Are there particular tech areas of special interest to the sectors your firm focuses on for M&A? Stiffler: Generally this whole idea of getting technology into a space where you can reach the consumer more rapidly or that you can provide a service that's easier for the user/customer to use is key.
Smartsheet was an early mover in that space, opening up for business in 2006 as an alternative to the likes of Excel and other spreadsheet packages on the market, with a firm focus on offering a way for multiple people to collaborate in those documents to use them more dynamically.
London-listed drug firm Shire has returned to the deal table with the $5.2bn£3.4bnbn) acquisition of a US firm focused on treatments for rare diseases.
"What I saw during the 2008 crisis was if I could show women that they were hurt but that they were still going to be able to maintain a lifestyle of their choice, they were O.K.," said Susan Hirshman, president of SHE, a consulting firm focused on financial literacy for women and the author of "Does This Make My Assets Look Fat?" (St. Martin's Press, 2010).
The company that emerged on the other side was slimmer, shedding the weight of a large, too-diversified drug company to become a biopharmaceutical firm focused on specialty therapies for high medical needs.
Judah Schiller is co-founder and CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi S, a San Francisco based consulting firm focused on activating companies for good.
In 1994, SBC followed up its acquisition of O'Connor by acquiring Brinson Partners an asset management firm focused on providing access for US institutions to global markets.
In 1992, he co-founded Advantage Capital Partners, a venture capital and private equity firm focused on raising investment capital for entrepreneurs in states and communities historically underserved by venture capital.
David All, who runs the David All Group, a Washington firm focusing on developing new-media strategies for Republican campaigns, theorized at his Web site, davidallgroup.com, that the original uploader — a user going by the sobriquet monzsca — was not likely a political operative himself, but rather someone who simply thought the clip was funny.
Katherine Kostreva spearheads On Point Publishing, a NYC based PR firm focusing on 360-degree media campaigns for start-ups and non-profits.
