The hottest Acquisitions Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Finance Topics

Why Apple Must Buy Perplexity

Big Technology • 5254 implied HN points • 20 Jun 25
💼 Business Mergers Acquisitions Technology Finance Corporate strategy
  1. Apple should buy Perplexity for $30 billion because it can greatly improve its AI features. This acquisition would help integrate smart AI into Siri and Safari, making Apple's offerings much better.
  2. There is a sense of urgency for Apple to act quickly; if they wait too long, they risk losing their deal with Google and could miss out on growth opportunities in AI. Buying Perplexity now could help shape Apple's future in this competitive market.
  3. Perplexity is growing fast and has a partnership with Samsung that could strengthen over time. If Apple jumps in now, it might block Samsung's plans and establish itself as a more serious player in the AI space.

The Anarchist’s Compass No. 1

The American Peasant • 2535 implied HN points • 23 Oct 24
💼 Business Publishing Finance Entrepreneurship Acquisitions Venture Capital
  1. A businessman shared a wild story about buying a small publishing company. He revealed that the owner didn't know he was supposed to keep the cash in the company, and the buyer ended up getting the business almost for free.
  2. The room erupted in laughter when he shared how the situation turned out. It showed how sometimes, deals can have unexpected and surprising outcomes.
  3. This story highlights how important it is to understand business transactions and financial details. Misunderstandings can lead to big surprises for both buyers and sellers.

My thoughts on the Zscaler acquisition of Red Canary

Frankly Speaking • 305 implied HN points • 05 Jun 25
💼 Business Technology Acquisitions Cybersecurity Market Trends Managed Services
  1. Zscaler bought Red Canary to create a more integrated and powerful security platform. This move helps them adapt to the changing needs of businesses that want fewer, but more effective tools.
  2. The combination of Zscaler’s services with Red Canary’s managed detection capabilities allows companies to reduce their security staff while improving response times. This can make security easier and potentially save money.
  3. The security market is shifting away from using many separate tools and towards unified platforms. As Zscaler and others adapt, there's potential for growth, but they must also navigate challenges in merging cultures and technologies.

GC, a16z Capture 44% VC fundraising💰, Massive Acquisitions in Software Startups 🛒, Network Effects🕸️

The VC Corner • 379 implied HN points • 05 May 24
💼 Business Venture Capital Startups Acquisitions Fundraising Market Trends
  1. GC and a16z are leading the way, capturing a large portion of VC fundraising. This means they are securing a lot of money to invest in new businesses.
  2. There are many significant acquisitions happening in the software startup space. Companies are being bought up, showing growth and interest in this sector.
  3. Network effects are becoming important for these companies. This means that the more people use a service, the better it gets and the more valuable it becomes.

Broadcom’s Google TPU Revenue Explosion, Networking Boom, VMWare Integration

SemiAnalysis • 4849 implied HN points • 30 Aug 23
💼 Business Tech Acquisitions Networking Software Revenue
  1. Broadcom is the second largest AI chip company in the world behind NVIDIA, driven by Google's TPU ramp.
  2. Broadcom's strategy involves acquiring companies with strong products, cutting costs, and focusing on core products.
  3. Broadcom has diversified segments including wireless, networking, and custom silicon, with a focus on efficiency and stable growth.
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New reports detail UnitedHealth's latest acquisitions under shady pretenses

HEALTH CARE un-covered • 479 implied HN points • 11 Mar 24
🏥 Health Politics Healthcare system Insurance Industry Acquisitions Regulatory issues Financial impact
  1. UnitedHealth is buying a lot of clinics, especially in areas where it already has many Medicare Advantage members. This helps them earn more money from the government.
  2. As UnitedHealth grows, it doesn't have to publicly announce many of its deals. This means they can make several acquisitions without much notice to shareholders.
  3. The company seems to be taking advantage of crises in healthcare, such as when a recent hack affected doctors’ payments, by pushing through acquisitions that profit them during tough times.

Mapping UnitedHealth’s consumption of our health care system – from the ‘70s to today

HEALTH CARE un-covered • 759 implied HN points • 20 Dec 23
🏥 Health Politics Health care Insurance Policy Acquisitions Corporate Power
  1. UnitedHealth has grown significantly by acquiring many health companies since the 1970s. This has made it one of the biggest and most influential health care companies in the U.S.
  2. Their acquisitions have changed how health care is managed, often focusing more on profit rather than patient care. Some companies they've bought have faced criticism for denying necessary treatments.
  3. UnitedHealth's size allows it to impact many areas of health care, from insurance to the providers of medical services. This has raised concerns about its influence over patient care and competition in the market.

