Russ Heddleston, Co-founder & former CEO, DocSend

Every owner loves their business. This makes selling their company even harder than it already is. But aside from the emotional turmoil that founders go through every exit, there are also a lot of intricacies included in the process. 

In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Russ Heddleston, Co-founder & former CEO of DocSend, discusses the challenges of sell-side M&A.

Things you will also learn in this episode:

• Considerations in Potentially Selling a Startup

• Challenges of sell-side M&A

• Key Factors for a Successful Exit 

• How to manage diligence in sell-side M&A

00:00 Intro

04:10 Starting DocSend 

06:08 Identifying the Inflection Point to sell

09:01 Selling a Startup

10:46 Considerations in Potentially Selling a Startup

14:28 Best Time for an Exit

16:00 Balancing Stakeholder Interests in an Acquisition

17:50 Relationship Management in an Acquisition

19:46 How Relationships Influence Negotiations

20:41 Relationships with Bankers

23:14 Reaching out to DropBox

26:16 Key Factors for a Successful Exit

28:04 Impact of Market Conditions on M&A

28:45 The Unknowns of Selling a Business

30:53 Post-Acquisition Challenges and Unknowns

32:34 Enhancing Preparation for Post-Close Integration

34:05 Tips for Buyers for Smoother Integration

35:18 Challenges of Sell-side M&A

37:15 Efficiently Managing Diligence

38:46 People involved from pre-LOI to Close

41:36 Post-Acquisition Team Dynamics

43:01 Evaluating Alternatives to Selling

48:28 Fundraising Strategies to Minimize Dilution

49:44 Advice for Acquirers Seeking Successful Acquisitions

51:29 Effective Strategies for Corporate Leaders to Engage with Founders

53:14 Craziest thing in M&A

This episode is sponsored by FirmRoom, the fastest virtual data room used to get deals done. Leave the pay-per-page world behind by going to https://firmroom.com/