Unlike successive funding rounds, M&A discussions in the startup ecosystem are mostly secretive, and founders are grappling with the playbooks to follow. For its part, SaaSBOOMi has been organizing focused M&A roundtables for the community. But there’s a lot more to learn. Also, given the nascent ecosystem, exits are few and far between. Acquisitions aren’t just about the startup exits; many companies such as Freshworks have been using M&A as a growth strategy, even for acquiring leaders required across different life stages. In this chapter, we are bringing conversations and insights from a few of the most candid entrepreneurs about how they managed M&A discussions.