$650 Million for Casetext & $1.3 Billion for MosaicML + Massive New AI Funding Rounds Mean Great Week for Generative AI

Newcomer • 963 implied HN points • 30 Jun 23
💼 Business AI Startups Acquisitions Funding Rounds Investors
  1. Significant AI startup acquisitions and funding rounds indicate a strong interest in generative AI technology.
  2. Acquisitions like Thomson Reuter's $650 million purchase of Casetext show genuine value placed on generative AI by established companies.
  3. MosaicML, with a $1.3 billion acquisition by Databricks, is contributing to the hype around AI startups, despite some skepticism over valuation.

Apple's M&A Strategy, Explained

SatPost by Trung Phan • 79 implied HN points • 15 Nov 24
💼 Business Mergers Acquisitions Strategy Market Trends Financial Analysis
  1. Apple's approach to mergers and acquisitions often focuses on acquiring talent rather than large companies. They prefer smaller deals to bring in experts for new technologies.
  2. Chick-fil-A has become hugely successful with only a few thousand locations by keeping their restaurant experience efficient and engaging. Their franchise model is very selective, ensuring high-quality operators.
  3. Duolingo emphasizes user engagement over strict educational methods because they know it’s crucial to keep users motivated in a competitive app landscape.

Cigna said to be going after Humana to buy its way into Medicare Advantage

HEALTH CARE un-covered • 519 implied HN points • 28 Nov 23
💼 Business Healthcare Mergers Acquisitions Insurance Finance
  1. Cigna is looking to acquire Humana to strengthen its position in the Medicare Advantage market. This is important because Medicare Advantage is a growing and profitable area in health insurance.
  2. If the deal goes through, Cigna and Humana together would have around 30 million health plan enrollees in the U.S., but they would still be smaller than their main competitor, UnitedHealthcare.
  3. Cigna's focus on this acquisition shows that they see it as a strategic move to grow, especially since both companies are shifting away from their commercial insurance businesses.

Thoughts on the Cylance and Arctic Wolf Acquisition

Frankly Speaking • 152 implied HN points • 19 Dec 24
💼 Business Mergers Acquisitions Technology Cybersecurity Market Analysis
  1. Cylance was acquired by Arctic Wolf for a low price because it wasn't performing well under Blackberry. They lost money and weren't competitive in the endpoint security market.
  2. Arctic Wolf aims to enhance its services by integrating Cylance's AI and technology, making it more appealing to businesses looking for effective security solutions.
  3. The acquisition could help Arctic Wolf diversify and strengthen its offerings ahead of a possible IPO, potentially attracting mid-sized companies searching for value in security services.

446: ICE + Black Knight + Constellation, Meta, ARM IPO, Starlink & Cloudflare, Toyota, Novo Nordisk, Exoplanets, and Flipside

Liberty’s Highlights • 432 implied HN points • 13 Sep 23
💼 Business Acquisitions Technology Film Nuclear power Astronomy
  1. Vacations are a skill that take practice to unwind and recharge.
  2. Meeting online friends in person can enhance relationships and bring new perspectives.
  3. Partnerships between companies like Cloudflare and Starlink aim to improve services for customers.

Market Movers - 20 October 2023

The Wolf of Harcourt Street • 319 implied HN points • 20 Oct 23
💰 Finance Stocks Earnings Investor Relations Acquisitions Logistics
  1. PepsiCo exceeded analyst estimates in Q3 earnings by focusing on consumer interaction and pricing for smaller packs.
  2. Adyen's Investor Relations Update hints at strong Q3 results and their launch of Tap to Pay for Australian retailers.
  3. Block, previously Square, made another costly acquisition with Hifi, a music-focused fintech startup, following previous less successful deals.

Who's top of Steam Next Fest for October 2023?

The GameDiscoverCo newsletter • 255 implied HN points • 16 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Games Indie games Game Development Acquisitions
  1. The top games at Steam Next Fest for October 2023 were a diverse mix of genres and styles, with a focus on deep building and crafting mechanics.
  2. There is a discussion about the existence of an 'indie games bubble,' highlighting challenges in funding new games and market saturation.
  3. Game discovery news includes updates on Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Sony testing PC trophies for PSN, and Epic Games Store's new features.

How an acquisition fails

benn.substack • 715 implied HN points • 21 Jul 23
💼 Business Acquisitions Data products Tech industry Company strategy Market Trends
  1. Tech acquisitions can be risky due to various challenges like incompatible technology stacks and cultural differences.
  2. Strategic fit doesn't guarantee success in acquisitions, as seen in the example of Sisense buying Periscope.
  3. Future success in the modern data suite industry may depend on adapting to AI advancements and evolving customer needs.

