ma-playbook

# M&A Playbook

Frameworks for both sides of M&A: acquiring companies and being acquired.

## Keywords
M&A, mergers and acquisitions, due diligence, acquisition, acqui-hire, integration, deal structure, valuation, LOI, term sheet, earnout

## Quick Start

**Acquiring:** Start with strategic rationale → target screening → due diligence → valuation → negotiation → integration.

**Being Acquired:** Start with readiness assessment → data room prep → advisor selection → negotiation → transition.

## When You're Acquiring

### Strategic Rationale (answer before anything else)
- **Buy vs Build:** Can you build this faster/cheaper? If yes, don't acquire.
- **Acqui-hire vs Product vs Market:** What are you really buying? Talent? Technology? Customers?
- **Integration complexity:** How hard is it to merge this into your company?

### Due Diligence Checklist
| Domain | Key Questions | Red Flags |
|--------|--------------|-----------|
| Financial | Revenue quality, customer concentration, burn rate | >30% revenue from 1 customer |
| Technical | Code quality, tech debt, architecture fit | Monolith with no tests |
| Legal | IP ownership, pending litigation, contracts | Key IP owned by individuals |
| People | Key person risk, culture fit, retention risk | Founders have no lockup/earnout |
| Market | Market position, competitive threats | Declining market share |
| Customers | Churn rate, NPS, contract terms | High churn, short contracts |

### Valuation Approaches
- **Revenue multiple:** Industry-dependent (2-15x ARR for SaaS)
- **Comparable transactions:** What similar companies sold for
- **DCF:** For profitable companies only (most startups: use multiples)
- **Acqui-hire:** $1-3M per engineer in hot markets

### Integration Frameworks
See `references/integration-playbook.md` for the 100-day integration plan.

## When You're Being Acquired

### Readiness Signals
- Inbound interest from strategic buyers
- Market consolidation happening around you
- Fundraising becomes harder tha...