Gene Chao, NACD.CD’s Post

https://lnkd.in/dzKFNpgZ The longer the @Atlassian founders ignore core business to focus on posy loss-making green projects, the greater the losses will be in the activities in which the shareholders invested (and which made Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar billionaires).

We are extremely excited to introduce a much awaited subdivision within our society – the sustainable investment group! This serves as a platform for students to examine the interplay of ESG factors within various financial fields: equity research, M&A activity, and recent market trends.  With a team of analysts spanning over different divisions, we provide the opportunity to delve deep into your area of interest through a sustainable lens. Our recruitment for analysts has just opened, so apply soon! Recruitment is set to close on the 5th of April, and is likely to close sooner due to the high volume of applications. The descriptions for each analyst role are provided below: Equity research analysts: --> Producing  reports on equities of choice, generally on companies leading their industry in managing the most significant ESG risks  --> Identifying ESG Information, including ESG observations, statistics, and scores, and incorporating these metrics in the valuation process --> Up to date on industry trends and regulatory changes to assess their impact on ESG performance and investment attractiveness. Markets Analysts: --> Monitoring global ESG trends and regulatory shifts --> Creation of  ESG-focused news via social media to engage and inform our follower-base. --> Analysing the impact of ESG developments on market dynamics and summarising insights for social media content Head of M&A and M&A analysts: --> Analyse completed M&A deals through an ESG lens, providing insightful reports that assess their alignment with sustainable and ethical practices. --> Evaluate the ESG impact of mergers and acquisitions, delivering concise, impactful insights to guide future strategic considerations. --> Keep on top of global M&A trends and ESG criteria to forecast potential implications, enriching stakeholder understanding and strategic planning. Here is the link to apply:  https://tr.ee/gC8pOtp3q4 We are looking forward to reviewing your applications and kickstarting the sustainable investment group!

"May you live in interesting times" is certainly applicable to the technology focused Private Equity Investor. On one hand a challenging financial / interest rate reality, on the other hand the pace of innovation in technology is exciting and disruptive. In our latest blog we explore the importance of strategy in achieving the investment thesis #PrivateEquity #Cloud #GenAI #Data #newblogpost https://wix.to/bgvObUx https://wix.to/SSfLeJ7

In the past five years of software investing, a volatile macroenvironment has created an unprecedented series of ebbs and flows. A period of breakneck intensity and investment was followed by a few challenging years. Now, investors are reflecting on the past and developing a more nuanced—and ultimately optimistic—view of software investment. In today’s environment, a significant volume of dry powder is still available, chief information officers (CIOs) have reopened spending, and rebalanced valuations have led investors to reengage on potential transactions.

#Acquisition -"#PrivateEquity Firm Francisco Partners Buys IBM #Weather #Business at a #Value of Around $1#Billion -International Business Machines #IBM has agreed to sell its The Weather Company, an IBM Business to private equity firm #FranciscoPartners for an undisclosed sum, the #technology #services #giant said on Tuesday. The sale includes #TheWeatherCompany ’s #consumer-focused #assets such as # Weather.Com and #StormRadar, as well as #enterprise #offerings for #industries including #media and #aviation. IBM will retain its #sustainability #software #business. The Big Blue said Tuesday it plans to continue using The Weather Company’s #weather #data for its software offerings focused on #environmental #insights. “Over the last few years, we’ve evolved IBM to be a #hybridcloud and #AI #company. We regularly #review our #portfolio to make sure our #business areas are #core to that #strategy,” said Rob Thomas, senior vice president for software. IBM declined to give more details on the sale. Francisco Partners did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The #WallStreetJournal had reported in April that IBM was exploring a sale of its weather business in a deal that could be valued at more than $1 billion. The so-called #Environmental #Intelligence #Suite uses a #NASA-powered #model and is offered as part of #Watsonx, IBM’s #artificialintelligence (#AI) and #data #platform. The sale underscores a broader retrenchment in the tech industry this year as companies cut costs to offset a slowdown in demand from inflation-wary consumers and businesses. IBM, which missed revenue estimates for the second quarter in July, had said in January it would lay off 3,900 employees. But the company has been #investing in its cloud offerings and announced a $4.6 #billion all-#cash #buyout of #technology spend-#management #platform #Apptio in June. The deal with Francisco Partners is expected to close in the first quarter of 2024 and is subject to regulatory approval." Source: #Reuters

The ups and downs in the software market have certainly kept investors on their toes. With rebalanced valuations and CIOs reopening spending, it's reassuring to see optimism returning. #AI #FUTUREEngine #DueDiligence #generativeai #chatgpt #gpt4 #llms #ainews #technews #ai #generativeai #artificialintelligence #artificialintelligenceforbusiness #artificialintelligencetechnology #business #investment #investmentmanagement #investmentstrategy #realestate #realestateinvesting #realestateinvestment #software #softwaredevelopment

Still time to secure 1 of 4 sessions left for STRUCTURE Invest. See you in #NewYork #finance #digitalinfrastructure #Investment #realestate #datacenter #edgecomputing #hyperscale #cloudcomputing #colocation #AI #TMT #research #cloud #edge #infrastructureinvestment Philbert Shih Natalia Lukes

Three lessons learned to configure a successful scale-up journey. https://lnkd.in/gMzKarYy

As we reflect on the past half decade of software investing, we’ve seen an unprecedented series of ebbs and flows driven by a volatile macro environment. While the last year or so was challenged (following a few years of breakneck intensity and investment), investors are looking at a more nuanced, more reflective but ultimately optimistic investing environment in software ahead, given the significant volume of dry powder still available, the re-opening of spend by CIOs, and a re-opening of processes aided by re-balanced valuations.

🚀 European Software Companies Attracting PE Investment! 💼 High profit margins and attractive valuations are driving a surge in private equity investments in European software firms. In 2023, €36.9 billion ($40 billion) has already been invested across 415 deals, nearly matching 2022's total. This comes after a whopping €146 billion was invested in 1,795 deals during the software investment boom of 2021-2022. 📈 Notably, many of these investments involve take-privates, demonstrating a willingness to pay for listed software companies, even in a challenging fundraising environment. With software companies boasting strong margins and resilient revenue models based on recurring income, private equity firms are capitalizing on discounted valuations in the public equity market. 🌐 Examples include EQT's plan to take Germany-listed SUSE private and Silver Lake's acquisition of a 63% stake in Germany-listed Software AG. Plus, investors like Goldman Sachs Asset Management and General Atlantic recently offered to acquire Oslo-listed educational software provider Kahoot! for 17.2 billion Norwegian kroner ($1.6 billion). #PrivateEquity #SoftwareInvestment #EuropeanTech #InvestmentTrends #TechInvestment #SaaS #Tech #Interim #PE #Dealflow