In Depth What founders need to know about acquisitions: Shopify’s Daniel Debow on M&A lessons from selling three startups
Jan 26, 2023
In this conversation, Daniel Debow, VP of Product for Demand at Shopify and a three-time founder, shares invaluable insights on navigating mergers and acquisitions. He emphasizes the importance of identifying founder-friendly acquirers and building strong relationships with various executives, not just corporate development teams. Daniel also discusses how to recognize buying signals and includes investors in the M&A process, all while preparing team messaging and maintaining trust post-acquisition. His firsthand experiences paint a clear picture of the M&A landscape for founders.
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You Sell To People, Not A Company
- You don't sell a company, you sell it to the people inside another company who must be convinced.
- Reframe M&A as persuading specific executives that your team solves their problem.
Create A Founder-Friendly Acquirer Function
- Build a pro-founder M&A function with honest people and founder-friendly processes.
- Hire executives who sponsor and mentor incoming founders to help them integrate and grow.
Benioff's Founder Rituals
- At Salesforce Mark Benioff made time for founders via lunches and offsites.
- Daniel helped organize regular founder gatherings that improved retention and connection.