The penultimate goal of any startup, beyond building a thriving business, is to successfully exit. That's when the equity that you've acquired and earned turns into cold, hard cash. While ringing the bell at the stock exchange is certainly the most flashy type of exit (I'm talking of course about an initial public offering, or IPO), almost all startups that exit will actually do so through a M&A transaction.
M&A, or merger and acquisition, describes a transaction where one company (the buyer) purchases all or a portion of another company (the target). As a former corporate lawyer, I can tell you from experience that even "simple" M&A deals are complex, time-intensive and expensive. Anything that can streamline the process gets you one step closer to the "pot of gold" at the end. Enter Carta's M&A transactions: A definitive guide.
This guide is structured as plain english, practical FAQs for both you and your legal team, tax advisors and other service providers. It aggregates all of the resources that Carta has to offer during M&A deals for our customers in one, easy to read, place. It also includes a sample due diligence request list from a trusted law firm in the space, Goodwin.
Finally, the M&A Guide features Carta's partnership with SRS Acquiom, to provide our customers paying agent and other relevant services for M&A transactions.
Even if you are just starting your entrepreneurial journey, it's never too early to start thinking about the end game. When you think about an exit strategy, what comes to mind?
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Jackie Ammon
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