What Really Happens Inside an Acquisition (From Both Sides of the Table)
Every M&A announcement gets a press release. Very few people hear what happened in the months before the deal is announced.
In this live virtual event we're bringing together two perspectives that rarely share a stage: the acquirer and the acquired.
Join us for a conversation on what corporate development teams actually look for when evaluating startup acquisitions, how they run their M&A process, and what founders can do to get (and keep) an acquirer’s attention.
What We'll Cover:
Building acquirer relationships when you're not actively selling
The internal dynamics on the corp dev side that founders never see
The signals acquirers use to identify targets before diligence even begins
The things that can derail a deal, or accelerate one
Panelists:
Julien Denaes: Senior Director of Product Management at Bill.com, bringing deep technical expertise to collaborations with engineering and driving innovation across the platform.
Scott Haylon: Senior Director of Corporate Development at Datadog, completing over a dozen acquisitions, resulting in new Datadog products across observability, testing, and security.
Kevin Hu - Co-founder of Metaplane, leading the company through a $22M raise and its 2025 acquisition by Datadog. Kevin now leads Data Observability at Datadog.
Moderated by John Gannon, founder of Venture5.
Presented by Bill.com
BILL (NYSE: BILL) is a leader in financial automation software for small and midsize businesses (SMBs). We are dedicated to automating the future of finance so businesses can thrive. Hundreds of thousands of businesses trust BILL solutions to manage financial workflows, including payables, receivables, and spend and expense management.
Disclaimer:
The information provided is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. Attendees are advised to consult with qualified financial professionals or advisors regarding their specific investment needs and objectives. Participation in this event does not guarantee any investment outcomes. Your registration information may be shared with our partners, and by signing up for this event, you consent to being contacted via email, SMS, and other means.