🌟 Founder's Note

Welcome to the inaugural edition of KSMC Double Klick – our new bi-weekly newsletter designed to keep you ahead of the curve in today's fast-evolving business landscape.

Every two weeks, we'll deliver curated insights, market intelligence, and practical tools that matter to your work and decisions.

✨ What You'll Find in Every Issue:

🎯 Expert Focus – Deep dives into key topics from the world of M&A, Accounting and Strategic Management Consulting
🌍 Global Pulse – Market-moving financial news + recently announced M&A transactions
🤖 AI Tool Spotlight – Game-changing AI tools with features + direct links to explore
💭 Daily Wisdom – Thoughtful quotes to inspire and reflect

💡 Why KSMC Double Klick?

KSMC Double Klick is designed solely to keep you informed, relevant, and competitive in today's dynamic business environment.

Let's double klick into smarter business intelligence — together.

Warm regards,
Kapil Sukhija
Founder, KSMC

📊 Expert Focus

🔍 Strategic M&A Planning: The Hidden Goldmine of Adjacent Markets

📋 What This Means: Strategic M&A planning involves identifying acquisition targets that complement your core business without directly competing with it. Adjacent markets are sectors that share customer bases, distribution channels, or technology platforms with your existing business, but operate in different product categories or regions.

⚡ The Challenge: Most companies hunt in familiar territory, targeting obvious competitors—while missing transformative opportunities hiding in plain sight.

📈 Why It Matters: Amazon didn't acquire another bookstore – they bought Whole Foods. Disney didn't chase another studio – they acquired Marvel and Lucasfilm. The biggest M&A wins come from seeing connections others miss.

🏆 Real Deal Example: When Microsoft acquired LinkedIn for $26.2 billion in 2016, Wall Street was puzzled. Why would a software giant buy a social network? Microsoft saw what others missed – the convergence of productivity tools and professional networking. Today, LinkedIn generates $16.37 billion in annual revenue for Microsoft (fiscal year 2024), with seamless integration into Office 365 creating a competitive moat. There are plenty of such examples in the middle market too!

🔑 Our Take: Adjacent market acquisitions in the middle market often deliver the highest returns because they unlock new value while leveraging existing operational capabilities.

🤝 Connect With Us: What adjacent market opportunities exist in your industry? We'd love to discuss.

🌍 Global Pulse

📉 Mid-Market PE Exits Slowed by Tariffs & Recession Risk

In early 2025, middle-market private equity firms have pulled back on exits—especially in tariff-sensitive sectors like industrials and manufacturing. Unpredictable U.S. trade policies are distorting valuations, driving exit volumes to decade lows.

Many PE firms are now turning to contingency clauses, delayed exits, or alternative liquidity paths instead of outright sales.

👉 Read more: Tariff and recession risks put mid-market PE exits on the back foot

🤖 AI Tool Spotlight

👓 Copilot Vision

Your Windows screen just got a real-time AI sidekick. Microsoft Copilot's Vision feature uses generative AI to describe, summarize, and even act on what's on your screen — instantly.

🔗 Explore Copilot Vision here.

💭 Daily Wisdom

"Games are won by players who focus on the playing field – not by those whose eyes are glued to the scoreboard."

— Warren Buffett

📬 That's a Wrap!

Thank you for reading the inaugural edition of KSMC Double Klick! We're excited to be part of your bi-weekly business intelligence routine.

🏢 About Us

KSMC is a Toronto-based boutique advisory firm led by Big 4 alumni turned entrepreneur. We provide comprehensive M&A Advisory Services, strategic CFO Consulting, and tailored Accounting Solutions. Our expertise and network spans the complete transaction lifecycle—from financial due diligence (QoE reviews) and business valuations to full sell-side mandates—serving middle-market clients across industries in Canada, the US, UAE, India, Puerto Rico, and Botswana.

Know more and reach out to us here.

Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute any form of advice. We do not have any sponsorship, affiliate, or commercial arrangements with any companies, tools, or services mentioned in this newsletter. All transaction examples and case studies are based on publicly available information and are included for educational purposes only.