Crafting Fair Severance Packages for CFOs in M&A

Exploring the intricacies of creating equitable severance packages for CFOs during mergers and acquisitions, focusing on payment duration, benefits, and equity vesting. The chapter highlights the significance of pre-negotiation in acquisition-related terms, sharing insights from the experiences of a CFO. It discusses negotiation strategies, market checks, showcasing growth opportunities, building trust, and managing challenges in M&A deals.

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In this conversation, Steve Love, a seasoned CFO with over $1 billion raised from VCs and $2 billion in M&A transaction experience, pulls back the curtain on high-stakes M&A. Love shares his insights from overseeing complex acquisitions like Heap's purchase of a complementary "session replay" company and Heap's eventual sale to ContentSquare. He candidly discusses navigating challenges, aligning stakeholders, prepping for diligence, and making strategic M&A decisions as a CFO. Whether you're a CFO, finance professional or simply M&A-curious, Love's tactics for evaluating targets, modeling forecasts, negotiating terms, and executing integrations provide a rare behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to architect successful transactions.

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00:00) Intro and preview

(00:01:24) Steve Love's impressive background

(00:02:39) Diving into M&A: When and why to acquire

(00:03:34) Case study: Heap's product acquisition

(00:05:17) Evaluating market players and integration challenges