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After a few slow years, M&A is heating up again. Crunchbase counted 537 M&A deals in Q4 2024. Its the strongest quarter in seven years, up 46% year-over-year, much of it driven by an interest in AI. AI acquisitions hit a record high in Q2 2025. One of them was my company, Kraftful. Amplitude, a public company, acquired Kraftful to integrate our companys AI-powered user feedback analysis directly into Amplitudes platform, empowering product teams to see what their users did and said, all in one place. Kraftful turns messy, multichannel user feedback into prioritized product insights that will be directly tied to product usage in Amplitude. Prior to the acquisition, I ran an M&A process involving 10+ potential buyers, from public tech giants to fast-growing private companies, and I learned a ton along the way. Here are eight lessons I learned from selling my company in the middle of an acquisition boom. 1. Startups are bought, not sold You may have heard this phrase before. I had too. But heres the nuance: Its not that you cant proactively sell your startup. Its that acquisitions driven by an acquirers initial interest usually yield better outcomes, given your situation and the state of the market. Our process started with inbound interest from a few companies looking to buy Kraftful for strategic reasons. To ensure the best deal, I also connected directly with CEOs, CTOs, and chief product officers at 25+ companies, leading to serious conversations with more than 10 companies. Ultimately, the companies that moved fastest were those who approached us first, because they already had a strong internal motivation to buy. 2. The big decision Even if an acquisition starts with inbound interest, you still need to evaluate if its strategically right for your company, whether the timing makes sense, and if the opportunity cost of investing time in the process is justified even if the deal falls through. If the opportunity looks promising, limit early conversations to a defined period to quickly validate genuine interest and viability. Ideally pursue an acquisition well before youre low on runway so you dont lose leverage if things drag out. Market conditions matter too. When we first started our M&A process, the environment was very different than it is today. Right now, theres an unusually high number of early-stage startups looking to get acquired, which makes securing the best possible outcome tougher. 3. The M&A process An acquisition usually takes months, though it can be squeezed into days if both parties are motivated, like the recent Windsurf/Cognition deal. Here are the main steps: Initial conversations Initial diligence Term sheet, typically a letter of intent (LOI) Deeper diligence Signing the definitive agreement (Sometimes) regulatory approval Once you sign an LOI, youre locked into an exclusivity periodso youll want to explore other options and negotiate key terms before signing an LOI. The more companies you can move to LOI in parallel, the better your outcome because you can explore all your options and use them as leverage during negotiations. 4. Invest in excellent M&A lawyers I was lucky to have stellar lawyers by my side. They were experienced, fast, pragmatic, and willing to keep redlines minimal. Choose counsel with relevant M&A experience. For example, being backed by Y Combinator, Kraftful raised on YC SAFEs during multiple funding rounds. SAFE is a standard YC financing instrument, but once you enter an acquisition process, those simple agreements often become a key area of legal complexity if you dont have experience with them. Some of the M&A lawyers I interviewed had never touched a SAFE before. I spent our calls educating them before disqualifying them. Much better to learn that upfront than to risk bad advice mid-deal. 5. Beware of snooping Yes, youll sign an NDA before acquisition talks. But in practice, little prevents a competitor from copying your product based on what they learn. Watch for red flags like unnecessary digging into the secret sauce of your product. My main goal in talking with multiple acquirers was to land the best deal. A side benefit was recognizing the types of questions genuine acquirers ask. That helped me spot a competitor fishing for information and to avoid disclosing trade secrets. 6. Experienced acquirers move faster The more experienced the acquirer, the faster they move. Speed is critical in M&A.I learned this the hard way. One inbound company was highly motivated to acquire us but had never made an acquisition despite being around for 15+ years. During diligence, it became obvious why: They dragged their feet and could not make a decision. Even if they eventually had been able close the deal (unlikely), their slow culture wouldve made post-acquisition life painful for any founder. 7. Dont get emotionally attached until you close Easier said than done. After spending months in acquisition talksoften at the expense of growing your businessits tempting to feel obligated to sell. Resist that urge. Throughout our process, I kept reminding myself of two things: Most acquisitions fall apart before closing: Nothing is certain until the ink is dry. I was genuinely excited about the company I was still building. The best way to stay flexible? Keep shipping. Our last major product launch happened during diligence, just before closing. We pushed new features weekly right up until the end. Staying emotionally detached helped me negotiate from a position of strength. On the flip side, whenever I let myself get too attached, I felt my leverage slip. 8. Use AI to your advantage I leaned heavily on ChatGPTs advanced reasoning models to educate myself on the M&A process and shape my strategy. I did much legal research myself with AI, then validated it with counsel. As with any negotiation, the better you understand the playing field, the better your odds. I hope this playbook helps anyone considering M&Aor simply curious about how the process really works. Yana Welinder is CEO and founder of Kraftful Inc.
