6th M&A DACH Conference in Zurich | M&A 2025: AI as a gold mine?

3. December 2025

Vienna, December 2025 – The sixth M&A DACH Conference, organized by PHH Rechtsanwält:innen (Vienna), METIS Rechtsanwälte (Frankfurt), and Niederer Kraft Frey (Zurich), focused on venture capital, financing rounds, investments in AI companies, and securing inventions. M&A lawyers, tax advisors, and in-house lawyers from Austria, Germany, and Switzerland gathered at the Paulus Academy in Zurich.

“The trend in financing, and thus also in venture capital, is artificial intelligence. Around a quarter of all funds flow into start-ups and companies that develop AI technology or AI applications,” says Rainer Kaspar, partner at PHH Rechtsanwält.innen. Reason enough to discuss the status and challenges at this year’s M&A DACH Conference. In addition to Rainer Kaspar, Felix Dette, partner at METIS Rechtsanwälte, and Moritz Maurer, partner at Niederer Kraft Frey, the initiators brought high-profile M&A figures from Switzerland, Germany, and Austria onto the stage.

Eric Lohrer, managing partner at Helvetica Capital AG, was secured as the keynote speaker, providing insights from the perspective of an investment company. The five panels included discussions with Michelle Wiki (Wenger Vieli), Karim Maizar (Kellerhals Carrard), Robin Eyben (Osborne Clarke), Thomas Kulnigg (Schoenherr), Salome Wieser (MME Legal), Franz Schubiger (Pestalozzi), Tobias Pukropski (Rocan), Sebastian Reiter (bpv Hügel), Christina Bernhart (Herbst Kinsky), Michael Eitle (Scope Law), Stefanie Berges (Studio Legal), Steve Jeitler (E+H), Eric Lohrer (Helvetica Capital AG), Alexandra Ciarnau (Dorda), Ronja Schregle (Bardehle Pagenberg), Philipp Spring (Schindler), Luca Dal Molin (Homburger AG), Andreas Hinsen (Advestra), David Vasella (Walder Wyss), Juliana Christ (KXP), and Hartwig Kienast (Kinstellar).