Drake Star

Drake Star’s Sam Levy will join?Channel Partners Events?Conference & Expo 2024! We are excited to attend #CPExpo & #MSPSummit, where 7,800+ industry leaders will gather to discuss the future of MSPs, IT services, cloud, and cybersecurity. Drake Star is committed to supporting the growth and success of MSPs, technology providers, and investors in the channel. Key topics shaping the industry this year: ? The evolution of MSPs – From service providers to strategic advisors ? AI in managed services – Monetization & real-world applications ? Cybersecurity – Navigating an evolving threat landscape ? M&A trends in the MSP and IT channel As MSPs continue to scale and evolve, so do the investment opportunities. If you’re attending, connect with Sam to discuss the future of the industry.?

Gaming investment returned to growth in 2024. Who were the top 10 most active VC Fund Investors? BITKRAFT Ventures Andreessen Horowitz Play Ventures Galaxy Makers Fund Konvoy Hiro Capital General Catalyst Griffin Gaming Partners Lightspeed ?? Download our full 2024 Global Gaming Report to get detailed analysis on all of the year’s Gaming M&A and investment activity. #Gaming #MergersAndAcquisitions #AI #BlockChain

?? MWC Networking event with tech’s finest founders and investors from Spain and around the world! On the occasion of Mobile World Congress and its startup event 4YFN in Barcelona, Drake Star’s Christophe Morvan and Gaby Silvestris proudly co-hosted an event alongside Novicap, Earth, Glovo, IESE, and Chapter 54, bringing together 80+ industry leaders, entrepreneurs and investors from the European tech ecosystem for an evening of networking and sharing ideas. A wide range of attendees representing Venture Capital, Private Equity, Entrepreneurs, CEOs, and founders across a spectrum of tech verticals brought lively discussions and insights on the current and future state of tech trends, M&A and investing. One common theme from the crowd was that there is ample positive sentiment and momentum for deal-making that is expected to continue to accelerate in 2025. A huge thank you to our co-hosts and everyone who joined us – exciting opportunities lie ahead and it was great to hear everyone’s perspectives on them. cc: Federico Travella (Novicap), Vincent Previ and Mirja (Mimi) Hitzemann (Chapter54), Maex Ament, Philip Stehlik, and Rebecca Miller (Earth), William Benthall and Ionut Lacusta (Glovo) and Luca de Montis (IESE). #InvestmentBanking #Tech #MergersAndAcquisitions #MWC & #4YFN

Looking forward to joining Pocket Gamer Connects conference during next week’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Michael Metzger ?? GDC, Managing Partner at Drake Star, will join a panel discussing the current Gaming investment and M&A landscape along with an outlook for 2025 and beyond. Excited to sit alongside other gaming industry leaders including Maria Kochmola of The Games Fund, Andrew Sheppard of Transcend., and Michael M. L. of Com2uS USA. Look for us at the event and looking forward to connecting and sharing ideas.

?? Supply Chain and Logistics Software report launch! Drake Star’s new Supply Chain and Logistics Software report includes our insights on the latest deal and market activity, key sector deep dives, performance analyses, and our perspectives on the latest trends shaping the industry's future. Download the full report to access all of the data and insights here: https://lnkd.in/eMkECA2H Some of our key takeaways include: ?? The global supply chain software market is expected to grow ~16% annually and reach $62 billion by 2028, driven by increasing global disruptions and complexities ?? M&A activity remained tepid in 2024 amid ongoing uncertainty surrounding valuations, rates and the global macro ?? We expect a notable uptick in M&A activity in 2025, benefiting from numerous catalysts including the seeming end to a three-year freight recession, heightening need for innovation and expansion, and broad-based pent-up demand for SCL software Drake Star Supply Chain team: Jimmy Canner, Julian Riedlbauer, Gregory Bedrosian, Ralf Philipp Hofmann, James Turino #SupplyChain #MergersAndAcquisitions?

