The M&A Moment

Donald Landwirth

The M&A Moment is an insider's guide to the world of business mergers and acquisitions. Each episode is an examination of the strategy, structure and valuations behind multi-billion dollar corporate deals. We look at the buyer or acquirer’s motivation for acquiring a company whether it be for strategic or financial reasons. We also look at the target or seller’s strategy for choosing a buyout as their exit strategy. From friendly mergers to hostile takeovers, from leveraged buy-outs to cash and stock deals, we cover it all so that you can understand the legal, financial and business rational behind this important business practice. The M and A Moment stars Donald Landwirth, host of “Bay Area Ventures” on SiriusXM’s Business Radio Powered by the Wharton School. Donald is a serial entrepreneur, Silicon Valley veteran and expert in the San Francisco Bay Area way of business. He is joined by Richard Climan, Partner at the law firm of Weil, Gotshal and Manges, LLP. Rick is one of the top M&A Attorneys in the world, having been the lead attorney for hundreds of multi-billion dollar M&A transactions. He is also the former head the American Bar Association’s M&A Committee and routinely teaches mergers and acquisition negotiations and law for the ABA and at some of the top law schools in the world. See: http://www.weil.com/people/richard-climan

Episodes

  1. 0008 April 2017 - MaxLinear acquires Exar Corporation

    04/26/2017

    0008 April 2017 - MaxLinear acquires Exar Corporation

    In this episode of The M&A Moment, I talk with Rick Climan, a partner at Weil, Gotshal and Manges, LLP, about year to date mergers and acquisition numbers, recent deals involving San Francisco Bay Area companies and the mechanics of launching an M&A deal from the seller’s perspective of a publicly traded company. On the day that this show was recorded, Rick’s company was involved with a $28 Billion takeover of CR Bard by Becton-Dickinson. Rick couldn’t discuss much about that but, he does review some of the publicly available information about another recent deal his firm was involved in, PetSmart’s $3.35 Billion acquisition of Chewy.com. Rick and I discuss MaxLiner’s (NYSE: MXL) $660Million takeover of the Bay Area’s Exar Corporation (NASDAQ: EXAR). This deal was of interest to me because MaxLinear’s CEO, Kishore Seendripu, was a classmate of mine at Wharton. Finally, as mentioned, we take an in-depth look at the “mating dance” of M&A from the seller’s perspective. We look at why sellers pursue M&A as a strategy and how they begin the process of setting the value of their firms and making prospective buyers aware of their desire to sell. This episode was recorded during my Bay Area Ventures show on SiriusXM Channel 111 Business Radio Powered by the Wharton School on April 24, 2017. Be sure to check out my Bay Area Ventures show here on Spreaker or on my website www.donaldlandwirth.com. For more information on Rick Climan you can go to www.weil.com/people/richard-climan or go to www.MandAMoment.com.

    15 min
  2. 0006 February 2017 - Cisco acquires AppDynamics plus two health insurance deals crater

    02/21/2017

    0006 February 2017 - Cisco acquires AppDynamics plus two health insurance deals crater

    In this episode of the M&A Moment, Rick Climan of Weil, Gotshal and Manges, LLP, joins me to look at how the year 2017 is starting off in the Mergers and Acquisitions arena. We discuss the dollar volume for January 2017 and how that compares to the same period in 2016. We then discuss whether or not the January figures are a good indicator of how the whole year will fare. The year started off with a couple high flying tech companies being purchased for a fraction of their peak valuations and look at how that might portend for the so call “unicorns” – privately held companies valued over $1 billion. January was also a month where the US government blocked two very large deals that were announced in 2015. Rick talks about those deals and how the Trump administration may or may not act in similar situations going forward. We end the conversation by talking about one very large deal just announced where the target company was simultaneously pursuing an IPO and an acquisition. All this plus Rick’s usual analysis of the legal, financial and strategic thinking behind the M&A markets and these specific deals. This episode was recorded during my Bay Area Ventures show on SiriusXM Channel 111 Business Radio Powered by the Wharton School on February 13, 2017. Be sure to check out my Bay Area Ventures show page here on Spreaker or on my website www.donaldlandwirth.com. For more information on Rick Climan you can go to www.weil.com/people/richard-climan or go to www.MandAMoment.com.

    14 min
  3. 0005 Special 2016 Year in Review and 2017 Forecast

    01/31/2017

    0005 Special 2016 Year in Review and 2017 Forecast

    In this special extended addition of the M&A Moment we take a look back at the highlights and final numbers for the year 2016. We will also take a look ahead at what 2017 might hold in store. Rick Climan of www.weil.com joins me to talk about how 2016 compared to 2015 and discusses some of the biggest deals announced, as well as some of the biggest deals to crater in 2016. Not only does Rick tell us the numbers but he gives us tremendous insights into what’s behind all the strategy, negotiation and legal decisions that led to the results. 2016 was a stellar year but, was it as strong as 2016? Will 2017 be stronger still? What sectors had the most activity? How did US activity compare to global M&A. Were US companies an attractive target for foreign investment and, if so, what countries were the biggest investors? How will the Donald Trump administration impact US and foreign M&A transactions going forward? Will CFIUS reviews be stepped up and will cybercrime or information leaks impact any major deals? Rick and I cover all of this and take calls from listeners, as well. It’s a jam packed episode that will be invaluable for your understanding of M&A and your decision making going forward. This episode was recorded during my Bay Area Ventures show on SiriusXM Channel 111 Business Radio Powered by the Wharton School on January 23, 2017. Be sure to check out my Bay Area Ventures show page here on Spreaker or on my website www.donaldlandwirth.com. For more information on Rick Climan you can go to www.weil.com/people/richard-climan or go to www.MandAMoment.com.

    27 min

About

The M&A Moment is an insider's guide to the world of business mergers and acquisitions. Each episode is an examination of the strategy, structure and valuations behind multi-billion dollar corporate deals. We look at the buyer or acquirer’s motivation for acquiring a company whether it be for strategic or financial reasons. We also look at the target or seller’s strategy for choosing a buyout as their exit strategy. From friendly mergers to hostile takeovers, from leveraged buy-outs to cash and stock deals, we cover it all so that you can understand the legal, financial and business rational behind this important business practice. The M and A Moment stars Donald Landwirth, host of “Bay Area Ventures” on SiriusXM’s Business Radio Powered by the Wharton School. Donald is a serial entrepreneur, Silicon Valley veteran and expert in the San Francisco Bay Area way of business. He is joined by Richard Climan, Partner at the law firm of Weil, Gotshal and Manges, LLP. Rick is one of the top M&A Attorneys in the world, having been the lead attorney for hundreds of multi-billion dollar M&A transactions. He is also the former head the American Bar Association’s M&A Committee and routinely teaches mergers and acquisition negotiations and law for the ABA and at some of the top law schools in the world. See: http://www.weil.com/people/richard-climan