M&A Playbook

Frameworks for both sides of M&A: acquiring companies and being acquired.

Keywords

M&A, mergers and acquisitions, due diligence, acquisition, acqui-hire, integration, deal structure, valuation, LOI, term sheet, earnout

Quick Start

Acquiring: Start with strategic rationale → target screening → due diligence → valuation → negotiation → integration.

Being Acquired: Start with readiness assessment → data room prep → advisor selection → negotiation → transition.

When You're Acquiring

Strategic Rationale (answer before anything else)

Buy vs Build: Can you build this faster/cheaper? If yes, don't acquire.
Acqui-hire vs Product vs Market: What are you really buying? Talent? Technology? Customers?
Integration complexity: How hard is it to merge this into your company?

Due Diligence Checklist

| Domain | Key Questions | Red Flags | |--------|--------------|-----------| | Financial | Revenue quality, customer concentration, burn rate | >30% revenue from 1 customer | | Technical | Code quality, tech debt, architecture fit | Monolith with no tests | | Legal | IP ownership, pending litigation, contracts | Key IP owned by individuals | | People | Key person risk, culture fit, retention risk | Founders have no lockup/earnout | | Market | Market position, competitive threats | Declining market share | | Customers | Churn rate, NPS, contract terms | High churn, short contracts |

Valuation Approaches

Revenue multiple: Industry-dependent (2-15x ARR for SaaS)
Comparable transactions: What similar companies sold for
DCF: For profitable companies only (most startups: use multiples)
Acqui-hire: $1-3M per engineer in hot markets

Integration Frameworks

See references/integration-playbook.md for the 100-day integration plan.

When You're Being Acquired

Readiness Signals

Inbound interest from strategic buyers
Market consolidation happening around you
Fundraising becomes harder than operating
Founder ready for a transition

Preparation (6-12 months before)

Clean up financials (audited if possible)
Document all IP and contracts
Reduce customer concentration
Lock up key employees
Build the data room
Engage an M&A advisor

Negotiation Points

| Term | What to Watch | Your Leverage | |------|--------------|---------------| | Valuation | Earnout traps (unreachable targets) | Multiple competing offers | | Earnout | Milestone definitions, measurement period | Cash-heavy vs earnout-heavy split | | Lockup | Duration, conditions | Your replaceability | | Rep & warranties | Scope of liability | Escrow vs indemnification cap | | Employee retention | Who gets offers, at what terms | Key person dependencies |

Red Flags (Both Sides)

No clear strategic rationale beyond "it's a good deal"
Culture clash visible during due diligence and ignored
Key people not locked in before close
Integration plan doesn't exist or is "we'll figure it out"
Valuation based on projections, not actuals

Integration with C-Suite Roles

| Role | Contribution to M&A | |------|-------------------| | CEO | Strategic rationale, negotiation lead | | CFO | Valuation, deal structure, financing | | CTO | Technical due diligence, integration architecture | | CHRO | People due diligence, retention planning | | COO | Integration execution, process merge | | CPO | Product roadmap impact, customer overlap |

Resources

references/integration-playbook.md — 100-day post-acquisition integration plan
references/due-diligence-checklist.md — comprehensive DD checklist by domain