The road to selling you company has many obstacles, some of which could significantly diminish the proceeds from your company’s sale or even make a transaction unattractive to your most attractive buyers.  What are these danger areas and how can you avoid them while running your company to maximize exit value?  Our panel of experts will share their experiences and lessons learned from a myriad of company sales through the three major phases of the sale process: the operational phase and the decision to sell; the pre-sale phase, including internal planning and selecting the best path to market; and, the transactional phase, with a focus on negotiating the best transactional terms attainable.

Take-aways include:

• The sooner you start preparing for your sale, the better the results will be.  But how soon is too soon?  And is it really worth it: How much better will the end results be?
• Strategies for preparing and “packaging” your company for sale.
• The typical process—from hand shake to term sheet to definitive agreement.
• How can you anticipate what buyers look for and find attractive as well as unattractive—and even deal-killers? 

After discussing the pitfalls for each phase, the panelists will invite the attendees to pose their questions and participate in the discussion.

Panelists:

• Charles Curto, Managing Principal of Tech Coast Equity Group, an investment banking boutique that focuses on mergers and acquisitions
• Phil Harding, Chairman of M-Flex
• Michael Mulroy, a transaction attorney and Partner at Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth, who specializes in mergers and acquisitions

Who should attend—Attendance will be limited to 20 company founders, owners and investors to maximize interaction between participants and panelists.  Note that professional service providers will be invited to attend other events in this series.

About the Panelists:

Charles Curto

Charles Curto is founder and Managing Principal of Tech Coast Equity Group. TCEG is an investment banking boutique which focuses on acquisitions, strategic alliances and exit strategies for middle market and high potential early stage businesses. A seasoned mergers and acquisitions professional who has structured and executed a variety of transactions in the U.S. and overseas, Mr. Curto has also held senior positions with three other Southern California M&A advisories. Prior to that, he spent more than twenty years in acquisitions and corporate finance, including serving as Director of Planning and Development for The Santa Cruz Operation, Manager of Business Development for Rockwell International, and Assistant Treasurer—International Finance for TRW. Charles earned his B.S. in Mathematics from Boston College and his M.B.A. in Finance from Columbia University.

Phil Harding 

Phil Harding has served as Chairman of Multi-Fineline Electronix since 2003 and a director since 1988.  He was the CEO of M-Flex from 1988 until 2009, during which it made many acquisitions under his direction.  With annual net sales of $764 million and a market cap of almost $600 million, M-Flex is one of the world's largest producers of flexible printed circuits with component assemblies.  It has operations in Anaheim and Suzhou, China. 

Mr. Harding holds a BSEE from Cooper Union College and an MS from Columbia University.    In June 2006, he received the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Orange County, for Achievement in Technology.  In 2007, MFLEX was recognized as one of the fastest growing technology companies in Orange County with a Deloitte 2007 Orange County Technology Fast 50 Award.

Michael Mulroy

Michael Mulroy practices general corporate law for public and private companies with specific emphasis on mergers & acquisitions, securities law and corporate governance at  Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth.

Mr. Mulroy returned to SYCR in 2003 after working for six years as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch and Citigroup. As an investment banker, he advised corporate clients across a variety of industries in connection with financings, sale transactions, spin-offs, friendly and hostile acquisitions, proxy contests and corporate defense.

He received his J.D. in 1993 from the University of California, Los Angeles. During law school, he completed an internship in the Office of Mergers and Acquisitions at the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, DC. He received his B.A. in 1988 from the University of Chicago.