The ‘2026 Tax Cliff’ – Why Belgian Tech Founders may want a US exit… and a US address For years, the “American Dream” for a Belgian tech founder has been a major acquisition by a US strategic buyer or private equity firm. The logic is undeniable: access to the world’s largest single market, validation on a global…

Dear Esteemed Private Equity Partners, Venture Capitalists, Family Office Strategists, and Corporate Development Aficionados,This is a light-hearted yet heartfelt plea from those of us on the other side of the deal table:Please, for the love of EBITDA multiples, answer your emails.We already run the gauntlet of spam filters, gatekeeping receptionists, Jedi-level executive assistants, and corporate switchboards where…

by Serge Jonnaert Private equity firms and strategic acquirers are increasingly targeting European assets, drawn by favorable valuations, strong sector-specific synergies, and the risk of loss of market access as a result of looming tariff wars. Several significant M&A deals involving European companies in the technology, healthcare, finance, and energy sectors, have been announced or are in…

Setting M&A Up for Success  The Critical Role of Positioning, Messaging, Public Relations, Social Media, and Financial Packages by Serge Jonnaert Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) remain one of the most powerful strategies for companies looking to scale, enter new markets, or realize shareholder value. However, M&A success is far from guaranteed—studies estimate that 70-90% of M&A deals…

https://youtu.be/2LvNv36_IG8 I had the honor to moderate this week’s ‘AI Ethics & Governance’ panel in Los Angeles. It brought together thought leaders and experts for an engaging discussion on the challenges and responsibilities of artificial intelligence with both US and European perspectives. Hosted at the Residence of Belgium in Los Angeles by Consul General Sophie Hottat, along…

The latest M&A valuation multiples in the health tech sector indicate a slightly optimistic outlook for the remainder of 2024. As of April 2024, the average enterprise value (EV) to sales multiple is 4.8x, up from 4.5x in November 2023. The EV to EBITDA multiple ranges from 10x to 12.5x, reflecting investor confidence despite broader economic uncertainties​…

BIO2024 – Two sessions related to M&A in biotech, each offering unique perspectives while sharing common themes “From Incubation to Acquisition – The Growth Journey of an Early-Stage Company” centered around Serotiny, a therapeutic discovery company that designs new genes for next generation cell and gene therapies and its entrepreneurial journey from incubation, VC funding, strategic partnerships, to…

The looming specter of the 2024 U.S. elections casts a long shadow over its tech landscape, with few entrepreneurs fully aware of the potential fallout of proposed tax reforms under a possible second Biden term Serge JonnaertCEO & M&A Advisor – Software & Technology President Biden’s 2025 budget proposal post-election packs a potentially devastating punch, wielding significant…

Serge JonnaertCEO & M&A Advisor – Software & Technology Europe is once again well represented at the 2024 BIO Conference in San Diego, the largest and most comprehensive event for biotechnology, with more than 18,500 attendees from biotech, pharma, academia, non-profits, and governments. Eleven countries (Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Switzerland)…

Delivering better quality results, faster, more efficiently, and at a lower cost by Serge Jonnaert – Managing Director It’s May 2024, and the conversation around AI, particularly in M&A has never been more pertinent. Some people recoil at the thought, harboring an ‘Ex Machina’ fear of AI’s potential to take over the world. This technophobia is not…

Sharing a presentation I recently did on Artificial Intelligence and Robotic Process Automation in investment banking. https://vimeo.com/944670687

This is a call-out to all #techCEOs! Prepare yourself for a fun, rich, healthy, and joyful 2024. No more worries about making payroll, funding rounds, boring board calls, email overload, markets, competitors, and forecasts. Start to measure life in beach, wave, or green time, not EBITDA. Exit now! Explore the world, golf, surf, or fish every day,…

Landing ‘a big one’ is still the aspiration of most software CEOs, and rightfully so. The technology sector has the third-most billionaires (332) in the world, behind finance and investments, representing a total of $2.1 trillion in wealth. A well-executed idea can catapult a company from inception to unrivaled market success in just a few years. For…