Magic Box Paradigm: A Framework for Startup Acquisitions - Tapa blanda

What if I told you that the last thing you want from a potential acquirer is a term sheet? Or that the casualty of a bidding war is most likely going to be you? Or the presentation you use when you meet with investors is almost the opposite of the one you should use with strategic partners? Or that acquirers’ efforts to reduce their risk when making an acquisition can often increase the likelihood of their failure? Startup acquisitions are counterintuitive. Many of the moves your intuition would lead you to make are wrong. These bad moves can hurt, or kill, a deal. The good news is—once you’ve absorbed this book—you won’t be one of the mistake makers. This book is going to give you a framework for attracting acquisition interest, and if you choose to pursue being acquired, it’s going to show you how to optimize and close the deal.

At the start of my career I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to cofound two technology companies. One ended up being quite successful and was acquired. The other had a good run but was unable to survive the burst of the first internet bubble. As an entrepreneur I’ve been part of teams that have created innovative products and services. I’ve seen how swiftly success can come, and go. Since the early 2000s I’ve largely worked as an advisor to startups. Today my professional activities leverage three platforms: Advsr, a growing network of entrepreneurs; Ackrell Capital, a boutique investment bank; and Vator, an online community for startups and investors. I earned an MBA from a joint program of UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and Columbia’s Graduate School of Business. Prior to that, I earned a BA in Philosophy from UC Davis with minors in both History and English.