Strategic acquisitions are enabling leading players across the smart buildings market to augment their technology offerings with bolt-on startup acquisitions in several areas and increase their focus on software solutions. This forms part of a 2 pronged strategy to mitigate the risk of market disruption, with leading players (and increasingly private equity firms) taking majority stakes in new entrants to provide growth capital. Our new research shows that startup acquisition activity remained resilient in 2022, despite strong economic headwinds. This is in keeping with general market trends. PitchBook analysts noted a decline in M&A value by 13.7% in 2022, however “M&A held strong even as global markets ran off the rails. Mountains of dry powder, shifting strategies and well-capitalized strategic investors propelled deal value above pre-pandemic levels.” The demand for technology and digitization in commercial real estate accelerated during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in an effort to react to potential structural shifts in how […]