Startup Exit Strategy Planning: 10 Surprises Buyers Don’t Like to See

During an acquisition, potential buyers don’t want to discover anything new that wasn’t previously disclosed, anything that raises any questions, anything at all unexpected. Surprises can cause your potential buyer to reduce their original offer…or even walk away. The better you can prepare your potential buyer—and yourself—for an acquisition (and minimize or, better yet, eliminate surprises) the smoother the process will go. In planning your startup exit strategy, keep in mind these things that no acquiring company wants to see during an exit: 1. Missing documents. In advance of an acquisition, you should prepare all the necessary paperwork and have it ready and available. Obviously this documentation is useful not only in the case of an exit, but in other situations too, such as when you are fundraising or trying to go public. So don’t wait until an acquisition is on the horizon before creating the necessary documentation. Acquiring companies …
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