077 - M&A Masterclass with Founder Partners

Life on Mars - A podcast from MarsBased

Prepare to navigate the high-stakes world of mergers and acquisitions with insider expertise as Dimitri Steinberg and Brian Flynn from Founder Partners join me, Àlex from MarsBased, for a riveting discussion. In the ever-turbulent market of dwindling venture capital and faltering tech stocks, our guests share invaluable wisdom from their impressive careers on how to steer a company towards a lucrative sale or merger. We'll be revealing the art of reading between the lines during negotiations, the strategic finesse behind successful M&A, and why having seasoned pros at your side is a game-changer.
As we peel back the layers of M&A strategy, you'll discover why timing, organization, and information management are critical for startups looking to sell. Dimitri and Brian illuminate the intricate dance of revealing just enough to pique interest without oversharing early in potential partnerships. We also tackle the nuances of inbound acquisition offers, dissecting how to filter out the noise and recognize serious contenders. And if you're considering an advisor for your next business sale, you won't want to miss our insights on aligning incentives for a mutually beneficial outcome.
Finally, and after all the verbose AI-generated stuff, I've got to say that this is one of the most fun and insightful episodes I've recorded. The 60+ years of combined experience of these two gentlemen cannot be summarised in just one hour, so we will have to invite them again!

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🎬 You can watch the video of this episode on the Life on Mars podcast website: https://podcast.marsbased.com/

Bab

1. Introduction to Founder Partners and their expertise (00:00:00)

2. Considering the qualities when hiring an advisor (00:04:42)

3. Private equity firms' roll-up strategy in fragmented industries (00:13:44)

4. Importance of Communication for Entrepreneurs (00:23:33)

5. Evaluating Inbound Requests and Building Relationships with Buyers (00:29:30)

6. Prioritizing Buyers Based on Objectives and Relationships (00:33:53)

7. Managing Incentives and Control in M&A Advisory Relationships (00:36:47)

8. Lack of Transparency and the Importance of Communication (00:41:07)

9. Building Trust and Doing the Right Deal (00:44:05)

10. Managing Expectations and Survivorship Bias in M&A (00:50:34)

11. Resilience and Learning from M&A Failures (00:53:09)

12. The Painful Loss of Money and Ego (00:57:22)

13. Losing a $9 Million M&A Fee (01:00:19)