In partnership with The Deal, we hosted a recent discussion with Uber Head of Corporate Development Jennifer Jarret, Goldman Sachs Head of Technology, Media and Telecom M&A Sam Britton, and Cooley M&A Co-Chair Jamie Leigh on navigating unchartered waters when it comes to assessing the current market for dealmaking.
Amid the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the majority of sale processes came to a screeching halt. But as the economy slowly reopens and sellers begin to dip their feet back into the market, key questions remain. What can strategic acquirers do to properly assess deals under renewed volatility? Bankers have kicked around the term Ebitdac, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and coronavirus, to describe alterations being made to the popular Ebitda valuation metrics, but is that a fair way for both buyers and sellers to assess valuations now that world has changed? What do valuations look like today, and how can we expect them to progress over the coming months? Finally, having entered the pandemic during an already competitive market, how can sellers best prepare for this new arena, where buyers are likely to go over deals with a fine-toothed comb to identify the most stable and recession-proof businesses?
