@gpbullhound.com
Matt Stamp, Partner (Europe), at matt.stamp@gpbullhound.com
About GP Bullhound
GP Bullhound is a leading technology advisory and investment firm, providing transaction advice and capital to the world’s entrepreneurs and founders. Founded in 1999 in London and Menlo Park, the firm today has 12 offices spanning Europe, the US and Asia. For more information, please visit www.gpbullhound.com.
Simon Nicholls and Greg Smith, Partners at GP Bullhound, commented: “In Q1 2022, we saw creative automation technology to be a key driver of recent acquisition and investment activity. We are also witnessing strategic M&A within cloud, as enterprises tap into hyperscaling service capabilities. Lastly, headless technology is transforming marketing and commerce.”
Enquiries
For enquiries, please contact:
Simon Nicholls, Partner, at simon.nicholls@gpbullhound.com
Greg Smith, Partner, at greg.smith@gpbullhound.com
Ravi Ghedia, Director, at ravi.ghedia@gpbullhound.com
About GP Bullhound
GP Bullhound is a leading technology advisory and investment firm, providing transaction advice and capital to the world’s entrepreneurs and founders. Founded in 1999 in London and Menlo Park, the firm today has 12 offices spanning Europe, the US and Asia. For more information, please visit www.gpbullhound.com.
Claudio Alvarez, Partner at GP Bullhound, commented: “While fundraising and M&A activities in fintech slowed slightly in Q1 versus the highs of 2021, the market remained very active, not least due to the completion of Block’s acquisition of Afterpay, and a few other large funding rounds. Several trends are driving fintech this quarter – Big Tech is joining challenger banks in disrupting the status quo of legacy banks; corporate card and spend management platforms are attracting unprecedented interest from SMBs, resulting in large investments from growth funds; and a new race to replicate the model of WeChat and Alipay to become ‘the SuperApp of the West’ is now on.”
Enquiries
For enquiries, please contact Claudio Alvarez, Partner, at claudio.alvarez@gpbullhound.com
About GP Bullhound
GP Bullhound is a leading technology advisory and investment firm, providing transaction advice and capital to the world’s best entrepreneurs and founders. Founded in 1999 in London and Menlo Park, the firm today has 12 offices spanning Europe, the US and Asia. For more information, please visit www.gpbullhound.com.
Alec Dafferner, Partner at GP Bullhound, said: “In Q1 we have seen large media companies rival Big Tech, as they reach scale and leverage their significant audiences. In the gaming industry, Q1 proved impressive, with three major acquisitions already thwarting the total value of 2021’s western gaming deals. In the music industry, Web3 strategies show potential to close profit gaps. Lastly, news publishers need new strategies to maintain readerships, as non-news content attracts more and more traffic.”
Enquiries
For enquiries, please contact Alec Dafferner, Partner, at alec.dafferner@gpbullhound.com
About GP Bullhound
GP Bullhound is a leading technology advisory and investment firm, providing transaction advice and capital to the world’s best entrepreneurs and founders. Founded in 1999 in London and Menlo Park, the firm today has 12 offices spanning Europe, the US and Asia. For more information, please visit www.gpbullhound.com.
Alessandro Casartelli, Executive Director at GP Bullhound, said: “In Q1 we saw ongoing investment in green infrastructure, as commuter transport preferences shifted post-pandemic. The NFT market, which grew rapidly, experienced a pull-back in Q1, and barriers to entry in e-commerce are being knocked down as it takes over traditional retail. M&A activity tailed off after a record-breaking 2021, as with most other sectors.”
Enquiries
For enquiries, please contact:
Alessandro Casartelli, Executive Director, at alessandro.casartelli@gpbullhound.com
About GP Bullhound
GP Bullhound is a leading technology advisory and investment firm, providing transaction advice and capital to the world’s entrepreneurs and founders. Founded in 1999 in London and Menlo Park, the firm today has 12 offices spanning Europe, the US and Asia. For more information, please visit www.gpbullhound.com.
