Courses

Selling a thriving business is a challenging exercise unlike building or running one. How do you know the difference between a good company exit and a great one? Should you fundraise and keep growing the business, or take advantage of the payout when it’s offered? If you sell, will you drive the process yourself, lean on your board, or enlist professionals who specialize in mergers and acquisitions?

Working together with the instructor through case studies and frameworks derived from real-world examples of acquisitions—from the high-flyer strategic ones to the financial rollups typically conducted by private equity firms and the small “acqui-hires” that give teams a soft landing—students in this course will explore how to plan an exit strategy for any business, beginning from the point of its inception. You will learn to generate early interest from strategic partners, navigate a demanding due diligence process, negotiate strong outcomes, and evaluate your prospects for staying or leaving post-merger. You will also learn how to effectively invoke your company boards, counsel, and bankers.

This course is designed for both beginning and experienced entrepreneurs, and the format will include lectures, visits from experienced guest speakers, engaging discussion, and collaborative learning. Students will be encouraged to share their own experiences to supplement the case studies.