By Danyelle C. Overbo
Content Marketing Manager, Group-Q
Mergers and acquisitions in the language industry are poised for a potential boom. AI-driven innovation is opening up opportunities for forward-thinking language service providers (LSPs) to attract strategic partnerships. In our mid-2025 language services M&A trends review, we reported how leaders in global content solutions are thinking strategically about transformation and tapping into innovation to accelerate growth and expansion.
But where do you start? For LSPs with less M&A experience, finding partners with deep industry knowledge is key to seeing the bigger picture and getting the finer details right.
To better understand the process, we sat down with Scott Spitzer, Group-Q’s resident M&A expert. With decades of experience and a background guiding over 200 transactions, Scott provides invaluable insight into what LSPs should look for in a potential deal.
Group-Q: When an LSP comes to us asking about M&A, where do we start? What’s the first step?
Scott Spitzer: First, we work to understand their objectives. Our goal is to help them find potential partners, develop marketing materials, and craft a strategy to reach their goals. Deals can be structured in many ways, so I seek a deeper understanding of their desired end result.
Do they simply want to sell and walk away? We’ve had that. We’ve also had clients who are not sure what they want, which requires more guidance. On the flip side, on the buy side, we work with companies and buyers who know exactly what they’re looking for in a roll-up or acquisition.
Group-Q: And Group-Q assists throughout the entire transaction?
Scott: Yes. We provide end-to-end M&A support on both the buy and sell sides. This includes strategic advice, due diligence, and handling transactional documents. We also have partners who assist during the critical integration phase, including HR aspects, and we have dedicated resources for the evaluation.
Group-Q: How is this different than from a generalized M&A consultancy?
Scott: Many firms will create a company summary known as a “teaser” and blast it out to a wide net of potential investors like throwing paint against a wall to see what sticks. They make the introduction and then leave the company to fend for itself.
That’s not what we do. We manage the process from start to finish – from their first foray into a deal all the way to its conclusion and post-deal integration.
Furthermore, Diane McAveeney, our CEO, has worked within the language services industry in great depth. If a client says, “I have great sales staff but no AI Technology,” Diane can immediately identify potential technology providers that would be an interesting fit. We then work to find the right structure, whether it’s a partnership, a minority investment, or an outright acquisition.
Group-Q: What’s your top advice for an LSP looking for investors or M&A opportunities?
Scott: You must understand the LSP’s motivation. If someone just wants to sell and walk away, that’s one type of deal. Another might be an LSP that needs to find a specific AI technology provider. In that case, a typical structure might be to acquire that company with the original owners staying on for some time to assist with the integration.
Group-Q: Are there less standard M&A options that LSPs should consider?
Scott: Absolutely. One option is a strategic service partner where a technology company becomes a preferred vendor. Another is a joint venture. For example, imagine one party has strong coverage in Europe, another in Asia, and both want to enter Latin America. They could create a new 50/50 entity, combining sales from one and technology from the other, to focus exclusively on that new market.
There are many options for consideration. The key is spending time with clients to truly understand their objectives. If you don’t listen carefully, you can waste a lot of their time going down the wrong path. There’s so much opportunity these days, on the buy side and the sell side, due to this AI-drive innovation. We want to help our clients take advantage of these opportunities.
Ready to explore your M&A options?
The path to a successful transaction starts with a conversation. If you have more questions for Scott or would like to learn how M&A can accelerate your growth, talk with Group-Q’s specialists to learn more about our end-to-end M&A support.