Building a multi-product company inorganically is no easy feat. It requires a strong product team, tight alignment among executive leadership, and a solid M&A function to identify and pursue the targets of interest. This is a fairly common strategy, but how does it work?
On this episode of In/Organic, we are joined by Chris Barnes, former SVP of Corporate Development at Syndigo, a SaaS and services business backed by Summit Partners and The Jordan Company. Syndigo was scaled to hundreds of millions in revenue through a sophisticated roll-up strategy. Under Chris's leadership, the company acquired twelve companies over 5 years. In this episode, we will discuss how Chris and the team at Syndigo ran their process with a lean team.
Takeaways
- Multiple acquisitions can be a strategic approach for SaaS CEOs to solve specific problems or drive platform expansion.
- Identifying and prioritizing acquisition targets requires thorough research and consideration of factors such as market size, growth potential, and cultural fit.
- Successful integration of acquired companies requires a focus on culture, process alignment, and a great customer experience.
- Investor partners can provide valuable resources and expertise in valuation, pricing strategy, and customer / market feedback.
Highlights
00:00 Introduction
01:23 Chris Barnes’ Background
04:53 Syndigo's Acquisition Model
07:21 Key Players on the M&A Team
09:08 Identifying Acquisition Targets
10:55 Prioritizing Acquisitions
12:18 Qualifying Potential Targets
14:03 Managing Multiple Acquisition Outreaches
17:43 Running Plays to Assess Targets
19:24 The Role of the Acquisition Team
22:38 Evaluating Business Growth Potential
25:17 Valuing an Acquisition
27:10 Involvement of Investor Partners
33:02 Lessons Learned
33:45 Limitations and Risks of Multiple Acquisitions
34:52 Key Takeaways
Connect with Christian & In/organic Podcast
Christian's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hassold/
In/organic on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inorganic-podcast
In/organic on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InorganicPodcast/featured
Connect with Chris Barnes on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-barnes-a0a7022/
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