ma-playbook

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