Buy, Sell, or Wait: M&A Decisions CFOs Are Making Now
M&A for CFOs: Preparing for the Deal Before It Starts
CFO Executive Forum | September 22 | Palo Alto
For CFOs, an M&A transaction rarely begins when a term sheet arrives.
The decisions made months or even years earlier — around financial readiness, reporting, diligence, governance, valuation, legal structure and the management team — can have a major impact on how smoothly a transaction ultimately runs and how much value is created.
Join the CFO Executive Forum for a private evening bringing together senior finance leaders and experienced M&A advisors for a candid discussion about what CFOs need to know before, during and after a transaction.
Rather than focusing on M&A theory, we will explore the practical realities of preparing a company for a deal, navigating diligence and negotiations, working with boards and advisors, and continuing to run the business while a transaction is underway.
What We’ll Discuss
What CFOs should be doing before an M&A opportunity emerges
Preparing the finance organization for diligence
Valuation, deal structure and negotiating leverage
Working effectively with boards, investors, bankers, legal counsel and buyers
Common financial and operational issues that surface during diligence
Managing a transaction while continuing to run the business
What experienced finance leaders wish they had known before their first major deal
Integration and the CFO’s role after a transaction closes
Who Should Attend
This evening is designed for CFOs, VPs of Finance, Heads of Finance and other senior finance executives at venture-backed, growth-stage and private companies.
The CFO Executive Forum is built around candid peer discussion rather than presentations or sales pitches. Attendance is limited and registrations are reviewed to help ensure a high-quality room.
Moderator
Louis Lehot
Partner, Foley & Lardner LLP
Louis will lead the conversation and bring together finance and transaction leaders with direct experience navigating M&A.
Additional speakers will be announced.
Schedule
5:30 PM — Arrival, drinks and networking
6:00 PM — M&A discussion
7:00 PM — Food, drinks and continued conversation
8:00 PM — Close
About the Hosts and Partners
Open Future Forum
Open Future Forum is a global executive community founded in Silicon Valley. Its network reaches tens of thousands of executives and investors worldwide. It runs a year-round calendar of events for senior executives and investors, including CEOs, CFOs, CMOs, CISOs, private equity leaders, founders and AI leaders, through Forum Select invite-only private gatherings and Forum Events open panels.
Open Future Forum also convenes peer groups and executive boards and publishes original research based on first-party survey and qualitative data from its executive network.
Foley & Lardner LLP
Foley & Lardner is a nationally recognized top law firm with a Chambers-ranked venture and emerging companies practice advising founders and venture investors from formation through financings, commercialization, M&A, and scale. We bring the speed, experience, and practicality startups need, with the rigor and deep specialist bench investors expect, so deals get done efficiently and companies stay ready to go from garage to global.
Foley & Lardner is hosting the evening at its Palo Alto office.
Robert Half | Protiviti
Robert Half and Protiviti support finance leaders with specialized talent and consulting expertise across accounting, finance transformation, technology, risk, compliance and business operations.
Silicon Valley Bank
Silicon Valley Bank, a division of First Citizens Bank, works with companies and investors across the innovation economy, providing banking, financing and expertise throughout the company lifecycle.
Heffernan Insurance Brokers
Heffernan Insurance Brokers works with growing companies on business insurance, employee benefits and risk management, helping leadership teams manage increasingly complex risks as their organizations scale.
About the CFO Executive Forum
The CFO Executive Forum by Open Future Forum brings together senior finance executives for private, high-signal conversations about the issues they are navigating in real time.
The format is intentionally small and discussion-led.
No large conference. No sales pitches. Just experienced finance leaders comparing notes on decisions that matter.