Can technology actually solve the deal flow problem that's coming?

professional-advisory profile

March 31, 2026

by a professional-advisory from Wilfrid Laurier University - School of Business and Economics in Toronto, ON, Canada

I have a question that I think this group can help with. We all know what's coming. A massive wave of business owners are heading for the exit over the next decade. Whether it's 6 million or 12 million depends on who you ask, but the direction is clear. More businesses are going to need to change hands than the current system can handle. I've been across the table on 60+ acquisitions. Most were direct deals with no broker involved. The best businesses I ever bought were never listed for sale. We found them, approached them directly, and got the deal done because both sides had what they needed to make a decision quickly. That was a different era. We had time. The sellers weren't in a rush. The market wasn't flooded. That's about to change. When a 72 year old owner decides they're done, they don't want an 18 month process. They want to know what their business is worth, who the right buyer is, and how to get it done without it consuming the last year of their working life. On the buyer side the challenge is the same. How do you evaluate fast enough to move on the right deal before someone else does or before the seller loses patience and just shuts the door? My question is simple. Can technology actually help here? Not replace the human judgment that closes deals, but handle the heavy lifting on the analysis side so that buyers and sellers can get to a decision faster with better information? Or is this an industry that will always run on relationships and handshakes no matter how many deals need to get done? Curious what this group thinks.
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