Why (or why not) take in new capital?
It’s been a remarkable time in private capital markets. The sheer amount of capital available and “chasing” opportunities has driven up valuations. Innovation and flexibility on the capital side have created more opportunities for entrepreneurs to do the kind of deal they really want, rather than just take what’s being offered. With that background, it’s […]
Mergers and Acquisitions in Manufacturing Automation for 2016
Mergers and acquisitions in Manufacturing Automation for 2016 goes into the books as the year of the big deal. While volume overall was soft (indeed back to 2010 levels), average transaction value was up substantially as the oligopolies focused on capturing market share and extending reach through large, single transactions. Q3 specifically produced an absolute […]
Answers to Questions from Middle Market C-Suite Executives: Part 1
This week Mirus partner Andrew Crain is answering questions from C-suite executives of middle market companies about investment bankers’ role advising private business owners: Question: Ideally, how long before a business is put on the market should an investment banker be involved? What are the risks to involving a banker too early? That’s a great […]
Beware the Spike
The Real Risk of Venture Debt A couple of years ago I was with a med-tech CEO who referred to venture debt as being like a super charger for your car. Strap it on and you get immediate low-end power to accelerate your efforts. Along with the super charger, he explained, a spike gets placed […]
INTERNET of THINGS in Manufacturing Automation
I will be the first to admit that when PTC first declared they were going after the Internet of Things market back in 2013 with their acquisition of ThingWorx for $112M, I was skeptical. When they spent another $170M the next year to further develop the space with their acquisition of Axeda I was dumbfounded. […]
Intellectual Property and Patents
Let’s start with agreeing that everyone hates the patent process; and at least in software, virtually no one believes it offers much protection internationally or domestically. Now, of course, your patent attorney will disagree with that, but fine… they need work too. Having said this: what is intellectual property, what is the real value of […]
What is Company Scalability – Really?
So your banker is asking you if your company and its technology is “Scalable.” “Well of course,” you reply, “we have both large and small customers. Our products scale just fine.” But, while this is a good thing it is only part of the answer. In the IT world, scalability is about numbers of users […]
My Company is Growing – Why Am I Running Out of Cash?
I recently attended a breakfast seminar at XPX Boston where four members of B2B CFO, Frank Armenio, Ken Sommer, Leo Casey, and Randy Walther shared their perspectives and war stories about how fast growing companies find themselves running out of cash. So how do companies get in this position? They spend money without a plan (projected […]
