Christopher Vella, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Exacta Solutions, discusses the awakening of M&A in iGaming and the company’s future projects on SiGMA TV’s Executive Series
SiGMA TV sits with the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Exacta solutions, Christopher Vella, to uncover this golden era bracing the iGaming industry and the work that Exacta Solutions has been doing within M&A over the last few months on our Executive Series.
Exacta Solutions is a Malta-based recruitment and management consulting firm specialising in the iGaming market and it’s related verticals such as M&A, FinTech and technology.?The firm reaches companies across Malta, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, UK, Ireland, CIS, Scandinavia, Balkan countries, Africa and the Gulf.
Career trajectory
Christopher Vella shared his experience?and career trajectory?with SiGMA TV stating:
I’ve been in the industry since 2005. I’ve built a previous company before, in which I was involved as an employee and as a director. But then after many years, I decided to venture on my own with Exacta Solutions and that I did with the other Co-Founder Anthony Hennessey, who’s Irish, and we started off Exacta Solutions?at the end of 2019 – just before COVID.
When asked whether his consultancy work was always in iGaming, he replied:
Mostly it started in iGaming back in 2005 when iGaming was still in it’s infancy, here in Malta. Then we, obviously as iGaming developed and the scenario back then was very very different to what it is today, [sic] it started divulging into other areas which are related to iGaming.
So yes, we can say that we’ve moved from iGaming into FinTech and obviously,?being a very common between them, technology.
What does Exacta Solutions bring to the table?
When asked about the M&A company-specific service Exacta Solutions offers, the Co-Founder?replied:
We differentiate ourselves with the network that we have.
iGaming is our main industry because obviously that’s where our network lies and we very much believe in being specialised in what we do.
Recruitment and M&A have one thing in common which is network, connections. The bigger you grow in this business, the more connections you make, and the higher the connections you make the more relevant they become to the M&A stuff.
Vella also furnishes SiGMA TV on the essential steps to approaching a successful?M&A deal,?stating:
You have two people or two companies, two entities that probably have never met before, don’t know each other, and you have to bring one opportunity in front of the other and they have to match. So, the match making part is the most critical part. Once both parties say ‘Yes, we’re interested, let’s move ahead’, then the more complicated and more technical part starts happening. Some of that we outsource with our partners, you have financial diligence, you have corporate due diligence, and then obviously the contractual part that comes in, price negotiations, […] then once a contract is signed, hopefully everyone is celebrating a deal done.
M&A consulting in 2021
The gaming industry has undoubtedly seen a rapid? increase in M&A adoption over the past few years, highlighting?a golden era of M&A. When asked what approach he’s taking with M&A consultancy and the current situation the world is facing, Vella opened up about the logistical obstacles the firm has faced over the past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He contends:
Yes, in terms of this current scenario, it doesn’t make it easy from a practical perspective but there is an appetite. There is an appetite from both the people that are looking to sell, and both from an investor perspective who are always looking for opportunities.
Looking forward
When discussing potential new services Exacta Solutions is looking to offer for the iGaming industry, the Co-Founder replied:
We’re focussing a lot on the M&A side but we’re also launching a Business to Business (B2B) directory which again comes from our network. […] We have come up with a directory that’s called Trifecta Directory which is still in soft launch stage but we are pushing that to the industry to help, again, put people together – that’s what we do best.
WATCH the full interview below:
SiGMA Roadshow – Next stop Las Vegas:
After our successful roadshow in Ukraine -The SiGMA Roadshow’s next stop is Las Vegas
Our?Virtual Roadshow?reflects SiGMA’s global events opening in 5 major regions over the next few years, specifically Europe, the CIS region, Asia, the Americas and Africa. Our previous virtual event, held in Ukraine, welcomed over 2,500 delegate registrations and over 1,500 conference views. There were also over 75 exhibitors and the number of total booth entries hit close to a 6k mark. Join us for our next Virtual Roadshow to learn more about the US gaming market!
