Guy King
Co-Founder of RetailMeNot
Sold to WhaleShark Media
Bevan Clark
Co-Founder of RetailMeNot
Sold to WhaleShark Media
Nick Greer
Founder of One on One Marketing
Investment from Rockbridge Growth Equity
Founder of Trouve Media
Sold to Bankrate
Dan Siciliano
Co-Founder of LawLogix and
Associate Dean - Stanford Law School
Al Abhari
Founder of Internet Media
Investment from Kennet Partners
Jason Strober
Co-Founder of Swish Marketing
Tim Whitehorn
Founder of ServiceU
Sold to Active Network
Al Abhari
Founder of Academix Direct
Investment From Kennet
Al is a serial entrepreneur with significant experience in the online consumer advertising market. He brings a unique combination of intuitive marketing sense, industry passion, and technology background that has been solidified by a decade of business building in the performance based online advertising space. Al started Academix Direct in 2004 with his wife Jamie Claire and experienced tremendous success early on. Given their immediate success, the company was focused on how best to scale the infrastructure of the company to keep pace with the expanding market opportunity. Academix Direct received an investment from Kennet Partners in late 2008 to secure growth capital and access liquidity for the founders.
We were fortunate in the partners we found at Kennet. During our process, we met numerous potential investors and had significant interactions with a few. During the process it can be difficult to differentiated between the investors. One of the key criteria we used to choose our eventual partner was fit, not only culturally but also as it relates to our shared vision of the business. We saw great opportunities with Kennet and they believed in what we were trying to achieve and could assist us in scaling the business further. We knew that our discussions and interactions during the M&A process would be indicative of how our eventual relationship would be. We knew by the end that Kennet would pave the way to a very exciting future for the Company and an a bigger exit. Kennet has helped us build a world-class team which has enabled us to continue on our strong growth trajectory.
How much time it takes. I understood that a thorough process takes time, but it also requires constant energy and management bandwidth. The due diligence was endless and the conference calls were constant. It can be a very draining experience. Having the right set of advisors, strategic as well as legal is extremely important.
Our Advisor was crucial to the success of our transaction, from the beginning to end. We felt that they took the time to understand the business and help us think about marketing from an investor’s perspective. They created the framework on how to go to market. They also found the right investors with a strategic vision and were tenacious at getting people to the table. They fought for us every step of the way as if it was their company as well. Stepping back, I did not know what I was getting into. I ran a great business and I understood each facet of it, but when it came to the buyers, investors, lawyers, and positioning, I did not know what to expect. There are many aspects to the M&A process that you do not know exists, but I had the right team in place to find a great investor and we were able to complete a very successful transaction.
The above testimonial may not be representative of the experience of other clients and is no guarantee of future performance or success.