Skip to content

    Sell-Side M&A

    Sell-side M&A is advising the owner of a company on its sale: preparing it, valuing it, finding the buyers and running the process until the deal closes.

    What a business sells for is negotiated on the numbers and discounted on the records. (read where we wrote it)

    Mainly for

    3 to 6Months a private sale in India usually takes to close

    Where is the price of a sale really settled?

    Mostly before a buyer sees anything. Most sales in India are negotiated with one buyer, not run as auctions. So the preparation and the buyer list carry most of the weight.

    The bigger the circle, the more of the price is settled there.

    1. The preparation

      Earnings restated, the books reconciled with the GST and statutory filings, and the data room built. A problem found now can still be fixed.

      What a diligence team checks first

    2. Value and shape

      Three methods set against each other. Then the shares or the business, all of it or part, and what the owner keeps.

      Business Valuation

    3. The buyers

      Companies in the same or a nearby business, funds, family offices and searchers. Each one pays for something different.

    4. Teaser, NDA, memorandum

      A short teaser goes out first. Those who sign an NDA then read the information memorandum, in a planned order.

    5. Offers, then exclusivity

      Offers compared on price and terms, not accepted one at a time. Then a letter of intent, and exclusivity on a timetable.

    6. The buyer's diligence

      Usually about three years of records, answered from the data room. A problem the owner disclosed is easier to settle than one the buyer finds.

      Due Diligence

    7. The SPA and closing

      The share purchase agreement, its warranties and the conditions to closing, held together until the money moves.

    What does the sell-side team do for an owner?

    Getting the company ready, setting its value and shape, finding the buyers, and running the process to closing.

    How we work

    Where next in Sell-Side M&A?

    Sell-Side M&A pages

    • How we workFrom ready to sold

      We get the company ready before any buyer sees it, then set its value and shape. We approach the right buyers in order, and hold the deal together until the money moves.

    • InsightsInsights on selling a company

      Our team writes about what a buyer checks first, and why the records decide how much of the price survives diligence.