M&A Part 1: Buyers, Sellers and the State of the Market

We’ve spent a lot of time on the pod talking about startups, and now we’re going to shift gears to talk about the finish line, and what the climate is looking like for exits. The IPO market has been virtually non-existent the past couple years, and M&A activity (particularly for Big Tech) has been stagnant.

That said, there is a ton of capital sitting on the sidelines, seemingly ready to jump in when conditions improve. Coupled with the volume of early-stage companies that have matured from concept to commercialization since the pandemic, this combination of dry powder, lower interest rates, and a new administration taking over that is anticipated to be more deal-friendly all seem to point to conditions ripening nicely for more M&A activity.

So, what does the state of M&A look like in the travel tech sector heading into 2025? Is the market open for business again, and if so, who is buying what?

Follows
Gilad Berenstein — host
Cara Whitehill — host
Morgann Lesne — guest
Roopak Pati — guest
Jonathan Weibrecht — guest

Go Deeper

• Venture Buyouts: Look Where Other Investors Aren’t Looking - Substack: The Capitalist
• Europe could lead the world for travel tech but needs more ambition says leading investment banker - Breaking Travel News
• Play or be played: M&A consolidation in corporate travel - BTN Europe
• Leisure M&A: Travel deals are back! - BDO UK
• What's driving the resurgent M&A interest in the travel sector? - TravelTrade Gazette