Startup Globalization

Some very big transactions recently served as reminders that tech startups are now a global game. First, there was the sale of privately held, New York-based Linkshare to Tokyo-based Rakuten for $425 million. Then came the confirmation, on September 12, that San Jose-based eBay would buy Luxembourg-based Skype for up to $2.6 billion (with an additional $1.5 billion potentially to follow, depending on Skype’s performance over the next year).

Not that long ago, mergers and acquisitions among tech startups were predominantly a local affair, for instance, with one company CEO driving Highway 101 between San Jose and San Francisco to meet with another company's CEO to close a deal. Now deal-makers are assessing acquisition candidates as much for their global coverage as their revenues and technology strengths.

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