Excendio surveys IT founders on selling their companies

Excendio Advisors says it completed a survey of founders who sold IT services and software businesses over the past 23 years. The firm plans to turn the findings into reports and educational materials to help owners prepare earlier and avoid common deal-making mistakes.

Why it matters: - The survey captures seller-side lessons that are often missing from buyer-focused M&A research. - Excendio Advisors says the findings are meant to help IT founders make better timing, valuation and preparation decisions before a sale. - The research also looks at the emotional side of selling, including how a transaction can affect employees, family and an owner’s identity.

What happened: - Excendio Advisors completed a survey of IT business founders who successfully sold their companies during the past 23 years. - Cristian Anastasiu, founder and managing partner of Excendio Advisors, said the firm wanted direct accounts from founders who had lived through the process. - The survey summary is available at IT Founders M&A Survey.

The details: - Participants were asked about preparing a company for sale, choosing the right time to sell, evaluating buyers and weighing company culture. - The survey also covered valuation and deal terms, due diligence, and how founders prepared employees, customers and family members for the transition. - Other topics included mistakes, misconceptions, unexpected developments and the role of M&A advisors, attorneys and accountants. - Excendio says the survey was designed to capture candid insights that are rarely reflected in valuation reports, transaction databases or traditional M&A literature. - Anastasiu said a company sale is often the culmination of decades of work and can affect an owner’s employees, family, identity and financial future. - Excendio plans to publish the findings in reports that will highlight common lessons, surprises and recommendations from participating founders. - The firm also plans to use selected findings in articles, presentations and educational materials for owners of IT services, software and technology-enabled businesses. - The report will examine how seller perspectives may have changed as the IT M&A market has evolved, including shifts in private equity participation, buyer structures, due diligence expectations, transaction complexity and the importance of recurring revenue.

Between the lines: - The project reflects a broader push to pair transaction data with firsthand founder experience. - Excendio is positioning ITechQUITY, its proprietary M&A intelligence platform, as the research engine behind its advisory work. - The survey is also a marketing asset for the firm, but the stated goal is to help sellers approach a one-time transaction with more clarity.

What's next: - Excendio will release forthcoming reports based on the survey findings. - The firm expects to feature selected results in future content and educational materials. - Excendio says the research should help founders prepare earlier, ask better questions and avoid preventable mistakes before and during a sale. - The company’s broader ITechQUITY platform will continue tracking technology transactions, buyer criteria and market activity to inform seller decisions.

The bottom line: - Excendio is using founder feedback to build a seller-focused view of IT M&A, with the goal of making future exits less opaque and more strategic.