Blogs

What Is an Earnout in M&A and How Does It Work? When a buyer and seller cannot agree on what a business is worth, they do not always walk away from the table. Instead, they often reach for a mechanism that lets both sides share the risk of getting valuation right over time. That mechanism is an earnout in M&A, one of the most useful and most misunderstood tools in any deal negotiation. For business owners considering a sale, understanding how an earnout in M&A works can mean the difference between leaving money on the table and structuring a deal that reflects your company's real potential. What Is an Earnout in M&A? An earnout in M&A, formally called contingent consideration, is a structure where the buyer pays...

M&A Negotiation and Deal Structuring: A Founder's Guide to IT Services M&A Deal Structures Every founder who has sat across the table from an acquirer remembers the moment the conversation shifted from "how much" to "how." A promising IT services company in Pune had two offers in the same week: a higher headline number and a lower one. The founder took the lower offer. Why? The higher one buried three years of earnouts, a two-year non-compete, and a working capital clawback worth nearly a fifth of the price. That's what IT services M&A deal structures reveal, again and again: the number on the term sheet's first page rarely tells the real story. Why IT Services M&A Deal Structures Matter More Than the Headline Valuation Valuation gets the...

A merger might close on paper in a single afternoon, but real Post-Merger Success takes months of careful work after the ink dries. Two companies rarely think alike, and that mismatch is exactly what puts Post-Merger Success at risk early on. They use different tools, run different meetings, and often measure success in different ways. When leadership focuses only on financials and legal terms, team integration gets pushed to the back burner — and that's usually where deals start to unravel. Achieving Post-Merger Success means treating people, not just paperwork, as the priority from day one. This guide walks through what actually drives Post-Merger Success once the deal is signed. Why Team Integration Determines Post-Merger Success Most merger failures aren't about bad math. They're about culture clashes...

Should You Sell Your Company? Signs It's Time for an M&A Exit Every founder reaches a point where the business runs them instead of the other way around. If you're lying awake wondering whether it's time to sell, you're already circling the question that separates two paths forward: keep pushing, or pursue an M&A exit. An M&A exit, merging with or being acquired by another company, isn't just a financial transaction. It's the culmination of years spent building something from nothing, and getting the timing right matters almost as much as getting the price right. Wait too long and value erodes. Sell too early and you leave money on the table. Here are the signs worth watching before you make the call. When Growth Plateaus, It May...

How M&A and Fundraising Advisory Can Help Your Business Scale Smarter Most founders don't think about M&A and fundraising advisory until they're already stuck trying to raise a round with a messy cap table, or fielding an acquisition offer they don't know how to evaluate. That's usually too late to get the best outcome. Whether you're raising capital, selling your company, or acquiring another one, professional M&A and fundraising advisory changes how the deal actually unfolds. Advisors bring valuation discipline and negotiating leverage that most operating teams don't have in-house. At Exigo Consulting, we work with founders and boards across India to make sure the numbers, timeline, and deal terms work in their favor. What M&A and Fundraising Advisory Actually Covers M&A and fundraising advisory isn't one...

M&A Trends Every Business Owner Should Know Mergers and acquisitions used to be something only large corporations worried about. That's no longer true. Mid-sized companies, family businesses, and even fast-growing startups are now active participants in deal-making, which means understanding current M&A trends has become essential for any owner thinking about growth, succession, or an eventual exit. Markets shift, buyer appetite changes, and the rules of a good deal evolve year to year. Owners who stay informed about the latest M&A trends tend to negotiate from a position of strength rather than scrambling to catch up once a buyer is already at the table. Strategic Buyers Are Outpacing Pure Financial Plays One of the clearest M&A trends right now is the growing dominance of strategic buyers over...

Common Challenges in Mergers and Acquisitions India has become one of the most active M&A markets in Asia. Dealmaking is no longer the preserve of large corporations mid-market businesses, startups, and family enterprises are all in the mix. And yet, for every transaction that closes cleanly, several stumble not because the rationale was flawed, but because execution was underestimated. M&A challenges in India are real, layered, and often invisible until it is too late to course-correct. Understanding M&A challenges in India before signing anything is the single most effective risk-management step an acquirer can take. Every business that has grappled with M&A challenges in India will say the same: deals that go wrong rarely fail at the table they fail in preparation that never happened. This blog...

How Investors Evaluate Companies Before Funding Raising capital is one of the most important milestones in a company’s growth journey. However, securing investment is not only about presenting a strong business idea. Investors carefully examine multiple aspects of a business before making a funding decision. Understanding How Investors Evaluate Companies Before Funding can help businesses prepare effectively and improve their chances of attracting the right investment. At Exigo Consulting, we work with businesses to help them become investment-ready by aligning financial strategy, valuation expectations, and investor requirements. Why Investor Evaluation Matters   Investors are not simply investing money they are investing in future growth, returns, and long-term business potential. Before committing capital, investors perform a detailed assessment to understand opportunities, risks, scalability, and sustainability. A structured evaluation...