We guide business owners to achieve their M&A goals with a radical approach to collaboration with all involved, ensuring a straightforward, honest process while driving a successful outcome that maximizes value.
We deliver an organized, transparent, and supportive experience throughout the transaction with a unique method tailored to meet each client’s needs until the culmination of their deal.
Athena M&A was founded by three visionary women united by a passion for their work and a commitment to fostering a supportive environment where client relations and innovative creative solutions thrive.
Drawing upon over 55 years of combined expertise in operations, development, procurement, marketing, finance, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A), they created Athena M&A with a mission to offer a more personalized, high-touch client experience in sharp contrast with the impersonal nature often found in larger firms. Our mission goes beyond client success, striving to cultivate a professional and nurturing workplace that leads to meaningful connections and successful outcomes.
Guided by the core philosophy of "when one wins, we all win," Athena M&A is dedicated to empowering both clients and team members, ensuring that collective success is at the heart of everything we do.
Market knowledge for a credible and realistic valuation
A database of qualified financial or strategic buyers in your industry
Commitment to a successful transaction with an in-house Cursory Review conducted before going to market
Experienced process management and support until you close
Confidential auction process for multiple competitive offers and deal structure
A considerably higher likelihood of a successful transaction with our skilled advisors
Consistent and Responsive communication
Why Athena?
A major study involving more than 4,000 transactions over a 20-year period estimated that sellers who hired an advisor received valuation premiums around 25 percent higher than those who did not. This study also found that around 99 percent of the 1,727 businesses sold by sophisticated institutional sellers involved an M&A Advisor.
Another study found that sellers represented by an M&A firm raked in an average EBITDA multiple 1.5 times higher with lower risk.
Our Process
Note that deal timelines vary greatly based on the size of the deal as well as the preparedness and commitment of both the buyer and seller.
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After circulating an NDA, we begin our engagement with a free Valuation Opinion (VO). This free, confidential conversation helps determine if your expectation of value aligns with the current market. This is based on the current and past financial performance of your business as well as market demand.
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When you decide to sign with Athena as your sell-side representation, we begin with a Cursory Review of your business to ensure you're ready to go to market. This includes a robust review of your financials and operational documentation- information that often de-rails a deal. This review often catches issues before they become problems, strengthening the likelihood of a successful transaction.
During this process, we also develop your Confidential Information Memorandum or CIM, and a financial analysis that will be used when presenting to buyers.
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After your approval of all marking information (your CIM and Financial analysis), we will generate a blind teaser- a 1 page document that highlights your business while keeping your specific geography, specific financial details, and identity confidential. This teaser goes out to our database of buyers. We collect NDA's from each interested buyer before sharing your secure data room containing your marketing information. We then communicate with buyers, answer questions, facilitate meetings and help generate multiple offers for your business.
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After meeting with prospective buyers, we will request formal, written offers from each buyer, called Letters of Intent (LOI). The LOI documents the basic deal structure. We help you review and understand each offer, providing much-needed guidance as you determine the best fit for you and your business.
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With a signed LOI, we enter into exclusivity with a buyer, who then conducts due diligence. A Quality of Earnings (QofE) is often the first step of diligence and is completed by the buyer to review your financial information. This usually solidifies the purchase price offered in the LOI. The buyer will then do their deep dive into the specifics of your company, including human resources, regulatory, and operations. This is the most arduous part of the process and takes the most time. Your commitment to this process greatly affects the timing.
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Once diligence is satisfied and the terms of the deal are finalized, a purchase agreement is circulated to sign. This document is the legally-binding sales agreement. It's important to have a qualified and experienced M&A attorney at this point. The deal is closed once this agreement is signed and the funds are released.