More than 200 meetings at G8 Young Business Summit
Stresa, 6 July 2009. M&A International Inc.’s member in Italy, Arietti & Partners, organized a panel discussion on M&A and innovation in addition to one-to-one meetings with young entrepreneurs during the Forum di Stresa.The Italian team of M&A International Inc., Arietti & Partners, was platinum sponsor of the G8 Young Business Summit in Stresa (Italy) held 2–3 July 2009. The team organized a panel discussion on M&A as a tool for innovation, followed by more than 200 bilateral meetings between young entrepreneurs and M&A International Inc. advisors.
The event, which took place at the Regina Palace Hotel, was attended by 80 delegates, primarily under-40 entrepreneurs from Italy and other G8 countries, private equity funds and legal advisors.
A panel of experts from M&A International Inc. participated in “Innovation and Growth through Cross-border M&A”, a discussion moderated by Manuele Musso, Managing Director of Space 2000. M&A International Inc. was represented by Attilio Arietti (Italy), Hans Bethge (Germany), James S. Cassel (USA), Doru Lionachescu (Romania) and Christopher Scales (Spain).
The key conclusion from the panel was that merger and acquisition transactions can be more than a shortcut to innovation. By acquiring (or merging with) a company that has the technology, the products, the distribution channels and the market knowledge that would normally take years to develop, the acquiror is very often securing little more than a time advantage. When immediate measures need to be taken to innovate, M&A can in fact be the most effective (and only) option available.
The current economic situation has affected the multiples applicable to transactions and company evaluations, leading to reductions that are hard to understand and, therefore, not accepted by sellers. However, that can be a unique opportunity for those companies interested in international expansion and “acquiring innovation”, taking advantage of the lower prices.
After the debate, Italian and international delegates met other entrepreneurs and M&A International Inc. advisors in 25-minute one-to-one meetings to discuss working together, strategies and international expansion opportunities. This ‘speed dating’ format has been successfully developed by M&A International Inc. in its annual M&A Mid-Market Forum www.midmarketforum.com, the 8th edition held in Milan last autumn.
Attilio Arietti, Chairman of M&A International Inc., commented: “I am glad to have met and introduced these young entrepreneurs to my international colleagues. They proved to be very dynamic, willing to follow innovative paths and open to M&A transactions. The bilateral meetings have given an international insight to the business strategies of these entrepreneurs.”
For more information about the event and a picture gallery, please visit www.mergers.it
M&A International Inc.
Christopher Scales, Executive Director, +34 678 549 330, mailto:cps@mergers.net
Melanie Berthelot-Verhaeghe, Head of Marketing, +34 646 740 259, mailto:melanie.berthelot@mergers.net