? Masterclass: The Case for Sports Investment ? Check out this webinar with Mohit Pareek ?? GDC, CFA of Drake Star and Keaton Nankivil of Alumni Ventures where they break down the value of sports investments, and the growing convergence of sports, media, gaming, and performance technology. Some of the key trends they discuss include: ? The role of technology in fan engagement ? Predictive analytics in athlete performance ? The increasing involvement of athletes in venture investments And much more in the full webinar link below.

?? Stay ahead of the curve in global tech M&A with us Every month, we deliver exclusive insights, market updates, and expert perspectives from our worldwide team of tech-sector specialists. From emerging deal trends to the latest market dynamics, we bring you a deep dive into the forces shaping technology investments. In the second 2025 edition of our Monthly Drake Take, we … ? celebrate two new deals we announced and three marquee industry awards, ? we dive into Digital Services and Managed Service Providers with brand new reports, ? we recap some exciting events, ? and we welcome several new (and old-well-known) colleagues in Munich! Join us as we explore the pulse of the global tech M&A landscape – and navigate this fast-evolving market with confidence. Happy reading!

?? HR Tech Deal Announcement! Drake Star Acts as Exclusive Financial Advisor to Research Associates on Majority Recapitalization Research Associates Inc. (“RAI”), a leading tech-enabled provider of background screening and due diligence services, announced that it completed a majority recapitalization with a newly formed investment and operations group, rebranded as Thuro. A team of seasoned HR Technology executives is leading Thuro along with the current RAI team. Read the full press release below for further details on the transaction and for quotes from: ?? Brian Cameron, CEO of RAI ?? Kevin Prendergast, President of RAI ?? Jim Holzer, Managing Partner at Drake Star Drake Star Deal Team: Jim Holzer, Stanislav Bejanski #MergersAndAcquisitions #BackgroundChecks #PBSA #HRTech

Global #HRTech Report: Q4 records highest M&A activity in 2024 & strong market growth expected ahead According to our newest market analysis, the HR Tech sector continues its strong momentum, and activity accelerated in Q4 2024 with: ?? 54 M&A transactions totaling $2.1 billion+ (47% in Europe) and ?? 148 private placements with $746 million in disclosed deal value. In total, 2024 has shown strong activity with: ?? 900+ HR Tech transactions and ?? $10.5 billion in invested equity (disclosed values). The market is expected to reach $44.2 billion in 2025e, with a +9.4% annual growth rate until 2029e. #AI continues to redefine HR operations, with AI-powered data analysis, assistance systems & recommendation tools among the top trends. Key areas of transformation include profile matching & job ad optimization, strategic workforce planning & talent marketing and CV analysis & employee retention strategies. As technology reshapes HR, organizations are embracing innovation to enhance talent acquisition and long-term employee engagement. ?? Download the full report for deeper insights including notable deals, trends in the sector, the most active consolidators, a detailed market map and our experts’ analysis: https://lnkd.in/da9_gbjS Drake Star HR Tech team: Ralf Philipp Hofmann, Jim Holzer, Christophe Morvan, Gaby Silvestris, Pablo I. Lundershausen, Stanislav Bejanski, Albert-Louis Bilger, Mathilde Deschamps, Christopher von Eickstedt #MergersAndAcquistions #FutureOfWork #ArtificialIntelligence #Investment?

?? Drake Star CEO & Founder Series! Every day we work with CEOs and Founders of the world’s leading tech and tech-enabled companies to help them scale, innovate, and shape the future of Tech. These are their stories. In this edition, Jim Ward, CEO of BrainSell, shares insights on his company’s recently announced sale to Atlantic Tomorrow's Office, the evolution from software reseller to growth enablement company, and some key lessons learned. Jim notes: “It’s not always the multiple, it’s more about the strategic fit.?I felt I was able to leave my legacy as a division of Atlantic where all my team members were able to transfer and keep BrainSell whole.” ?? See the full interview at the link below. #MergersAndAcquisitions #Tech #DigitalServices #CEO