2020 has been filled with change and uncertainty that has changed the landscape of the telecom and technology industries. Q Advisors, a leading global telecom, media, and technology (TMT) boutique investment bank, embraced the uncharted terrain as the global pandemic drove the demand for cloud collaboration and work-from-home technology, which forced businesses to accelerate their digital transformation and required increasingly creative work environments. This trend is set to drive more consolidation in a global market that is already evolving through transformative acquisitions.

As a result, Q Advisors experienced a great demand for its M&A and capital markets services with continued growth in its cloud and managed services practice throughout the U.S. and Europe, as well as increased activity in its global infrastructure practice. Throughout the year, the firm added key members to its robust and growing team, including Managing Director,  Dmitry Netis, to accelerate the company’s expansion efforts. Q Advisors continued its European expansion with a new office in Munich, Germany with Kristian MacCarter as Managing Director. In addition, the firm formed a strategic alliance with U.K.-based Acuity Advisors that focuses on the collaboration of infrastructure, cloud and managed services, and software sectors to create a truly global telecom and technology practice.

Looking ahead to 2021, the firm’s capital markets and M&A market outlook is extremely encouraging. Both infrastructure providers and cloud and managed IT and managed solutions providers are likely to be involved in increased M&A and financing activities as the need for scale and growth are accelerating due to the bandwidth and collaboration needs of enterprises of all sizes. As the global pandemic continues to limit mobility, video communication and remote communication offerings will be attractive assets to suitors and investors looking to stay ahead of disruptive trends. In addition, tower, fiber, and infrastructure-as-a-service providers continue to consolidate in order to reduce operating costs and obtain economies of scale. 

With a global reach, extensive industry knowledge, and global partnerships, Q Advisors continues to be a long-term partner for our TMT clients as they continue seeking growth opportunities and exit avenues. 

Here is a recap of some of Q Advisors’ Top Transactions of 2020:

1. Q Advisors Represents TPx in its Acquisition by Siris Capital Group – The transaction will accelerate TPx’s growth plans and its strategic aspirations to become a leading cloud and managed services provider.
   
2. Q Advisors Represents Stilmark in Its Debt Financing by AMP – The transaction drives the rollout of mobile infrastructure to meet Stilmark’s demands of 5G this year and the expected 2021 mmWave spectrum auction in Australia.
3. Q Advisors Represents VozTelecom in its Acquisition by Gamma Communications – The acquisition is an important step in the execution of Gamma’s European expansion strategy, which identified Spain as one of its key target geographies.
4. Q Advisors Represents Blueface in its Acquisition by Comcast – The acquisition will add Blueface’s proprietary and fully customizable cloud voice unified communications platform to Comcast Business’s portfolio of business-grade solutions.
5. Q Advisors Represents Apax Partners SAS and Destiny Founders in Recapitalization Transaction – The acquisition will enable Destiny to continue its rapid expansion in the fast-growing cloud-based unified communications market. The deal also serves to accelerate Destiny’s international development and to continue its active acquisition strategy.
6. Q Advisors Represents Calligo in its Debt Financing with CORDET – The new capital will be used for M&A funding of Ireland, English and U.S. based managed service providers and will provide committed capital for future acquisitions in the cloud services space.
7. Q Advisors Represents Mitel Networks in the Sale of its Clearspan Division to Searchlight Capital Partners and Abry Partners – The sale will allow Mitel to strategically focus on its core retail UCaaS offering.  In addition, the carveout transaction allows Clearspan to leverage its wholesale UCaaS solution and pursue growth opportunities as a stand-alone entity.
8. Q Advisors Represents Atlantic Metro in its Acquisition by 365 Data Centers – The transaction solidifies 365’s position as one of the largest, privately-held IaaS providers in the Eastern U.S.

Even with exponential growth in 2020, we are encouraged with opportunities that will be available in 2021 and beyond to support the digital transformation of businesses around the world. Stay tuned for more Q Advisors developments. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and qllc.com.