How Startup Founders Can Prepare For An Acquisition

No two acquisitions will be exactly alike.

By Joe Gardener, CEO of VentureDevs

There are some things you can do in preparing for an acquisition to try and normalize the process and ensure that, ultimately, the decisions you make are the best ones for you, your business, and your team.

Selling your company is seen, in some ways, as the cornerstone of the entrepreneurial dream. For some founders, at least, it’s the thing that powers you through the long nights and early mornings — the goal you start working toward on day one, back when you decided to start a company in the first place.

It’s an exciting time. But for first-time founders, especially, being acquired can also prove daunting. You might not know what to expect or how to ensure the process goes smoothly.

Personally, I’ve sold two companies — my first, Modasphere, and my second, Surebilling. The Modasphere acquisition happened somewhat unexpectedly. My relationship with the company that acquired us began through a partnership discussion, and only into our partnership did it become clear they were interested in acquiring us. In time, my…