Project lists in Excel, documents on SharePoint, communication via email: information is scattered everywhere, versions get mixed up, and important details get lost in email correspondence. As an M&A advisor in the small cap sector, you know these pitfalls all too well. Especially when multiple projects are running in parallel and different locations are involved, these classic tools quickly reach their limits. So why do so many M&A advisors and teams still stick with these solutions?
In this article, we highlight the status quo in the small cap sector, why it is worthwhile for M&A teams to leave outdated tools behind, and how you can gain a decisive advantage in M&A projects with a modern software solution.
Excel and Co. work—until they don’t: Acquify, the all-in-one M&A software for small cap deals offers your M&A team all the necessary tools in one solution.
The status quo in the small cap sector
M&A teams in the small cap sector rely on tools such as Excel or SharePoint in their day-to-day business to organize projects, maintain buyer and seller lists, and manage documents. However, in practice, this poses considerable challenges and problems, even if they may not always be immediately apparent:
Distributed information and data silos
Each M&A advisor in the team has their own filing structure, and there is no central overview. Important information that the entire team needs to access at any time is scattered across various SharePoint folders. This makes it difficult to find relevant data and leads to important information being lost, especially when multiple teams are working together across multiple locations.
Error-prone and version chaos
When maintaining buyer and seller lists or search profiles in Excel, there is a high risk of different versions being in circulation. Entries are duplicated, changes are lost or overlooked.
Lack of transparency in processes
M&A teams work in a decentralized manner and often internationally. Coordination via email and shared files is not only cumbersome, but also lacking in transparency. Who changed what and when? Which information is up to date? These questions are difficult to answer with traditional office tools.
Time lost due to manual processes
Manually searching for suitable buyers, matching search profiles, or tracking project histories takes up valuable time. Instead of focusing on advising and closing deals, M&A teams are busy with administrative tasks.
Data protection and compliance risks
In confidential M&A processes, the protection of sensitive data is essential. If documents are sent unencrypted by email or stored in folders, data protection gaps can quickly arise. This is a risk that no professional M&A team can afford to take.
Why Excel is no longer good enough for modern M&A teams
Distributed information, poor overview, and inefficient collaboration: the pain points for you as an M&A advisor using Excel and Co. are obvious.
Not designed for M&A processes
Neither Excel nor SharePoint were designed specifically for the requirements of M&A projects. They offer no integrated workflows, no industry-specific functions, and no way to automatically control or monitor processes. What remains are isolated solutions that become increasingly difficult to manage as the number of projects increases.
Lack of automation and process integration
Many steps still have to be done manually—from comparing buyer and seller lists to maintaining project history. Automated notifications, reminders, and status updates are nowhere to be found. This not only increases administrative effort but also the likelihood of errors.
No central knowledge database
Knowledge and experience from completed projects are lost or difficult to find. As a result, M&A teams have to start from scratch with each new mandate instead of drawing on a structured project history and best practices. This costs time and prevents valuable know-how from remaining within the company.
Limits on access rights and traceability
In M&A transactions, it is crucial to know who is allowed to access which information and when. With Excel and SharePoint, access rights can only be controlled to a limited extent, and it is not possible to track changes seamlessly.
Lack of scalability
What may work for a few mandates quickly becomes confusing and inefficient when dealing with multiple parallel transactions. As the number of M&A projects per year that deal makers in the small cap sector are aiming for or already have increases, Excel and Co. reach their limits.
Digital all-in-one solution: What M&A teams in the small cap segment need today
The demands on you and your M&A team in the small cap sector are constantly growing. And with them, the need for professional, digital, and compliant solutions for all project data. As an M&A advisor, you get all this and more with the digital platform from Acquify.
Digital all-in-one solution instead of isolated applications
Instead of juggling different tools, Excel lists, and email histories, M&A teams benefit from Acquify’s centralized platform, which bundles all relevant tasks, documents, and contacts. Acquify combines project management, CRM, and a Swiss data room on one platform, creating transparency and a clear overview of all deals.
Optimize and scale M&A processes
Acquify not only allows you to manage all your projects clearly, it also generates valuable data. This data helps you to continuously improve your own business – whether through better analysis, targeted matching of buyer and seller profiles, or the evaluation of past transactions. This creates a knowledge database that benefits the entire team.
Automation of standardized processes
Acquify’s digital M&A platform enables processes to be standardized and automated. Task management, reminders, and calendar events can be customized and controlled centrally. The result: more efficient deals and better use of team resources. This makes it easy to manage multiple projects in parallel.
Smoother onboarding
Structured processes, templates, and clear workflows make it easy for new team members to quickly get up to speed. Onboarding juniors is more efficient, and the entire team benefits from transparent processes and centralized documentation of all project steps.
Efficient teamwork
Acquify’s modern platform promotes collaboration within teams and with external partners. Everyone involved in the deals—that is, in addition to you as an M&A advisor, specific legal advisors, fiduciarys, etc.— — work on a common basis, communicate efficiently, and have access to the information relevant to them at any time on a central platform. Network management is also simplified: contacts can be maintained centrally and new deals can be identified in a targeted manner.
Secure data room for professional due diligence
A secure data room is essential for professional due diligence. Acquify offers a Swiss data room that provides a secure solution for consolidating and orchestrating all relevant documents and project information—always while adhering to the highest compliance and security standards.
AI-powered productivity
AI-powered assistants help you complete tasks tailored to your role even faster.
Conclusion
The challenges in the small cap sector are more complex than ever. Traditional tools such as Excel and SharePoint are no longer sufficient to meet the requirements of M&A advisors. Those who continue to rely on isolated solutions not only risk inefficiency, but also squander valuable potential for efficient and, above all, scalable processes.
A specialized, digital M&A platform such as Acquify offers the answer to the key pain points of modern deal makers: it creates transparency, simplifies collaboration, offers a Swiss data room, automates recurring tasks, and ensures that knowledge and project history remain within the team. This not only makes processes more efficient, but also more secure and scalable – and your M&A team can focus on what really matters: successfully closing deals.
Book a non-binding demo today and see Acquify in action.
