Confluence.VC is the operating playbook for venture and growth equity investors. Since launching, membership has grown to include:

1,509 members 👥 from 1,059 funds 💸 across 149 different cities 🌎

This week we had on Andrew Gazdecki (@agazdecki) at MicroAcquire.

MicroAcquire has become the marketplace for startup M&A, and since launching a year ago, it has already helped facilitate 500+ exits. Andrew has built up a brand as one of the most-liked people within tech, and we had a ton of fun picking his brain on a number of different topics.

In this talk, we discuss:

• How the M&A process puts startups at a disadvantage

• Media portraying the wrong image of entrepreneurship

• Replacing traditional gatekeepers

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2sGJur4xDswnZtmKpQ3p3p

Takeaways:

• Most founders have no idea how to get acquired, and options are limited. In an M&A event, the balance of power favors buyers since they have often been through the process before.

• Build products that you would use yourself before you push it to any customer.

• Investment banks will take months to close your M&A process and will also take a massive fee. This is the default option for most, but sellers should understand these risks before relying on banks to close transactions.

• More interactions are shifting online, and marketplaces are competing for trust more than attention. MicroAcquire is capitalizing on this while also improving transparency on both sides of its marketplace.

• There's a different phase of startup building that is less covered. Established media primarily focuses only on larger rounds and venture-backed businesses. This doesn't cover 99% of startups.

• Louder voices do not mean more accurate voices. Choose your information sources wisely, or else you will be pitched a distorted view of reality.

• The old gatekeepers prospered by keeping access to a select few. The new gatekeepers will prosper by allowing access to a wider audience.

Confluence.VC is the operating playbook for venture and growth equity investors. Since launching, membership has grown to include:

1,509 members 👥 from 1,059 funds 💸 across 149 different cities 🌎

This week we had on Andrew Gazdecki (@agazdecki) at MicroAcquire.

MicroAcquire has become the marketplace for startup M&A, and since launching a year ago, it has already helped facilitate 500+ exits. Andrew has built up a brand as one of the most-liked people within tech, and we had a ton of fun picking his brain on a number of different topics.

In this talk, we discuss:

• How the M&A process puts startups at a disadvantage

• Media portraying the wrong image of entrepreneurship

• Replacing traditional gatekeepers

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2sGJur4xDswnZtmKpQ3p3p

Takeaways:

• Most founders have no idea how to get acquired, and options are limited. In an M&A event, the balance of power favors buyers since they have often been through the process before.

• Build products that you would use yourself before you push it to any customer.

• Investment banks will take months to close your M&A process and will also take a massive fee. This is the default option for most, but sellers should understand these risks before relying on banks to close transactions.

• More interactions are shifting online, and marketplaces are competing for trust more than attention. MicroAcquire is capitalizing on this while also improving transparency on both sides of its marketplace.

• There's a different phase of startup building that is less covered. Established media primarily focuses only on larger rounds and venture-backed businesses. This doesn't cover 99% of startups.

• Louder voices do not mean more accurate voices. Choose your information sources wisely, or else you will be pitched a distorted view of reality.

• The old gatekeepers prospered by keeping access to a select few. The new gatekeepers will prosper by allowing access to a wider audience.