Man between atoms and stars. Currently immersed in powerpoint and excel.
Mar 26, 2022 • 22 tweets • 6 min read
Found a gem of a story from the annuls of M&A history. In Jan 19, @Qualtrics, a user engagement SaaS co, was going public at a ~$4bn valuation. Along came @SAP & offered $8bn in cash.
How did the CEO @RyanQualtrics negotiate this deal? And how did it pan out for everyone? A🧵..
1/ Let's set the stage with Qualtrics's funding history.
Sequoia & Accel wrote the first $70mm Series A check, all the way back in 2012.
May 25, 2021 • 25 tweets • 5 min read
Met a fascinating 77-y old serial entrepreneur who has an eye for identifying, buying,& turning around distressed small and medium businesses (<$25M in annual sales).
Here's a glimpse of his playbook, from his most recent acquisition of a specialty coffee co. in Hawaii.
A🧵..
A lender in his network reached out to him ~4-years ago asking him to go check this struggling business out and to give his opinion on whether it should be liquidated (asset sell-off) or potentially turned around (give the biz another shot with a new team)
Apr 8, 2021 • 11 tweets • 4 min read
Learnt about the fascinating comeback of Maggi Noodles in India today.
Many of u may remember the ban on Maggi in May '15 on account of high lead content. I for sure thought it was the end for the brand. 6 years later, it's back at the top.
Here's how the turnaround happened.
Nestle's initial response -- that the regulator's testing processes might have been incorrect -- dug a deeper hole for the company.
Nestle came across as aloof, insensitive, and projected itself as a company that was willing to poison people and have the gall to defend itself.