David Braun

Author's posts

A Wake Up Call for Starbucks? Coca-Cola Buys Coffee Chain Costa

In its latest move to diversify beyond soda, Coca-Cola is buying Costa, a UK-based coffee chain for $5.1 billion. The deal will give Coke access to the coffee market in Europe, the Middle East and Asia through Costa’s 4,000 stores. Coke plans to use its distribution network to further Costa’s expansion and challenge rivals like …

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What Do Mega Deals Mean for the Middle Market?

It’s been a hot year for mergers and acquisitions with a record $2.5 trillion in deal value announced in the first six months. At least 36 deals over $10 billion in value and 81 deals valued over $5 billion were announced in the first half of 2018. Mega deals are on the rise and driving …

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Intel Acquires eASIC to Expand Beyond Declining CPU Chip Market

Intel has acquired eASIC, a small company specializing in customizable chips in order to diversify beyond CPU chips that are used primarily in personal computers. As consumers move more and more to using mobile phones over personal computers, demand for Intel’s base product, CPU chips, is declining. eASIC’s 120 employees will join Intel’s programmable solutions group, …

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How to Bring the Right Team to the Negotiation Table

When negotiating for an acquisition, we always recommend you, as the buyer, try to match the seller’s negotiation team. Many owners are selling their company for the first time and in most cases their company will be smaller than yours. Arriving to the negotiation table with a swarm of lawyers can be overwhelming and may …

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M&A in Review: Top Posts from 1H 2018

The first half of 2018 has been a busy year for mergers and acquisitions activity. Globally announced deal value reached $2.1 trillion, up 56% from the same period in 2017 largely driven by an uptick in mega deals over $5 billion. Here’s a look back at the most popular posts from the Successful Acquisitions blog …

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How to Buy a Company When the Owner is Not Willing to Sell Today

Despite your best efforts to convince an owner to sell, sometimes you will find that an owner of a not-for-sale company is just not ready to let go – even if he or she thinks partnering with your company is the right decision. In some cases, you will have to part ways and move on …

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How Can You Avoid Negotiating in Circles?

We had been in negotiations with the seller, Martin, and his team all day and despite diverging perspectives on a few issues we had managed to nail down several important aspects of the agreement involving intellectual property and key employee contracts. The next afternoon when we resumed negotiations, Martin brought up the employee contracts again …

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Are You Ready to Do an Acquisition?

Buying another company is an excellent tactic for growing your company, but are you really ready to do a deal? About 77% of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) fail due to a variety of issues ranging from lack of strategic alignment to incomplete due diligence to culture clashes. A bad acquisition can leave a company worse …

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AT&T – Time Warner Deal Gets Green Light, Expect More Media Deals

On Tuesday AT&T and Time Warner received approval for their $85 billion merger that brings together channels like CNN, HBO with the number two mobile carrier in the US. The deal is just the start of what is shaping up to be a very busy year for technology and media mergers and acquisitions. Less than …

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What Not to Include in the Letter of Intent

A letter of intent (LOI) is one of the most commonly used tools for moving a deal forward. The LOI outlines the basic parameters for an acquisition including the period of exclusivity, purchase price and consideration, preferred deal structure, and expiration date. The LOI is your chance to communicate the strategic value of an acquisition …

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