M&A Advisory: So Much More Than Finding a Buyer

An M&A advisor's role is much more than finding buyers. That's especially true at Corum, where their team of highly experienced, professional M&A advisors ‒ all of whom are former tech CEOs who have previously sold and acquired companies ‒ do many things beyond finding buyers to ensure an optimal outcome for sellers.

They are with you throughout the M&A process

As a seller, it's important to understand that Corum's advisors are intricately involved in every step of the M&A process. They are with you through the entire transaction, doing what needs to be done to ensure you receive an excellent result. Some key elements of that involvement include:

• Preparation:  Corum's team creates presentation materials and prepares your business for the M&A market. Taking advantage of their extensive experience, Corum's advisors help coach you for effective presentations to buyers, refine your messaging, and develop critical Executive Summaries to effectively highlight your company's unique value.
• Research: Corum's team leverages its extensive database ‒ the largest proprietary database of buyers in the technology and software industry ‒ as well as its knowledge of and experience with the market, to build a highly targeted buyer list, one that's not simply a list of who might buy, but who likely will make highly competitive offers.
• Contact & Discovery: Corum's advisors handle all outreach to potential buyers, manage confidentiality agreements, and facilitate management and technology presentations. Corum's outreach approach is strategically coordinated to bring multiple serious buyers to the table simultaneously. This forces competitive bidding designed to get you excellent deal structures. And because that outreach is led by former CEOs and seasoned dealmakers, they talk the same language as buyers, helping to communicate your narrative in an understandable and favorable light.
• Negotiation: The advisory team leads in generating competitive bids and vetting potential offers. Because Corum’s advisors are former tech CEOs who have previously bought and sold companies, it means they understand the buyer's motivations, strategy, and language. It also means they know when and how to counteroffer to secure a more favorable deal.
• Due Diligence: Corum’s advisors help you navigate through the complexities of technical and legal due diligence by proactively identifying risks, preparing comprehensive data, and preventing retrades (where buyers lower their offer). Because of their experience, they can anticipate buyer tactics and ease the emotional stress of diligence. They also are an objective buffer between the buyer and you, addressing complex challenges, such as cybersecurity audits or customer retention concerns, to keep the deal on track.
• Closing. Corum advisors help close tech M&A deals and secure optimal deal structures. They act as your objective advocate, managing complex negotiations, and prevent common pitfalls that can cause a transaction to fall apart at the last minute.

They take the emotional load off your shoulders

Selling a company is a deeply emotional process. It’s likely that as an owner, you have invested years in building and running your business and that has become an integral part of your life. Letting go of that business is difficult, often an experience fraught with emotion. For many owners it’s like losing a loved one.

Sellers often experience a range of emotions during the M&A process ‒ anywhere from apprehension about whether it's the right time to sell, to fear that they are not prepared to satisfy the buyer’s requests for information, to anger about the intense scrutiny their company receives during due diligence, to relief and elation when the deal closes with a satisfying result.

Corum's advisors are not only responsible for shepherding you through the process of a sale, but their years of experience can help take the emotional load off your shoulders. They've been through the sales process many times and know when and how to handle issues and solve problems that could otherwise cause you undue stress.

They have the experience and skills to get you an optimal deal

Getting an optimal M&A deal for a seller requires Corum's advisors to have a wide variety of skills. They need to have expertise in areas such as valuation, market knowledge, buyer outreach, issue resolution, and running the M&A process. But often they need to lean on their know-how, built on years of experience, to navigate the complex legal, financial, and strategic aspects of the transaction, sometimes assuming the role of accountant, attorney, and negotiator during the M&A process.

Backed by those skills, Corum's advisory team can provide the assistance and guidance you need to get an optimal deal. Selling your company may be the most important transaction of your life. Make sure you have the right people by your side to help you reach your goals.