Wise Up on M&A by Exitwise | Ep. 6: What Does M&A Actually Mean?

Most M&A content is made by experts talking to other experts. Wise Up on M&A is different.

Most founders use "merger" and "acquisition" like they mean the same thing. One is a liquidity event. The other usually isn't.

Wise Up on M&A by Exitwise is part of the Exitwise Productions podcast network, alongside The Wise Exit and the Exited Founder Podcast. Stephanie asks the questions founders actually have, and Exitwise M&A experts answer them.

Episode 6: What does M&A actually mean?

Stephanie sits down with Todd Sullivan, Exitwise M&A expert, to define what mergers and acquisitions actually are. A merger is two companies combining into one. An acquisition is one company buying another, and the seller exits. Todd brings his own deal experience to the table, including one acquisition he structured that had nothing to do with the company and everything to do with the people inside it.

What you'll hear:

• Why "merger of equals" is almost always a myth, and who actually ends up calling the shots when two companies combine
• What an earn out really means for what you walk away with, and why the number on the term sheet is not the number you pocket when it's all over
• The M&A move that looks like an acquisition but is really about something else, and why more companies use it than founders realize
• The foundation is set. What the deal process actually looks like from the seller's side is where the real questions start.

New episodes every week. Listen and subscribe at podcast.exitwise.com or find us on Youtube.

Learn more and work with Exitwise at exitwise.com.

More from Exitwise Productions:
The Wise Exit Podcast by Exitwise: podcasts.apple.com/...
The Exited Founder Podcast by Exitwise: podcasts.apple.com/...