Episode Details

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:

https://www.mathventurepartners.com/