Q1 2026 M&A Market Update: Why Buyers Are Getting Pickier

About this episode

Kirk Michie discusses the selective nature of the M&A market in early 2026 and the implications for buyers and founders.

The M&A market in early 2026 is not closed, but it is becoming more selective. In this update, Kirk Michie explains what Candor Advisors is seeing across founder-led transactions, private equity activity, buyer behavior, valuation expectations, and market timing. For strong companies in favored sectors, the market may still support strong valuations and favorable terms. For others, buyers may be quicker to pass, which means founders need better data before deciding whether to go to market.

People in this episode

Host: Kirk Michie

Topics covered

• M&A market
• buyer behavior
• valuation expectations
• private equity
• founder-led transactions

Keywords

• M&A
• market update
• buyers
• valuation
• private equity
• founder-led transactions
• data

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Candor Advisors

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