Deal structure
Austria and Czech Republic
If you are going to stay on in management at the business, as with a PE investor, you should give careful thought to the cultural fit and your ongoing employment rights / rights as an executive according to the service agreement. It is understandable for your main focus to be on getting the deal over the line but asking the right questions about what "integration" means for you and your team and what support and investment the business will be given following completion of the sale is important. Doing this before you hand over the keys to your business and relinquish negotiating power is key.
In terms of process and documentation, compared to private equity buyers, strategic buyers sometimes have less flexibility on terms, sometimes having an internal "playbook" they need to follow, and can be slower and more cautious, particularly if it is a first time or transformational deal for them. They also commonly want to receive a great deal of information about the strategic and technical elements of the business (beware the business and legal hazards in doing that!), but there may be less of a focus on short-term financials than a PE investor would have and the due diligence process may otherwise be simpler given the buyer's greater existing knowledge of the market.
Poland
If you are going to stay on in management at the business, as with a PE investor, you should give careful thought to the cultural fit and your ongoing employment rights. It is understandable for your main focus to be on getting the deal over the line but asking the right questions about what "integration" means for you and your team and what support and investment the business will be given following completion of the sale is important. Doing this before you hand over the keys to your business and relinquish negotiating power is key.
In terms of process and documentation, compared to private equity buyers strategic buyers sometimes have less flexibility on terms, sometimes having an internal "playbook" they need to follow, and can be slower and more cautious, particularly if it is a first time or transformational deal for them. They also commonly want to receive a great deal of information about the strategic and technical elements of the business (beware the business and legal hazards in doing that!), but there may be less of a focus on short-term financials than a PE investor would have and the due diligence process may otherwise be simpler given the buyer's greater existing knowledge of the market.
Hungary
If you are going to stay on in management at the business, as with a PE investor, you should give careful thought to the cultural fit and your ongoing employment rights. It is understandable for your main focus to be on getting the deal over the line but asking the right questions about what "integration" means for you and your team and what support and investment the business will be given following completion of the sale is important. Doing this before you hand over the keys to your business and relinquish negotiating power is key.
In terms of process and documentation, compared to private equity buyers strategic buyers sometimes have less flexibility on terms, sometimes having an internal "playbook" they need to follow, and can be slower and more cautious, particularly if it is a first time or transformational deal for them. They also commonly want to receive a great deal of information about the strategic and technical elements of the business (beware the business and legal hazards in doing that!), but there may be less of a focus on short-term financials than a PE investor would have and the due diligence process may otherwise be simpler given the buyer's greater existing knowledge of the market.
Slovakia
If you are going to stay on in management at the business, as with a PE investor, you should give careful thought to the cultural fit and your ongoing employment rights. It is understandable for your main focus to be on getting the deal over the line but asking the right questions about what "integration" means for you and your team and what support and investment the business will be given following completion of the sale is important. Doing this before you hand over the keys to your business and relinquish negotiating power is key.
In terms of process and documentation, compared to private equity buyers strategic buyers sometimes have less flexibility on terms, sometimes having an internal "playbook" they need to follow, and can be slower and more cautious, particularly if it is a first time or transformational deal for them. They also commonly want to receive a great deal of information about the strategic and technical elements of the business (beware the business and legal hazards in doing that!), but there may be less of a focus on short-term financials than a PE investor would have and the due diligence process may otherwise be simpler given the buyer's greater existing knowledge of the market.