Sharks & Mergers, Acquisitions IV: “Marine” Conditions & Tying it Together
19
Jun
By Mike Firmage
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Acquirers, Bootstrapping, M&A Process, Risk, Valuation

Sharks & Mergers, Acquisitions IV: “Marine” Conditions & Tying it Together

Sharks & Mergers, Acquisitions IV: "Marine" Conditions & Tying it Together As I mentioned in three other posts, in the technology ecosystem, it is good for (many) buyers to be active, just as an abundance of sharks signals a healthy marine ecosystem. However, it is still good to guard against “Jaws” and other circumstances that are likely to lead to an "attack" on your M&A outcome as a seller. In addition to the buyer landscape (i.e. sharks), there are a number of other inputs that swimmers (sellers)…
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Sharks, Bora Bora, & Engaging M&A Markets III: “Jaws” vs. Mistaken Identity
02
May
By Mike Firmage
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Acquirers, Bootstrapping, M&A Process, Risk, Valuation

Sharks, Bora Bora, & Engaging M&A Markets III: “Jaws” vs. Mistaken Identity

Sharks, Bora Bora, & Engaging M&A Markets III: "Jaws" vs. Mistaken Identity As I mentioned in two other posts, in the technology ecosystem, it is good for (many) buyers to be active, just as an abundance of sharks signals a healthy marine ecosystem. However, the question remains, does “Jaws” exist, i.e. are there truly dangerous, “company-damaging,” predatory buyers out there? From my experience, the answer is certainly “yes.” However, for each “Jaws” story, the reality is that a Jaws-level acquirer / investor is only involved in a…
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Sharks, Bora Bora, & Engaging M&A Markets II: Types of Sharks (Buyers)
22
Apr
By Mike Firmage
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Acquirers, Bootstrapping, Credibility, M&A Process, Risk, Valuation

Sharks, Bora Bora, & Engaging M&A Markets II: Types of Sharks (Buyers)

Sharks, Bora Bora, & Engaging M&A Markets II: Types of "Sharks" (Buyers) As discussed in my last post, the process of taking a company to market for investment or M&A can be a lot like my experience swimming with sharks.  While it should be safe, that does not mean it won’t be uncomfortable or that preparation / precaution is not important.  At the end of the last post, I introduce a few concepts that I’ll cover in some detail today and in further detail in future posts.…
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Credibility and Premium Valuations II – SaaS Data & Analytics
13
Mar
By Mike Firmage
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Bootstrapping, Credibility, Data & Analytics, Industries, M&A Process, SaaS, Valuation

Credibility and Premium Valuations II – SaaS Data & Analytics

Credibility and Premium Valuations II - SaaS Data & Analytics In my last post, I compared the free solo climber and the tech bootstrapper in a piece that many of my past M&A clients have identified with. Per a request from a handful of current clients as well as other SaaS entrepreneurs, I am going to add to my previous post on the importance of credibility in premium valuation transactions for SaaS bootstrappers in my post today. In my previous post on credibility, we introduced a three…
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03
Mar
By Mike Firmage
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Credibility, M&A Process, Valuation

Credibility and Premium Valuations I – Three Factor Framework

Credibility and Premium Valuations, Part I – Three Factors In my last post, I continued a section by section analysis of an asset purchase agreement (APA). Today, I am going to take a break to begin talking about one of the most fundamental considerations in premium valuation transactions for technology bootstrappers: credibility. “Credibility” is something that is very common for people to talk about but much less common for individuals to define in any given setting. Executives, analysts, professional athletes, employees, and just about everyone else, including…
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