| name | ma-playbook |
| description | Manage — M&A strategy for acquiring companies or being acquired. Due diligence, valuation, integration, and deal structure. Use when evaluating acquisitions, preparing for acquisition, M&A |
| license | MIT |
| metadata | {"version":"1.0.0","author":"Alireza Rezvani","category":"c-level","domain":"ma-strategy","updated":"2026-03-05T00:00:00.000Z"} |
| executor | LLM_BEHAVIOR |
| skill_id | business.c-level-advisor.ma-playbook |
| status | ADOPTED |
| security | {"level":"standard","pii":false,"approval_required":false} |
| anchors | ["business","design"] |
| tier | 2 |
| input_schema | [{"name":"code_or_task","type":"string","description":"Code snippet, script, or task description to process","required":true}] |
| output_schema | [{"name":"plan","type":"string","description":"Strategic plan or design document"},{"name":"next_steps","type":"array","description":"List of recommended next steps"}] |
M&A Playbook
Frameworks for both sides of M&A: acquiring companies and being acquired.
Keywords
M&A, mergers and acquisitions, due diligence, acquisition, acqui-hire, integration, deal structure, valuation, LOI, term sheet, earnout
Quick Start
Acquiring: Start with strategic rationale → target screening → due diligence → valuation → negotiation → integration.
Being Acquired: Start with readiness assessment → data room prep → advisor selection → negotiation → transition.
When You're Acquiring
Strategic Rationale (answer before anything else)
- Buy vs Build: Can you build this faster/cheaper? If yes, don't acquire.
- Acqui-hire vs Product vs Market: What are you really buying? Talent? Technology? Customers?
- Integration complexity: How hard is it to merge this into your company?
Due Diligence Checklist
| Domain | Key Questions | Red Flags |
|---|
| Financial | Revenue quality, customer concentration, burn rate | >30% revenue from 1 customer |
| Technical | Code quality, tech debt, architecture fit | Monolith with no tests |
| Legal | IP ownership, pending litigation, contracts | Key IP owned by individuals |
| People | Key person risk, culture fit, retention risk | Founders have no lockup/earnout |
| Market | Market position, competitive threats | Declining market share |
| Customers | Churn rate, NPS, contract terms | High churn, short contracts |
Valuation Approaches
- Revenue multiple: Industry-dependent (2-15x ARR for SaaS)
- Comparable transactions: What similar companies sold for
- DCF: For profitable companies only (most startups: use multiples)
- Acqui-hire: $1-3M per engineer in hot markets
Integration Frameworks
See references/integration-playbook.md for the 100-day integration plan.
When You're Being Acquired
Readiness Signals
- Inbound interest from strategic buyers
- Market consolidation happening around you
