1. Strategic preparation & market analysis
Objective: Define the M&A strategy and identify suitable target companies or investors.
Tasks:
- Analysis of the AI market environment (technology trends, competitors, valuation benchmarks).
- Development of a growth or exit strategy (purchase, sale, investment, joint venture).
- Definition of deal criteria (e.g. technology maturity, IP portfolio, data quality, scalability).
2. Company Valuation & Financial Modeling
Goal: Determine the value of the company or AI technology.
Tasks:
- Preparation of company valuations (DCF, multiples, comparable transactions).
- Valuation of intangible AI assets :
- Training data & databases
- Algorithms / Models
- Software architecture
- Patents & Intellectual Property
- Financial modeling of synergies (e.g. efficiency gains through AI integration).
3. Technological & legal due diligence
Objective: To assess the risks, quality, and legal safety of the technology.
Tasks:
- Technology-Due-Diligence :
- Code quality, scalability, documentation
- Use of open source software (licensing risks)
- Technical architecture & cloud setup
- Maturity of AI models (performance, bias, explainability)
- Legal due diligence :
- Data protection (GDPR, AI Act)
- IP rights & copyright
- Labor law aspects (research teams, know-how transfer)
4. Transaction structuring & negotiation
Goal: Design the optimal deal (legal, tax, and economic).
Tasks:
- Development of the deal structure (asset deal vs. share deal).
- Tax optimization (e.g. holding structures, offsetting of losses).
- Preparation / review of draft contracts (LOI, SPA, NDA etc.).
- Negotiations between buyer and seller.
- Coordination with lawyers, auditors, banks and investors.
- Evaluation of make-or-buy options – i.e.: develop in-house vs. acquire.
5. Post-Merger-Integration (PMI)
Goal: Successful integration of the acquired AI company into the existing organization.
Tasks:
- Integration strategy for teams, technology & data.
- Harmonization of IT infrastructure and AI platforms.
- Ensuring the further development of AI models after the acquisition.
- Communication & change management for employees.
- Monitoring of expected synergy effects.
6. Accompanying consulting & project management
Goal: Holistic management of the M&A process from start to finish.
Tasks:
- Project planning, time management & milestone control.
- Communication between internal and external stakeholders.
- Preparation of presentations, information memoranda, data room management.
- Support in investor meetings and financing rounds.