Serious Buyers Matter: How Advisory Helped Close Deal
I consider it a shame when great companies are led on by private equity firms who aren't fully invested in closing a transaction. Before engaging with us, one of our clients, Rajiv Jain, had a private equity firm reach out and express interest. The deal moved forward until the day before the transaction was to close when it fell through. Thankfully, Rajiv and his wife/co-founder Hima didn't give up. They still wanted to pursue a transaction, but their bitter experience led them to engage with Vista Point Advisors as their advising investment bank. In Rajiv's own words: "The last thing we wanted was a repeat of our broken deal. We needed a way to identify which buyers were serious." Our team was able to work with Rajiv to reach a successful outcome he and his wife were happy with. Learn what made the difference for Rajiv by reading his own account of the experience: https://lnkd.in/gJ7dnYpp a2z, Inc. #founders #entrepreneurship #startups #privateequity #mergersandacquisitions #eventmanagement
SaaS Isn't Crashing—It's Undergoing a Strategic Re‑Rating
The headlines want you to believe SaaS is in freefall. It is not. What is actually happening is a re-rating. Investors are recalibrating what a quality software business looks like in a world where frontier AI models can replicate certain...
Clean Data: The Founder’s Secret to Smooth Deals
Cleaning up data prior to a process is one of the most important things you can do to prepare for a transaction. It is also the single biggest item that founders don't pay attention to that creates the biggest issues...
Leading M&A Advisor to Founder-Led Software & AI Companies | Vista Point Advisors
Vista Point Advisors, a boutique sell‑side investment bank, announced its focus on providing unconflicted M&A and capital‑raising advice to founder‑led software, AI and internet companies. The firm positions itself as a partner for entrepreneurs, helping them assess market options, maximize...
Engage Multiple Buyers to Capture Higher Valuations
Even though all buyers in an M&A or capital raise process are working off the same data, you'd be surprised by how much valuation varies from one buyer to the next. Because each buyer/investor has a unique investment thesis they're...
40 | Choosing Software M&A Counsel: What Founders Should Know Before Their Exit
The podcast episode focuses on how software founders should select M&A counsel when preparing to sell or raise capital, emphasizing timing and differences from corporate counsel. Hosts discuss that counsel should be engaged early, ideally with the investment bank, and must...
Keep Buyer Talks Positive, Let Bankers Handle Tough Issues
During a transaction process, the only conversations you should be having with buyers are the positive ones: about strategy, synergies, and the go-forward vision of the company. These positive buyer/founder conversations are important because they drive the deal toward the...
Know the Metrics Buyers Demand to Close Deals
Most software founders know their product inside and out, but when a buyer asks about specific metrics, many draw a blank. That's a problem. Buyers aren't just evaluating your product, they're evaluating how well you understand the business behind it....
Create Sale Urgency: Chris Bond’s Amazon Exit Tactics
How do you create urgency in the sale of your business? Do what Chris Bond, founder of Thinkbox Software, did. Hear firsthand his story of feigned interest from buyers and his eventual sale to Amazon: https://lnkd.in/gd9ZJygN #founders #entrepreneurship #startups #mergersandacquisitions
Fix GAAP Revenue Recognition Early to Prevent Deal Breakdowns
Prospective buyers/investors are going to dig deep into your company, so it's best to resolve potential issues early in a process. Something we see at least once each year is that the way a company recognizes their revenue doesn't follow...
M&A Provides Immediate Liquidity; IPO Delivers Long‑Term Upside
How does an IPO compare to an M&A exit for founders? Typically, the founder doesn't get much or any liquidity at IPO, and it can take several years to get liquidity. But an IPO also has more opportunity for upside,...
Run Multi‑track Process to Strengthen Minority Deal Leverage
If you're considering a minority transaction, keep in mind that while it can provide liquidity and maximize post-transaction ownership, it can also present challenges in terms of post-deal decision making and equity structure. Minority protections can give private equity firms...
AI Redefines SaaS Valuation: Retention, Depth, Deployable Agents
AI is changing how software companies are being evaluated, and we're seeing it firsthand in conversations with buyers and investors. The questions today are very different than they were even a year ago. What used to matter most isn't enough...
Founders Must Scrutinize Preferred Share Structure in PE Deals
Private equity investors are all about balancing upside with potential risks. As built-in downside protection, a PE investor's ownership will always be structured as preferred securities (i.e. their economic outcome will come before common shareholders). But founders should pay special...
Pick Capital Partners With Proven Expertise in Your Needs
When you select a capital partner (whether private equity or growth equity), verify they have experience in the specific areas you want to improve in your business. For example, if you want assistance growing a sales & marketing organization, look...