Aligned IQ M&A puts potential business sellers in the driver’s seat by giving them complete control over which vetted buyers, if
any, are worthy of their time and an introduction.
As a B2B,
Industry Vertical centric M&A platform, its proprietary scoring process ensures potential buyer matches have knowledge, experience, and an active acquisition mandate in your industry.
No Fees for Sellers
Aligned IQ M&A does not charge any subscription, service, or success fees for business sellers. Users have full access to all features on the platform.
Aligned IQ VDR, a secure, professional virtual dataroom is complimentary for Sellers after their first match on the platform.
Easy to Use
Getting started is easy. You can book a demo or we can set up your profile for you. You should be up and running in approximately 30 minutes. Soon you should be able to assess the best strategic matches for your business, based on your objectives and priorities.
Confidential and Secure
Potential buyers never get access to your information, other than your pre-approved, anonymous profile; and then only after your approval. You are in full control, all the time. Financial information and any your transaction objectives are only used to identify potential matches and are never shared with potential buyers.
Potential buyers cannot simply browse the platform and “fish” for deals.
No Obligations for Sellers
Business sellers choose who and if anyone can access their detailed profile (other than financials and transaction objectives) on the platform and decide whether an introduction is warranted. Once connected on the platform and under NDA, each party can communicate and/or share whatever information they want on of off the platform.
How it Works
Step 1
Register, sign our user agreement, and complete your profile along with an outline of your deal objectives. This will takes about 30 minutes or you can book an appointment and we will set you up.
A customizable, no-names summary Confidential Information Profile (AKA a “Teaser” but without any financials) will be generated that remains invisible to Buyer/Investors on the platform until you release it to buyers you approve.
Step 2
Using proprietary data analytics and “human-in-the-loop” process, the platform scores vetted Buyer/Investor candidates against your profile and deal objectives.
Soon, you receive a notice that a potential Aligned IQ M&A “Match” has been identified based on your confidential profile and transaction objectives.
Step 3
After reviewing the potential Buyer/Investor’s “Confidential Acquisition Mandate,” it is up to you to decide if you would like to get introduced on the platform to the candidate.
You can choose up to three candidates at any given time.
If you choose to connect with and accept the Match with a Buyer/Investor candidate, you will be asked to accept the Aligned IQ M&A basic NDA terms.
Don’t worry, you and the potential Buyer/Investor can supersede these with your own NDA, once the Match is complete.
Step 4
We notify the Buyer/Investor candidate and provide them with your pre-approved, no-names “Confidential Information Profile”. No financials are shared by Aligned IQ M&A. It is up to you to decide when it is appropriate to share financials and other confidential information.
The Buyer/Investor can decide to proceed or decline the Match.
Step 5
Once mutual interest is confirmed, and the buyer/investor candidate agrees to the NDA terms, the online introductory messaging is facilitated on the Aligned IQ M&A platform, and the identity and profile of each party are now accessible by each respective party (except for financial information and transaction objectives).
Step 6
You can now have more detailed discussions directly with any of the selected counterparties, on or off the platform, set up your free virtual dataroom on Aligned IQ VDR, or go back and select additional buyer/investor candidates to meet on Aligned IQ M&A (up to 3).
frequently asked questions
BONUS!
We provide a complimentary, secure virtual dataroom for Seller clients after a match is completed on the Aligned IQ M&A platform.
Established profitable companies that operate in one or more of the Aligned IQ M&A Industry Verticals.
Some buyers may be open to acquiring distressed companies or high-growth companies that are not yet profitable but have an enterprise value of $5-10 million or more.
Businesses that are substantially smaller than $5-10 million in revenue may not generate strong interest from the corporate and financial buyers on the platform.
Business owners should also be looking for an eventual sale of 100%, a majority, or at least a significant minority (eg, 25%) of the business, and where the expectations of the new owner would be to be actively involved in managing or overseeing the business, post-acquisition.
