Notable Q1 Deals

Happy April Fool’s Day, except we're not potentially getting in trouble for changing our name to Voltswagen. As we begin to welcome spring, like the peak bloom cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C., we also say goodbye to a roller coaster first three months of 2021. Here are some of the most notable deals of Q1 and what they could mean for the industry ahead.

💪 Google closes on the acquisition of Fitbit and signals that the tech giant is eager to cash in on the wearable health and fitness market, in the same way Apple has done so with its iWatch. Meanwhile, Peloton acquires voice-tech startup Aiqudo, after several other secret acquisitions late in 2020, signally it's ramping up its fitness tech capabilities.

🔌 Cisco acquires Acacia Communications to leverage Acacia's optic technology, after a lengthy discussion over the pricing of the acquisition.  

⚕️ Insurance company CIGNA acquires telehealth provider MDLIVE expanding the capabilities of its healthcare services subsidiary Evernorth, signaling perhaps more consolidation of successful telehealth providers to come.

 🥕Danone acquires vegan brand Follow Your Heart and signals the plant-based market still has room to expand, as leading companies like Oatly, Impossible Foods, and Beyond Meat are helping break down conservative barriers. 

🔐 Okta acquires AuthO, a complementary business for the company’s security capabilities to corporations, and expands it to customer-oriented capabilities. 

📊 Atlassian acquires data visualization startup Chart.io, ramping up its own analytics dashboard as a SaaS organization especially for users of its Jira and Confluence services. 

🧑‍💻 Workday acquires employee engagement application Peakon as an example of employers seeking new ways to engage their remote workforces and SaaS companies looking for ways to provide the tools to do so. Citrix also acquires project management tool Wrike to expand the digital workspace. 

🤖 DoorDash acquires salad-making robotics startup Chowbotics and signals its interests in more full-automation ghost kitchens. 

🍻 Uber acquires Drizly on the heels of a tremendous growth year for the alcohol delivery service as well as Uber’s food delivery capabilities due to the pandemic. Despite concerns with its taxi arm, especially with new labor laws in the UK, Uber’s food delivery arm is continuing to thrive and expand globally. 

🏨 Starwood and The Blackstone Group acquire Extended Stay America. Blackstone also created a joint venture to acquire MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay Resorts. These stakes stand as a wager to positive times ahead, as travel and tourism are expected to bounce back.