Business
2020 was quite a year. Despite unprecedented setbacks and volatility, business moved and deals took place. On this episode of Deal Talk with 7MA, the firm’s Founding Partners Andy Johnston, Tripp Davis, and Leroy Davis review major transactions from the past year and discuss market opportunities that arose over 2020. Despite the various challenges over the year, 7MA closed 14 deals since April and the firm increased its staff by 25%. “We're obviously very pleased and excited for our clients who are able to navigate really successful and strategic transactions,” Andy says, “and our ability to keep bringing on really exciting clients now who’re exploring the market, and certainly 2020 you know, revealed who was ready to get deals done.” It wasn’t easy to make investments given the peculiar circumstances, but those who took the risk were rewarded. At the start of the year, the partners could not have anticipated what the world and the market would look like by December. “[COVID-19] allowed us to kind of take a step back and think through what we were going to do as a firm,” Tripp recognizes. While the pandemic halted a range of business plans and operations, it fueled an urgent need for more digitization. “We felt like most of our clients were still well-positioned in helping industries transform digitally. And because of that, we thought we have a story to tell. And so instead of instead of bunkering down, we chose to attack,” Tripp notes. Tune into the episode to learn more about the highlights from 2021 and the trends the Partners will be paying attention to in 2021. ? Featured Guest ?Name: https://www.7mileadvisors.com/team/andy-johnston/ (Andy Johnston) What he does: A Partner at 7MA, Andy has had a vast career in investment banking and advisory services. Company: https://www.7mileadvisors.com/ (7 Mile Advisors) Words of wisdom: “I think we've got a great capability to bringfairly strategic deals to market and really bring our experience from the digital transformation space, and apply that to both healthcare and insurance, which are two huge sectors by their own right, but are really being upended on an accelerated pace by digital transformation.” Connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akjohnston/ (LinkedIn) ? Featured Guest ?Name: https://www.7mileadvisors.com/team/tripp-davis/ (Tripp Davis) What he does: A Partner at 7MA, Tripp has more than 20 years of experience advising companies in a variety of industries on M&A and capital raising. Company: https://www.7mileadvisors.com/ (7 Mile Advisors) Words of wisdom: “So our clients compete on a global basis, we've always believed that we needed to bring the world to the table, and not just those buyers that were regional, or at the top of everyone's list.” Connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trippdavis/ (LinkedIn) ? Featured Guest ?Name: https://www.7mileadvisors.com/team/leroy-davis/ (Leroy Davis) What he does: A Partner at 7MA, Leroy has managed transactions in the Technology, Consumer, Insurance, Healthcare, and Infrastructure sectors. Company: https://www.7mileadvisors.com/ (7 Mile Advisors) Words of wisdom: “The other thing — and I say this with some humility — is that we would have kept doing what we do anyway because that’s all we know how to do. I'm just glad it worked in almost every case, and I'm sure we could get back and look at a couple deals or situations that got stalled out. But I think in almost every case, it wound up working in our favor, and hopefully it sets the stage for even further growth and opportunity.” Connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leroydavis/ (LinkedIn) ?️ Key Points ?️Top takeaways from this episode ★ The pandemic added uncertainty, but it did not pause M&A indefinitely. When social distancing was first implemented as a way to slow the spread of COVID-19, a lot of impending deals hit pause. Ultimately all...