Start-ups or high-growth early-stage companies looking to raise capital are not suitable for Aligned IQ M&A.
Users on the platform cannot view or browse your business profile information. Select information is used to generate a no-names “Confidential Information Profile” that is sent to potential Buyer/Investors on the platform, but only after you have reviewed their “Confidential Acquisition Mandate” and have accepted the proposed Aligned IQ M&A Match.
You are in full control of what is revealed in your no-names “Confidential Information Profile”.
Aligned IQ M&A requires 2FA for all users. It is hosted on one of the most secure platforms in the industry that adheres to security controls for ISO 27001, ISO 27018, SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC3, FedRAMP, HITRUST, MTCS, IRAP, and ENS.
Once you have completed your first match, you will be given access to our secure virtual datroom for free, where you can share documents, files, control access with granular level permissions, etc. Visit Aligned IQ VDR for more details.
You may know the likely candidates, but many transactions happen every day between unlikely candidates. Aligned IQ M&A helps you discover Buyer/Investor candidates with active acquisition mandates that you may not be aware of.
That’s one option; however, the reality is that many inbound inquiries are generic “fishing expeditions.” Once they get a “nibble”, they dig in deeper to learn more about your business and industry. Of course, there are many exceptions, but Aligned IQ M&A is built around buyers with active and specific buy-mandates in your Industry Vertical that are continually being updated, so any match should be a good fit.
If you are in active discussions with more than three potential Buyers/Investors at any given time, you should seriously consider hiring an Investment Bank and running a traditional M&A process. The platform is designed to provide potential Buyers/Investors with semi-proprietary access to potential sellers and the opportunity to explore and build a strategic relationship as a first step.
Aligned IQ M&A is primarily designed to facilitate direct discussions between potential business buyers and sellers. However, if you have hired an intermediary or are working with an M&A Service Provider, such as a consultant or lawyer, they can set you up on the Aligned IQ M&A platform.
If your M&A Intermediary is broadly “shopping” your business and/or researching potential buyers, Aligned IQ M&A is not for you.
Most are subscription-based and used primarily by Investment Banks or other intermediaries to generate buyer lists for the business sellers they represent. The best ones are very expensive and can cost thousands of dollars.
Aligned IQ M&A is free for potential sellers and, therefore, is much more suitable when there is no set timeline for closing a deal. Buyer candidates are matched based on their active buy mandates for companies like yours.
We ask that you keep us updated on the status of any of the introductions that were facilitated on the platform. We send periodic reminders, however agreeing to keep us updated is a condition of User Agreement.
While getting off to a good start begins with a productive dialogue with a buyer, the deal negotiation process is complex, and most sellers need to assemble an M&A team that includes outside advisors on tax issues, estate planning, negotiation of the deal terms, legal, etc.
The Aligned IQ M&A platform has numerous vetted M&A service providers, all at your fingertips. This allows you to select the right advisors based on your specific needs.
Educate yourself. Selling your business can be complex, even when you have experience in M&A and a highly competent internal team and external professional advisors. Subscribing to blog articles is also a great place to start.
No problem. Either you, your Intermediary, or your advisor can set up your profile on Aligned IQ M&A. If your M&A Advisor or Intermediary sets up your profile, we will still require your approval before we can set you up on Aligned IQ and before your “Confidential Information Profile” is sent to a potential Buyer/Investor that is matched on the platform.
No problem. If you are already up and running on Aligned IQ M&A, you just need to let us know. If you’re not, you or your M&A intermediary can upload your profile, but you will be limited to introductions to three potential buyers on the platform.
Aligned IQ M&A allows business sellers to get to know the strategy and experience of any potential Buyer/Investor as a first step. It is a “people and experience first” approach that allows potential business sellers to “feel out” the market in a confidential but meaningful way.
Book an appointment so we can help you set up your profile, walk you through the process, and get you on your way by discovering the best buyer/investor candidates on the platform that best meet your needs.