In this episode of M&A Focus, Brendan Ritchie and RossSardi break down the real technology, cybersecurity, culture, and integration risks that determine whether an acquisition creates value or becomes a costly mistake. Drawing on experience across 14+ acquisitions, Ross explains what tolook for in tech due diligence, how to manage post-acquisition integration, and how to decide between single-brand vs multi-brand strategy after buying acompany.

🔎 Key Topics:

- What to check in technology due diligence (tech stackmaturity, licensing risks, security posture)

- The biggest cybersecurity risks during M&A and how toavoid breaches during the transition period

- How to identify deal-changing red flags before you buy abusiness - How post-merger integration works (systems, people, security, data,processes)

- When to keep an acquired company’s brand vs when tocollapse everything into one

- Why every business becomes a technology business inM&A, whether you like it or not

⏱️ Key Chapters:

00:00 — Why We’re Seeing So Much M&A Activity Right NowBrendan & Ross unpack the spike in buying and selling across the market andwhy tech sits at the centre of every deal, regardless of industry.

05:12 — The Tech & Security Due Diligence Playbook Whatexperienced buyers actually look for: stack maturity, licensing issues, hiddenrisks, and the mindset needed to protect price and future integration.

12:40 — Integration Risks: The Overlap Period No One TalksAbout Why the post-acquisition “bridge period” is one of the highest-riskwindows for breaches and how to mitigate it even if you can’t log into everysystem during DD.

21:18 — One Brand or Many? How to Decide Post-AcquisitionStrategy Ross shares real lessons from running multiple brands vs. unifyingeverything under one banner and why clarity beats confusion every time.