Neil Blundell

I am an M&A lawyer acting for technology businesses. I get involved in deals for global organisations expanding internationally or into new areas of technology, and for fast growth tech companies.

Due diligence and integration are key in our tech M&A deals, especially where large organisations merge with a smaller highly entrepreneurial business. The firm is one of the world's leading technology law firms and that expertise together with our one firm approach internationally means we can offer great service and consistency on cross-border deals. We use that in-depth knowledge to help our clients understand risk profiles and guide them through new areas of activity. Recently we have worked on a lot of M&A for IoT and cloud-based businesses.

We use a leading AI engine for due diligence called Luminance. It allows us to look for specific risks in contracts, however many contracts there are, so we can go deeper across the whole contract dataset. This drives transaction efficiencies, allowing our lawyers to focus more on analysis. We also use automation software for document production and project management. We are always keen to work with clients on new areas of legal tech to drive efficiencies in M&A transactions.

• Arm, a client of the firm since 2006, is the world's leading semiconductor and software design company, holding number 12 on Forbes' list of the world's most innovative companies with its technologies reaching over 80% of the global population. Our Tech M&A team have advised Arm on a series of acquisitions in the IoT space, including on the acquisition of international IoT connectivity platform, Stream Technologies; the acquisition of Swedish company Mistbase AB, an early stage tech company focused on developing NarrowBand-IoT (NB-IoT) solutions; the acquisition of eSIM provider Simulity Labs Limited.
• DXC Technologies: our Tech M&A team advised New York listed DXC Technology, the world's largest independent, end-to-end IT services and solutions company, on its acquisition of a global end-to-end ServiceNow partner in the UK.
• AXIO Data Group, backed by Electra Partners, operates a portfolio of market-leading information businesses, serving customers in a range of sectors including healthcare, aviation, forest products and intellectual property licensing. Our Tech M&A team have advised AXIO on a series of transactions including on the sale of MIMS, its Asian healthcare information business, to SMS and Mitsui for $250 million; the sale of Vidal Group to Japanese listed M3, Inc; the acquisition by its portfolio company TechInsights of Chipworks. Inc, to create a global leader in advanced technology intelligence and technology founded patent advisory services.
• Calero Software LLC: our Tech M&A team advised Calero Software, a unified communications provider operating in more than 50 countries, on its strategic acquisition of UK-based company Veropath, a leading provider of telecoms expense management software.