Strategic Fit
We test whether the two businesses genuinely strengthen each other before terms are ever discussed.
IT Services M&A Advisory
IT M&A Built Aroundthe Deal andthe People Behind It
Cogent helps IT services leaders buy, sell and merge businesses through disciplined deal execution, deep industry knowledge and a human centered advisory process.
One transaction system
- 01
Sell Side
Owners preparing an exit on their own terms
- 02
Buy Side
Acquirers building platforms and tuck ins
- 03
Mergers
Two firms combining without losing either one
- 04
Valuation
A defensible number before you need it
- IT Services
- The only sector we advise in
- 2010
- Advising buyers and sellers since
- Hundreds
- Of transactions closed to date
- Partner Led
- Senior deal support on every engagement
Where you are
What’s the transaction in front of you?
Every engagement begins with a single question about your position. The answer determines everything that follows.
Capabilities
How Cogent Growth Partners can help you
One team across the full transaction: the analysis, the negotiation and the human alignment that decides whether a deal actually works.
Sell Side Advisory selected. Prepare, position and take the business to a controlled set of qualified buyers.
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Sell Side Advisory
Prepare, position and take the business to a controlled set of qualified buyers.
View Sell Side AdvisoryTransaction Therapy™
THE DEAL IS FINANCIAL.THE TRANSACTION IS HUMAN.
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Strategic Fit
We test whether the two businesses genuinely strengthen each other before terms are ever discussed.
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Step 1 of 5: Strategic Fit
Selected transactions
A record built quietly
Cogent does not publish client names or logos. Engagements are described by sector, structure and our role.
Southeast USFull record
Founder owned MSP with a concentrated professional services client base sold to a private equity backed national platform.
Exclusive sell side advisor to the owner
Midwest USFull record
Proprietary tuck in acquisition sourced outside of a broker process for a growing regional MSP.
Buy side advisor to the acquirer
Northeast USFull record
SOC enabled MSSP with compliance driven contracts sold to a strategic buyer expanding its security practice.
Exclusive sell side advisor
CanadaFull record
A cloud hosting and migration practice was separated from its parent IT firm and sold as a standalone unit.
Sell side advisor on a divisional carve out
Mid Atlantic USFull record
Two similarly sized MSPs combined under a single brand with both owners remaining in leadership roles.
Advisor to both parties on structure and alignment
West USFull record
Assessment and vCISO consultancy acquired to add advisory capability to an existing managed security platform.
Buy side advisor and diligence coordinator
Client confidentiality is absolute. Names, logos and deal values are never disclosed without written consent.
Sector knowledge
Focused Exclusively on IT Services
Each segment is priced and diligenced differently. Knowing how is the difference between a defensible valuation and a guess.
Managed Service Providers
Contract quality, seat counts and technician efficiency drive value. Buyers examine churn, stack standardization and how much of the business depends on the owner.
Valuation and diligence factors
- Contract quality
- Seat count and churn
- Technician efficiency
- Owner dependence
Contract quality, seat counts and technician efficiency drive value. Buyers examine churn, stack standardization and how much of the business depends on the owner.
- Contract quality
- Seat count and churn
- Technician efficiency
- Owner dependence
SOC coverage, tooling economics and compliance driven contracts are assessed differently than general IT support. Analyst retention is a diligence focus.
- SOC coverage
- Tooling economics
- Compliance contracts
- Analyst retention
Hosting margin, resale mix and migration project revenue must be separated cleanly. Buyers price recurring infrastructure revenue apart from services.
- Hosting margin
- Resale mix
- Migration revenue
- Recurring infrastructure
Assessment, remediation and vCISO work carry different multiples. Repeat client behavior matters more than any single engagement.
- Assessment mix
- vCISO retainers
- Repeat client behavior
- Remediation margin
Data center commitments, contract terms and infrastructure age materially affect structure and post closing capital needs.
- Data center commitments
- Contract terms
- Infrastructure age
- Post closing capex
Utilization, bench depth and named client concentration determine buyer appetite. Backlog quality is examined closely.
- Utilization
- Bench depth
- Client concentration
- Backlog quality
Why Cogent
IT SERVICES.THAT’S IT.
Cogent understands IT services business models, recurring revenue, customer concentration, talent value and buyer expectations.
Senior Level Attention
Clients work directly with experienced transaction advisors throughout the process.
Qualified Opportunities
Cogent filters opportunities before they consume management time or legal resources.
Human Centered Execution
Cogent protects communication, relationships and alignment throughout the transaction.
Client perspective
“Cogent kept the process organized and honest from the first conversation to closing. They understood our business model, they told us what we needed to hear, and they managed the conversation between both sides when it would have been easy for it to go sideways. We closed with confidence and our people stayed.”
“They filtered out the wrong buyers before we ever spent money on lawyers. That alone changed the economics of our exit.”
“Cultural fit was the part we were most worried about. Cogent made it an explicit part of the process instead of an afterthought.”
“Direct, calm and available. We always knew where the deal stood and what came next.”
Leadership
Partner led, start to finish
You work with the people whose names are on the firm.
Rick Murphy
CEO & Managing Partner
Serial entrepreneur with extensive M&A experience in technology. Rick leads engagements across the full transaction life cycle.
George Sierchio
EVP & Senior Partner
25+ years owning and operating services businesses, advising IT owners on profitability, growth and M&A.
Bruce Teichman
EVP & Partner
30 years in IT across engineering, executive management and Fortune 500 M&A strategy.
Community
Proudly invested in growth and education across the IT community
Our partnerships and industry sponsorships give owners the insight, standards and peer network that make a business stronger long before a transaction begins.
Insights
Cogent Conversations and market notes
Considering Your Next Transaction?
Speak with a Cogent advisor about your acquisition, exit, merger or valuation goals.
Or call (678) 820-5288 or email bruce@cogentmergers.com