·4 min read
Optionality and M&A Club Partner on Exit Readiness
Optionality AI and the M&A Club partner to help business owners prepare earlier for a sale or transfer, and connect with advisors and buyers sooner.
Blog
Insights for entrepreneurs
Data-backed thinking on valuation, exit planning, and what really moves deal outcomes.
News
What's new at Optionality and across the exit-planning landscape.
EXIT stories
First-hand accounts from founders who sold, transferred, or wound down their company.
·5 min read
EXIT stories with Dominic Gagnon (Connect&GO)
Dominic Gagnon built Connect&GO into a global attraction management platform and sold it to Peek in November 2025. In EXIT Stories #3, he shares what founders rarely hear: how liquidation preferences can erase a valuation, why negotiating from weakness cost him $15M, and why the best buyer wasn't on his list.
·5 min read
EXIT stories with Andrew Lockhead & Simon Boulet (Stay22)
Andrew Lockhead and Simon Boulet, the CEO and COO of Stay22, a travel-tech company that turns content into bookings for thousands of creators and publishers, and that just closed a $122 million investment from Summit Partners.
·5 min read
EXIT stories with Frederic Bastien (Mnubo)
Frederic Bastien, 2x founder and Angel Investor of the Year, shares the story behind the sale of Mnubo for $100M+.
Masterclass
Deep dives into the mechanics of valuation, deal structure, and exit readiness.
·3 min read
6/12 | Bankability: Debt as a Growth Engine
To you, debt means risk and sleepless nights. To a buyer, it's fuel. Most acquirers buy you with borrowed money, repaid by your cash flow. Your ability to carry that debt directly shapes your sale price.
·3 min read
5/12 | Benchmarking: Comparing to Spot Your Opportunities
Sales up, business profitable, bank happy. None of that tells you how you compare to others. And that's where your biggest value gains hide. At 5x EBITDA, an extra $10,000 in EBITDA is worth $50,000 more.
·3 min read
4/12 | Business Risks vs. Multiple
One big client, one supplier, one product. The "Rule of ONE" is the top enemy of your exit check. How a single point of failure can cost you 1x on your multiple, and how to flip the script.
·3 min read
3/12 | Value vs. Price
Buyers look at three pillars: Risk, Transferability, and Comparables. A valuation is an opinion. A price is an agreement.
·3 min read
2/12 | Normalized EBITDA
The profit on your financial statements is almost never the number a buyer will use to write your check. Why? Because your accountant and buyer have different goals.
·3 min read
1/12 | The Myth of Multiples
"It’s worth 5x or 6x." That is probably the most dangerous phrase in M&A. Not because it’s false, but because it’s incomplete.
Industry Reports
Benchmarks, multiples, and market signals from thousands of transactions.
