Digital Business
OUR LIVES HAVE LONG BEEN DIGITAL. IT’S TIME FOR OUR BUSINESS MODELS TO BECOME DIGITAL, TOO.
Digitization is and remains the driver. Especially in times of crisis
The digital transformation of all areas of life continues unabated and has gained further momentum through COVID. Existing business models need to be adapted and transformed, and high demand for IT services and digitization consulting is the result.
At the same time, given the labor shortages, human work is increasingly being facilitated or replaced by automation, artificial intelligence and apps. All these developments can be the basis for new business models – you just need to know how.
From licensing models to SaaS: software sales still in transition
Software has changed the way we do business – be it B2B or B2C. But software itself is also changing: from the on-premise licensing model to delivery as software-as-a-service. This increasingly attracts private equity investors, driven by high growth opportunities and a solid baseline of recurring revenues.
While financial investors used to be cautious about high valuation multiples, they are now very interested in buying software companies and building buy-and-build platforms.
Even beyond the big fish: plenty of sales opportunities on the Web
Amazon’s dominance had led to a certain resignation in e-commerce before Corona. From 2020 to early 2022, the tide had been turning. Shopify, express checkout solutions and fulfillment providers are making it easier than ever for creative direct-to-consumer brands to sell their products. The decline in consumer appetite for online shopping since the removal of Corona restrictions and the start of the Ukraine war poses new challenges and leads to an interest in mergers to benefit from synergies.
Standalone stores still have a place on a broad front – and are welcome acquisition targets for larger corporations or brand aggregators. Especially if you know how the social commerce clock is ticking: TikTok, for example.
What shapes the industry – and what we know all about
- IT services, especially in the context of buy-and-build platforms
- B2B software
- SaaS and cloudification
- Cybersecurity
- AdTech
- Direct-to-Consumer Brands
- Social Commerce
True competence is always a combination of experience and vision
Rudy Fajen has accompanied a large number of transactions in the IT services, e-commerce and software sectors. His expertise in this area is not only shaped by his professional time in Silicon Valley, but also by the operational support of start-ups within the Accelerator Program of the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) in southern Germany as well as his own business angel and venture investments.
