Flat Fees Subscriptions

Flat Fees Subscriptions

Resources

Start HereWhat to read at each stage.Founder FAQ215 answers to the questions founders ask.Founder GuidesLonger reads on the big decisions.Case StudiesHow Westaway helped startups win.Due Diligence ChecklistGet your checklist before you raise.Book a call

M&A

Buy, merge or sell, from the letter of intent to the closing, with the deal priced before it starts.

MergerMerging with another company, from letter of intent to close.Custom flat fee→AcquisitionBuying or being bought, with the deal documents and diligence run for you.Custom flat fee→

How to get started

01Book a call.Tell us about the deal: who's buying, who's selling and where things stand.

02Get your flat fee.We scope the deal and send the scope and price in writing before any work starts.

03Get to work.Sign the engagement letter and we kick off right away.

Not sure what’s right for you? Book a call, and we’ll figure it out together.

Questions founders ask about M&A

Plain-English answers from the Founder FAQ.

Startup acquisitions: the 3 types of deals and how a sale worksThe three types of startup acquisitions and three deal structures: how a sale works, what an LOI binds you to, and protecting your data from a buyer.How do I read an acquisition LOI? The economics that matterHow to read an acquisition LOI: headline vs net price, payout waterfall, cash vs buyer stock, options, escrow, earnouts, closing certainty and 280G.Escrow, holdbacks and indemnification: how much of the purchase price do I actually get?How escrow, holdbacks and indemnity work in a startup sale, with a $20M example of what founders get at closing and later, with and without R&W insurance.How does an earnout work, and how do I negotiate one?How acquisition earnouts work: metrics, sliding scales vs cliffs, catch-ups, operating covenants, acceleration and disputes, with a worked $25M example.What if the sale price is less than the preference stack? Carve-outs, retention and the board's dutiesWhen a startup sells for less than its preferences, common gets nothing. How carve-outs, retention and waivers fix it, and what the board must do.What happens to my employees in an acquisition?What happens to employees when a startup is sold: stock vs asset deals, key employee conditions, retention, layoffs, WARN, benefits and the announcement.Getting paid in buyer stock: what to check before you accept itBefore taking buyer stock in a startup sale, check how it's priced, its class, when you can sell, the buyer's preference stack and who gets cash instead.What happens to stock options when a startup is acquired?What happens to the option pool and employee options in an acquisition: unallocated pool cancelled, vested options cashed out, unvested assumed or not.

All 11 M&A questions →