“Simon has a unique combination of skills that power his ability to integrate a startup into the fabric of a larger corporation. I have seen firsthand his ability to navigate the complex landscape of a larger organization while maintaining the energy, focus, and entrepreneurial spirit of a startup.”

Lazaros Karapanagiotidis - Group CEO, IoT.nxt

Specialised advice for businesses acquiring startups

I founded a logistics startup on the southern tip of Africa, and sold it to Walmart. Not only did my team and I successfully pass the due diligence of the largest retailer in the world, but as CEO prior to, during, and after acquisition I successfully integrated the startup into the fabric of the acquiring corporate, matured the startup to the organisational and operational standards of Walmart, and rapidly accelerated growth by delivering a CAGR of 95% with the best operational logistics metrics of any carrier in the group before the end of of my three year earn-out.

My track record speaks for itself, and now I can help the businesses you acquire and your larger organisation to repeat the same success by offering support in the following areas:

  • Integration

    Problem: While most M&A processes correctly place strong emphasis on due diligence before a deal is concluded, most post-acquisition startups die or stagnate when they’re folded into the larger organisation because of an underemphasis on the criticality of strategic, cultural, and operational alignment between two entities with fundamental differences in mission, culture, operational speed, appetite for risk, and executive competency and experience.

    Solution: With my proven success as a startup founder who became an executive of the acquiring company, I’ll guide strategy alignment and organisational design, thereby accelerating the startup’s readiness to scale, and safeguarding its current and yet-to-be realised future value.

    This solution is effective on a multi-month project basis, and as an ongoing engagement with a regular cadence for up to two quarters post-project.

  • Executive team coaching and mentorship

    Problem: It’s critical to retain the founding team of an acquired company post-acquisition to ensure successful integration of the startup into the larger organisation, and continuity of the uniquely valuable strengths that made the startup attractive in the first place. But no one - not even a naturally talented leader - is born with the management skills and frameworks needed to successfully scale a business, and they have very likely never run a business of the future size and complexity that you as a shareholder expect in order to realise a return on investment.

    Solution: With my training and guidance, the effectiveness of the founding team running the business will radically improve. Outcomes to expect include sustainable competency in core executive functions including:

    strategy development, commercial modeling, inspiring and effective communication, strategy-driven organisational design, long range financial forecasting, operational and financial performance measurement and reporting frameworks, and ways of working.

    This solution is effective on a project basis, and can be augmented with an ongoing mentorship engagement.