2 days Ago By Angela Scott-Briggs
Share Tweet Share Share Email From outdated processes to AI-driven efficiencies, DealRoom’s founder shares insights on transforming M&A into a growth and innovation powerhouse for the tech industry Kison Patel is the Founder and CEO of DealRoom , an M&A lifecycle management platform designed for buyer-led M&A and recognized twice on the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies list. He also founded M&A Science , a global community offering courses, events, and the top-rated M&A Science podcast with over 2 million downloads.
Through the podcast, Kison shares actionable insights from top M&A experts, helping professionals modernize their approach to deal-making. He is also the author of *Agile M&A: Proven Techniques to Close Deals Faster and Maximize Value*, a guide to tech-enabled, adaptive M&A practices. Kison is dedicated to disrupting traditional M&A with innovative tools and education, empowering teams to drive greater efficiency and value.
How did you become an expert in M&A? My path to becoming an M&A expert started at a startup advisory firm, where I gained hands-on experience with transactions. After that, I launched my own M&A practice and spent nearly a decade advising on both buy-side and sell-side deals. The 2008 recession pushed me to pivot towards distressed deals, which gave me a deeper understanding of navigating complex transactions.
Eventually, I became frustrated with the inefficiencies and outdated processes in the industry. That frustration became the foundation for DealRoom in 2012—a platform designed to modernize how deals are managed from start to finish. Kison Patel What trends are you currently observing in the tech M&A space? AI is at the forefront, with applications in document analysis, summarization, and even integration planning.
Platforms like DealRoom help streamline these processes by organizing data, enriching it with third-party datasets, and enabling earlier diligence. Its strength lies in organizing and centralizing deal data, which is critical, especially in the early stages. M&A can involve years of nurturing relationships or waiting for timing to align—think of sellers considering retirement or private equity investors preparing an exit.
Another trend is the increased focus on connecting tools—integrating third-party data sources, CRMs, and other software to enhance decision-making. For example, who’s on a company’s board or when a private equity firm might sell. This helps buyers prioritize targets more strategically.
Additionally, as interest rates and regulatory environments shift, companies are leaning more heavily on M&A to drive innovation and stay competitive. How has the M&A landscape evolved with the rise of AI and emerging technologies? AI is transforming M&A, particularly in areas like contract review, which has always been time-consuming and expensive. AI tools can handle much of this now, cutting costs by as much as 70-80%.
Beyond that, AI is a game-changer for organizing unstructured data. It clusters related information, finds patterns in historical deals, and even helps teams pre-plan integrations based on diligence insights. That said, the adoption of AI in M&A isn’t without its challenges.
Security and legal concerns still make many organizations hesitant. But as trust grows, AI will become essential for eliminating repetitive tasks, automating parts of integration planning, and uncovering opportunities hidden in large datasets. What are the biggest challenges in executing successful M&A deals in the tech sector? Integration remains the greatest hurdle.
Historically, M&A has been about minimizing risk through due diligence, but maximizing value through integration is far more complex. In tech deals, challenges like aligning organizational cultures, consolidating tech stacks, and achieving synergy targets often derail success. The industry is slowly shifting toward a more disciplined, buyer-led approach where success is planned from the start rather than treated as an afterthought.
What trends are defining the 2025 M&A landscape, particularly in tech? We’re seeing a shift in M&A from being purely transactional to being more buyer-led. It’s no longer just about closing deals—it’s about ensuring they succeed. Tech companies are leading this shift because they’re naturally inclined to adopt tools and methodologies that foster efficiency, like early integration planning backed by AI.
They know the value of mapping synergies and addressing operational overlaps long before a deal closes. Another factor is economic conditions, like interest rates and regulatory dynamics. As regulatory scrutiny, especially in tech, starts to ease, I expect larger companies to lean more on acquisitions to fuel growth and innovation.
For many of these companies, buying is faster than building. How is AI transforming due diligence, valuations, and post-merger integration in 2025? Integration is still the Achilles’ heel of M&A. You can run the most thorough due diligence process, but if you fumble integration, the deal’s value won’t materialize.
AI helps teams align integration plans early—during diligence, even- to create a blueprint for success. The key is avoiding over-optimism and being brutally realistic about what’s achievable, both during and after the deal. AI is transforming due diligence by structuring unstructured data, extracting insights from contracts, and streamlining processes like identifying change-of-control clauses.
For post-merger integration, AI supports early planning by analyzing data from diligence—such as tech stacks and organizational structures—to pre-populate integration plans. These capabilities are reducing the time and cost of executing transactions while improving outcomes. What advice would you give to tech companies looking to position themselves as attractive acquisition targets? Start by maintaining well-organized records—customer contracts, employment agreements, vendor agreements.
This shows potential buyers that your company is prepared for due diligence. Demonstrate consistent growth and understand your target buyer, whether it’s a strategic acquirer or private equity. Use data-driven insights to refine your business model and strategy according to your buyer.
Building strong relationships with potential acquirers and understanding their priorities can also make your company more appealing. Are there innovative deal structures or financing methods gaining popularity in M&A? Earnouts remain a staple, but they’re evolving to be less contentious, with payouts based on broader timelines rather than specific performance metrics. Equity rollovers are becoming more common, particularly as interest rates impact the cost of capital.
These structures align seller incentives with long-term deal success. Additionally, there’s a trend toward deal structures that prioritize integration and retention of key personnel, setting the stage for smoother transitions and value realization. What inspired you to start your podcast, and what gap in conversations about M&A or business were you hoping to fill? While building DealRoom, I noticed how inconsistent M&A processes were across companies—different terminologies, workflows, and approaches.
The podcast was my way of addressing this lack of standardization by interviewing practitioners to uncover proven techniques. It’s about democratizing knowledge and helping the industry shift from siloed thinking to collaborative learning. What unique insights from your podcast have helped shape your approach to M&A strategy in 2025? Reflecting on doing over 300 interviews, One key insight is that M&A functions mature from seller-led to buyer-led over time.
This shift requires early preparation and alignment across stakeholders to deliver value post-close. My podcast conversations reinforced the importance of integration planning during diligence. By adopting these principles, companies can build stronger M&A processes that set the company up for a successful integration that’s going to drive success.
What’s your vision for M&A’s role in driving innovation in tech by the end of the decade? M&A will continue to be one of the most powerful tools for driving innovation in tech. It allows companies to acquire capabilities or market share far faster than they could build them organically. But the real shift will come as the industry moves toward a lower failure rate.
By focusing on frameworks like buyer-led M&A and leveraging tech-driven insights, companies can make deals more predictable and successful. When M&A consistently achieves its goals, it becomes not just a growth strategy but a cornerstone of innovation. https://dealroom.
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