An early employee of Apple and Head of Innovation at Redbox, Mark Ackler has been creating
and investing in tech startups since 1986. Today, he is a founding partner of MATH Venture
Partners, a technology venture capital fund, and an adjunct professor at the Northwestern
Kellogg School of Management.
During the show we discuss:
● The right time to sell your startup
● The best framework to follow to maximize value when you sell
● Why cultural fit is important to maximize exit value of your business
● What alignment you need to have to have a successful exit
● Why the rational of the deal must make sense for you to sell
● Factors that founders should consider when they are evaluating exit paths
● What an "Exit Talk" is
● How can founders use it to reach alignment in their boardrooms
● The 4 categories of potential buyers of your business
● What to know about potential buyers of your company, competitor, investor, IPO, strategic buyers
● How can founders optimize for the long-term
● What are some of the common pitfalls that founders should avoid when they look to exit
● How can founders best negotiate the best outcome for their startups
● What the FAIR framework is
● What a FAIR acquisition partner is and how to work toward this partnership
● How fundraising impact the exit of a business
● What does building trust have to do with liquidating a business
● What a buyer ecosystem is and how to develop it
● How entrepreneurs determine the right time to sell their businesses
● four different types of buyers: financial, competitive, public, and strategic
Show resources: