Articles

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Six Sure-Fire Strategies for Acquisition

While every deal is characterized by its own strategic logic, most successful deals have specific, well-articulated value creation concepts from the very beginning—while the strategic rationales of less successful deals can be vague. According to a May 2017 report by McKinsey & Company, the strategic rationale for an acquisition that creates value (providing the buyer did not overpay) typically conforms to at least one of these six scenarios:
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The Work World Is Changing And Society Needs To Change As Well

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We live in a time of great paradox. Technologies such as low cost renewable energy and automated production tools promise a world of abundance in which global poverty is abolished and human drudgery is eliminated. Yet even a casual glance at the daily news confronts us with a sense of dread that, far from Utopia, we are instead headed toward a dystopian future in which the benefits of technological advance will be reserved for a privileged few.
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Four Keys to US M&A Success in 2017

Following a slow start at the beginning of 2016, the US M&A market demonstrated its resilience. Uncertainty around some high-profile broken deals, the UK’s Brexit vote, and the US Presidential election has washed out of the market and the outlook for 2017 is positive. These four broad factors are likely to set the tone for M&A activity in 2017. While dealmaking ended 2016 on a high note, to continue, certain key factors need to be in place, according to a new report, “Building Momentum: US M&A,”

Transformation: The Onrushing Digital Age Will Change Everything

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The modern era has witnessed two great periods of transformation that radically changed the global economy and the very nature of human existence.  The Industrial Revolution of the 18thand 19th centuries and the shift to a postindustrial economy over the past fifty years are old news.  Today, the Global Economy is undergoing …

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2017 Market Outlook: Calls Heads or Tailwinds as Markets Swing on Policy Shifts*

The Economy Resuscitates, Stocks Gain, Rates Rise, Inflation Grows -- Heightened Volatility and Potential for Big Market Swings Likely

In 2017, there is cautious optimism for accelerating U.S. and global economic growth, improving corporate fundamentals, modest stock gains, and higher yields on expectations of fiscal stimulus and regulatory policy easing. Full-on optimism is tempered by the rippling effects of rising inflation, a stronger dollar, weak credit markets, uncertain commodity pricing, and game-changing political events that raise the potential for big market swings.
Photo: Keys to M&A Success in 2017

Four Keys to US M&A Success in 2017*

Following a slow start at the beginning of 2016, the US M&A market demonstrated its resilience. Uncertainty around some high-profile broken deals, the UK’s Brexit vote, and the US Presidential election has washed out of the market and the outlook for 2017 is positive.

These four broad factors are likely to set the tone for …

Investors Point to Exit Strategies for Startups

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Investors Point to Exit Strategies for Startups

Based on an interview of George M. Shea, Partner and IT Team Leader, and Manan K. Shah, Managing Partner, FOCUS Investment Banking LLC

You’ve scaled and done all the hard work. Should you prepare your startup for exit? How do you know if your business is ready for a sale or acquisition? As a CEO, it’s important to have your affairs in order before putting it up to the highest bidder. From financial to operational preparation, it’s important to take your time and not take the first offer on the table.

An International Collaboration: FOCUS and Aeternus Succeed Together

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FOCUS Investment Banking is part of M&A Worldwide (MAWW), an established international association of 37 M&A boutiques working together to facilitate cross-border activities such as mergers, acquisitions, corporate finance projects, and consulting. FOCUS has been a part of this network since 2005 and has completed 31 cross-border projects with its partners in this network. One of the partners with which FOCUS has worked closely is Aeternus Corporate Finance. Headquartered right outside of Amsterdam in Venlo, the Netherlands, Aeternus is an independent investment bank, like FOCUS, that provides M&A and corporate finance advisory services to mid-sized companies in the Netherlands and throughout Europe.