The process of marketing a business, soliciting interest and driving the closing is time consuming and complex.  It takes discipline and know-how.  Entrepreneurs are smart, intelligent people.  They have built businesses and created value.  Its now time to ensure they are well rewarded and find the best fit for their business.  This includes their people, their family and their offerings. 

We know how to drive a process.  We handle the planning, marketing, solicitations, negotiations, diligence, details and most importantly the closing and final elements of the transaction.  We do this DAILY.

We take great pride in our well established process.  Our core strengths are understanding the business and the owner's objectives and fully aligning this understanding with what we are planning to accomplish. We will work closely with the business owners to ensure the company is poised to be well received in the market.  At times we may suggest business improvements or suggestions to 'shore-up' certain areas of the business.

    The Sell Side Process: 

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• Pre-engagement Discovery
  The process of getting to know your business, and you getting to know our team.  We assess your core strengths, IP, team and preliminary assessment of the market for your business to ensure this is a company we are confident to engage with.  You of course look as us to determine this is a team you trust to get the job done.  Strong "getting to know you" coupled with open dialog as to how the overall path to success (transaction process) works.
  
  
  
  

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• Strategy Alignment
  Understanding the core objectives of the business owners and aligning such objectives with the ‘go-to-market’ M&A strategy.  Ensure everyone is on board and aligned with the overarching strategy as well as the ‘this is what we want, these are the people to take care of, and here are the gremlins in the business’.   And thus, building a solid strategy of how to take the company to market.
  
  
  
  
• Go-to-Market Preparation
  Data gathering, fact finding, market assessment, valuation assessment and expectations, materials preparation, acquirer target list preparation, finalizing a custom and thorough go-to-market approach.  Specific messaging, exploiting core strengths, mitigating any know ‘issues’, identifying specific and right buyers.
  
  
  
• Go-to-Market
  Marketing outreach. Develop specific messaging for targeted acquirers.  Present the company as “the best thing since slice bread and shirt pockets” to happen in this market.  We ‘go to bat’ hard for you. 
  
  
  
• Discussions & Negotiations
  Next step typically entails a couple management meetings and discussions.  This leads to our soliciting ‘Expressions of Interests’ followed by the formal offer or ‘Letter of Intent”.  After meeting with potential buyers and numerous conversations vetting out the best options, we solicit a Letter of Intent (LOI) by guiding the buyer into the right terms.
  
  
  
• Diligence & Definitive Agreements
  This piece of the process entails an element of ‘task management’.  Depending on the type of company, diligence can take some work, simply digging out historical documents and details of the business.  We work closely with accountants and lawyers advising on the definitive agreements and deal structure closing out open issues.
  
  
  
• Closing
  There always is an air of excitement during the close for both parties.  By now the relationship typically has grown strong and all parties are excited to close and start their next chapter, wherever that may be aimed.
  
  
  

Some additional process examples of implementing corporate development and buy side engagements

1. Acquisition Strategy & Criteria - Acquirer must have a clear understanding of what they are trying to achieve, and then set criteria for identifying potential target companies.
2. Target Company Search - This is not a simple task.  It takes market knowledge, process and tenacity.
3. Valuation Assessment, Corporate Fit and Technology Fit Review - Once a target has been identified and appears plausible, then comes the work of assessing the company for corporate fit, technology fit and valuation.  With technology deals this is a fairly extensive effort and can often fluctuate as more is learned about the company and technology. It takes a committed effort on the part of the acquirer and patience on the part of the prospect.
4. Negotiations - Constructing the offer and negotiating the LOI.  As always, the more in the LOI, the more the better the buyer and seller will be aligned during the drafting of the definitive agreements.
5. Due Diligence & Definitive Agreements - Very thorough and extensive process once an LOI has been agreed to. Due diligence is a complete financial, legal, market, product and technology review of the company.  This often happens in parallel with the drafting of the Definitive Agreements, which simply takes a bit of time mixed with patience.
6. The Closing - There always is an air of excitement during the close for both parties.  By now the relationship typically has grown strong and all parties are excited to close and start their next chapter, wherever that may be.

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The term “Corporate Development” means different things to different people. Corporate Development for major corporations typically entails M&A strategy for growth, identifying new business ventures and opportunities, disseminating business units from the company along with establishing strategic initiatives for growth, market positioning or profitability (note that is indeed different than growing revenue or growing market share).

Corporate Development for early stage companies is typically … non-existent.  This is where TKV6 has played for many years.  Working with early stage entrepreneur companies positioning technology and driving strategy and market positioning, ideally leading to an “early stage exit”. These Corporate Development activities are unique in that they follow the philosophies of larger scale enterprise Corp Dev teams, but those philosophies must be implemented an entrepreneurial, hands on, assertive, quick, decisive manner.  This isn’t simple, and takes tenacity and grit to drive through a process to success.