JOSEPH GABRIEL LAGONSIN
News Editor
CTO Labs has relocated its Sydney office to 62 Pitt Street in the city centre as it expands its Technology & AI Advisory practice.
The specialist technology M&A adviser said the practice supports investors and leadership teams across the investment lifecycle, from entering an investment to preparing for a change of ownership.
The new office is on level 2 and positions the firm closer to the investors, boards and portfolio company executives it works with in Sydney.
The relocation follows a period of senior hiring across M&A, AI, technology and advisory. Recent appointments include Mukund Rajan, who leads the Technology & AI Advisory practice.
CTO Labs advises private equity and corporate deal teams on technology matters linked to transactions and portfolio management. The expansion follows its busiest year by transaction volume.
Practise expansion
The advisory unit is aimed at clients navigating technology strategy, operational change and AI issues during increasingly complex ownership periods. Its work spans diligence, transformation and planning for exit or the next ownership stage.
Private equity firms have put greater focus on technology assessment in recent years as software systems, data practices and AI tools play a larger role in operating performance and dealmaking. That has increased demand for advisers who can assess technical risk and operational priorities before and after acquisitions.
Joshua Hinton, Director and Founder, CTO Labs, outlined the firm’s view of that demand in a statement on the move and the expanded advisory work.
“There’s a lot of noise about AI and technology in the market, and no agreed playbook for leading through it, particularly as hold periods extend and with technology central to the next phase of value creation,” said Joshua Hinton, Director and Founder, CTO Labs.
He said the firm’s work spans several stages of ownership.
“We’re helping clients gain more clarity around that, whether that’s entering a new investment, optimising activities within a private equity-backed enterprise, or preparing for the next ownership chapter. Our new Sydney base makes it much easier to do that,” said Hinton.
Sydney presence
The move to Pitt Street also reflects Sydney’s importance as a base for deal advisers serving private equity houses, corporate acquirers and portfolio companies. The central business district remains the main hub for many of the investment firms and boards that oversee transactions and operational reviews.
The office includes collaborative working areas designed for client meetings. Financial terms for the move were not disclosed.
Rajan’s appointment adds senior leadership to a practice focused on the operational and technology changes often pursued under private equity ownership. Those programmes can include system upgrades, data projects, digital product changes and closer scrutiny of how AI is used in business processes.
While many advisory firms now market AI expertise, clients involved in transactions are often seeking practical assessments of risk, implementation readiness and governance rather than broad strategy alone. That has made specialist due diligence and portfolio support an increasingly contested segment of the advisory market.
CTO Labs said its annual company offsite began with a family gathering in the new office before the wider team met in the Hunter Valley. The business described the offsite as part of its internal planning for the next stage of growth.
Its focus remains on working with investors, executives and boards on technology issues that can affect investment value across diligence, transformation and AI.