Close Buys Belfast Factoring Business; Equiendo Raises 1.5m To Fund Expansion; Tech Firms Raised 54m VC In Q1; Clare FM Buys Stake In Kfm Founders Cash Out Of Benchmark; Top Dollar For Geary Clan With Sysco Sale; Arantech Bought By US-based Tektronix; Fresh Investment For MicksGarage; Bleak First Quarter For IPOs in Europe; Barrett Buys Galway Oil Terminal Doris Buys Back Firms He Sold To Veris; Quinn Injects Cash Into Claret Capital; Helix Health Merges With Health Ireland; AIB Seed Fund Backs Fourteen Ventures; Opsona Raises €18m From Biotech Investors; More Cash For Halo; Lundin Into Belmore M&A Doldrums: Corporate acquisition and disposal activity fell away sharply in the second half of 2008. Graeme McQueen canvasses the views of corporate finance experts as to what's likely to happen through 2009 McCabe Exits After MBO At Waveform; Enterprise Ireland And AIB Invest In Datakraft; Creganna Snaps Up Swedish Firm's Assets; Limerick Firm Raises €5.25m In Equity Funding; ILP Pays €56m For Full Control Of Cornmarket; And More Fundraising And M&A Activity Accountancy practice FGS has been scaling up through mergers with peer firms. Managing partner Ian Duffy explains the rationale to Business Plus Barclays Takes €20m Stake In Mainstream; Whyte's Evolution Merges With Ryan; Eastern Electrical Sold To EWL For €20m; State VC Programme Struggles For Funds; and more M&A and fundraising activity Alchemy Funds €90m MBO At Noonan Services; Zeus Pays €19m For Packaging Firms; Arthur O'Hagan Joins With Mason Hayes & Curran; Galway Startup Bought By Scottish Firm; Delta Injects €2.5m Into Luzern Solutions; OpenJaw Snaps Up Galway's Traventec; and more Buy4Now Disposes Of US Business; IFG Pays €13.6m For Two Pensions Firms; IFDS Takes Stake In Percana; NTT DoCoMo Buys Into Blue Ocean; Celtic Catalysts Raises €500,000 In Funding; and more M&A and fundraising activity ChangingWorlds Bought By US Firm For €46m; O'Flynn Payday After Sale Of AVR-Safeway; Movida Secures €10m In Funding; PollDaddy Sold To US Firm Automattic; Duolog In €1m Funding Round; Management Buy Back Merrion At Discount; and more Kenny Cunningham Merges With OSK; CDSoft Buys ACT In €1.5m Deal; Murray's Hibernia Merges With Evros; Growcorp Pockets €7m From Neutekbio Sale; plus other M&A and fundraising activity You make the most money in business by finding a buyer for the firm. Graeme McQueen reports on the entrepreneurs who cashed out in 2008 Orbiscom Duo Finally Get Their Reward; Boston Scientific Swoops For Labcoat; Shackleton Backs Macalla MBO; Tuam Herald Sold To Midland Group; Havok Duo Raise €1.6m For New Venture; PR Firms Merge; Former Partners Reunite Oliver Freaney Merges With Bigger UK Firm; Corvil Secures €7.6m In VC Funding; Walsh's Delphi Sold To SunGard; Jacob Fruitfield Pays €700,000 For Cisti; Prime Carrier Bought By Browne's Flint; and more Major UK Expansion For Premier Group; Interactive Return Joins Publicis; Hosting 365 Sells Domain Name Unit; Original Solutions Bought By Perot; Paddy Power Buys NI Bookies Chain; McCabe Finds Buyer For Transware NTR Offloads Irish Broadband To Imagine; Insight Test Services Bought By Sogeti; Costello's Novara Sold To Digiweb; Startup Glantel Sold To Magnet; Plus other M&A and fundraising activity Xiam Sold To US Firm For €20.8m; Mangan Brothers Sell Up To BWG; Goodman's IFP Buys Into C&D Foods; UniPhar Buys Two UK Firms; plus more M&A activity Startup company Movidia is developing minimum power techniques for maximum mobile versatility Kleerex Buys Stake In Featureline; Deerac Merges With California Firm; Cape Clear Sold To US Firm Workday; UTV Expands Its Web Activities; Ladbrokes Pays €155m For Eastwood Bookies; and other M&A activity FD Buys K Capital Source; United Drug Pays €21m For JVA; Lir Chocolates Bought By AIM-Listed Zetar; UTV Media Pays €52m For FM104; and more M&A and fundraising activity The credit crunch is bound to impact on M&A activity in 2008 but corporate finance insiders believe good firms will still get bought MBO At Wood Communications; Siteserv In €8m Roankabin Deal; Newcourt Buys Lenmac & BDS Security; JetBird Secures Funding Of €21m; Homan O'Brien Buys Rival CECL; Zamano In €24.4m Red Circle Deal Some SMEs can now raise up to €2m equity funding through the Business Expansion Scheme. But there are strings attached Selling a business should be planned well in advance. A rushed sale seldom reaches the optimum price achievable Matching the right seller to the right buyer can make all the difference in obtaining the greatest value for your business