🚪 A filmmaker SaaS acquired for $15k

No-Code Exits • 117 implied HN points • 26 Jan 24
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Tech startups Marketing Acquisitions No Code
  1. Starting small and testing ideas is important to reduce risk and adapt quickly based on feedback.
  2. Creating revenue-driven and sustainable businesses that do not rely on external funding is crucial.
  3. Learning and mastering no-code tools like Bubble can lead to successful ventures with lower maintenance costs and faster shipping times.

✨ Building a Modern Constellation Software

Overlooked by Alexandre Dewez • 196 implied HN points • 17 Apr 23
💼 Business Venture Capital Software Acquisitions Entrepreneurship
  1. The world has changed since the inception of Constellation Software in 1995.
  2. A new player cannot directly compete with Constellation Software's acquisition strategies and existing relationships.
  3. Building a modern software conglomerate would require focusing on growth, quality, and building synergies rather than mimicking Constellation Software's exact model.

How to Find Founder-Market Fit

Startup Pirate by Alex Alexakis • 196 implied HN points • 24 Mar 23
💼 Business Startups Entrepreneurship Acquisitions Investments Jobs
  1. Founder-Market Fit is crucial for startup success - ensure you are well-suited for the market you are targeting.
  2. Assess market dynamics, business model, key activities, and industry culture to determine your fit in a specific market.
  3. If you face Founder-Market (un)Fit, consider solutions like finding a co-founder, getting social proof, building a strong executive team, or exploring new opportunities.

Why AI Infrastructure Startups Are Insanely Hard to Build

Enterprise AI Trends • 192 HN points • 03 Jul 24
🕹 Technology Startups Business strategy Market Trends Acquisitions
  1. Building AI infrastructure startups is really tough because there’s a lot of competition. Many startups struggle to offer something different enough to attract enterprise customers.
  2. It's hard for these startups to get noticed because bigger companies like AWS and Google can quickly copy any good ideas. This makes it tough for startups to maintain a unique edge.
  3. To succeed, startups should narrow their focus on a specific market or problem. Doing one thing really well can help them stand out instead of trying to cater to everyone.

How Crowdstrike fails

Frankly Speaking • 305 implied HN points • 15 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Cybersecurity Companies Cloud Acquisitions Challenges
  1. Crowdstrike initially succeeded by focusing on incident response, not just products, which differentiated them from competitors like Symantec.
  2. The company's expansion into adjacencies and acquisitions, like PAM and logging, is an effort to move from endpoint protection to a broader platform play for sustained growth.
  3. Crowdstrike may face challenges if they don't adapt successfully to selling to DevOps, security engineers, and managing acquisitions, risking plateauing growth and loss of market interest.

✨ Constellation Software - Rolling Up Vertical Market Software

Overlooked by Alexandre Dewez • 176 implied HN points • 13 Mar 23
💼 Business Management Acquisitions Culture Data-driven
  1. Constellation Software is a Canadian company that has achieved success by acquiring vertical market software businesses
  2. The key ingredients behind Constellation Software's success include a decentralized culture, disciplined M&A strategies, and strong fundamentals in the businesses they acquire
  3. Vertical Market Software businesses have strong fundamentals, are mission-critical, face low competition, and are capital-efficient

1/23/2024: Netflix Earnings Beat Expectations

depression2022 • 58 implied HN points • 24 Jan 24
💼 Business Earnings Subscribers Streaming Finance Acquisitions
  1. Netflix earnings beat expectations: Revenue and subscriber growth exceeded predictions.
  2. Netflix's efforts to combat account sharing and increase subscription fees have proven successful in boosting profits.
  3. Netflix making strategic investments, such as acquiring exclusive rights to WWE's Raw, to expand its content offerings and enhance growth.

Afridigest Intelligence: The era of E2E expansion is here

Afridigest • 15 implied HN points • 18 Feb 25
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Investment Market Trends Startups Acquisitions
  1. Companies are shifting from a pan-African strategy to an emerging market-to-emerging market (E2E) strategy. This means they focus on expanding into other developing markets instead of just neighboring African countries.
  2. Recent examples show African companies entering markets in Mexico, the Philippines, and Brazil through acquisitions and partnerships. This demonstrates increasing global ambitions for African entrepreneurs.
  3. To succeed in building large businesses, it's important for African startups to adopt a multi-country mindset right from the beginning. This approach can help them tap into new opportunities effectively.

"He had relaxed for one day. And he had lost"

Kvetch • 43 implied HN points • 02 Nov 24
💼 Business Private Equity Investing Mergers Acquisitions Finance
  1. Winning doesn't mean you're safe; you have to keep working to stay ahead. A single misstep can lead to losing everything.
  2. In a competitive environment, confidence can be dangerous. Overestimating your position might let opponents take advantage.
  3. Timing and knowledge are crucial in business deals. A well-timed offer can change the game, just like knowing when to reveal important information in politics.