The struggles of the pandemic have done little to dampen M&A activity in the channel over the last 18 months and have, if anything, accelerated the consolidation trend.
That’s the view of Daisy Founder Matt Riley, who will be speaking at UC Today’s M&A Insights 2021 event next week.
Register to attend the virtual event here.
Riley founded Daisy in 2001 and has since gone on to make 60 acquisitions. He recently sold a stake in Daisy spin-off Digital Wholesale Solutions at a reported valuation of £1bn.
The Chairman said that the importance of channel partners over the course of the pandemic, particularly related to remote working, has elevated them almost to the same status as utility providers – in turn, driving demand for M&A.
“I think there’s enormous opportunity out there,” he added.
“The amount of money that’s in the system, whether that’s from banks or private equity, I’m guessing is at an absolute peak"
“That is fuelling the acquisition growth of businesses. PE is looking for ambitious management teams to back and grow, then ultimately create value for them and shareholders.