Category:
E-Commerce
Managing brand and reputation in this new AI-driven world is no longer business as usual, it’s a profound recalibration of how information is discovered and consumed. Earned media is king again, but it needs a content queen. Google’s AI Overviews and tools like ChatGPT and Gemini are replacing traditional search results, synthesizing, and summarizing information rather than linking out. The SEO playbook is being rewritten for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). If you dont design content for citation and integration into these models, it risks becoming invisible. THE COMEBACK OF EARNED MEDIA For years, owned channels and direct-to-consumer communication grew. But in the AI era, the pendulum swings back to earned media. Why? AI models find ‘truth’ in credible, third-party validation. New research from Muck Rack’s “Generative Pulse” study, analyzing over 1,000,000 links from AI responses, offers compelling evidence: More than 95% of links cited by AI are from non-paid coverage. Of those, 27% are journalistic content. When queries imply recency (e.g., What are the most innovative products in restaurant tech?), journalism accounts for nearly half (49%) of cited links. AI systems prioritize fresh content, especially for topical, opinion-based, or event-driven queries. Outlet authority matters: High-domain authority outlets like Reuters, Fast Company, Axios, and Bloomberg are frequently cited. Earning strategic mentions and quotes in top-tier outlets isn’t just about brand visibility; it’s about embedding your expertise directly into the AI’s knowledge base to influence AI-generated answers. THE CONTENT QUEEN: YOUR INTEGRATED STRATEGY IMPERATIVE If earned media is king, then robust, AI-optimized owned content is its indispensable queen. Traditional newsrooms face immense pressure, leading to fewer in-depth, high-impact earned coverage opportunities. Communications leaders must balance the rigor of traditional media with the authenticity and engagement of independent voices, while strengthening their direct storytelling channels. Owned content fuels the AI ecosystem, providing direct, unfiltered context that LLMs easily ingest and attribute. Here’s how this integrated strategy comes to life: Engineer for LLM readability: AI models reward precision: Structure content with clear, concise summaries, consistent terminology, and verifiable data. Use explicit questions and answers, bulleted lists, clear subheading, and integrate verifiable data, statistics, and sources Invest in AI-citable formats: The future isn’t just text, though text is essential for GEO. Ensure all podcasts, webinars, and videos have accurate, keyword-rich transcripts, and detailed show notes. Provide underlying data for charts and graphs in structured formats. Strategic distribution: It’s not just about traffic; it’s about citations and summary inclusion. Prioritize high-authority, trusted channels known to be heavily scraped or licensed by LLMs, including news wires (AP, Reuters), industry analyst reports (Gartner), reputable encyclopedic sites (Wikipedia), and platforms like LinkedIn, which Google’s AI Overviews link to frequently. Cross-publish on platforms like Reddit, Medium, and Substack to further optimize. OPTIMIZE YOUR BRAND’S PRESENCE: HOW LLMS SOURCE COMPANY INFORMATION When an LLM is prompted about a company, its products, or leadership, it draws from authoritative, well-structured sources. Your communications strategy must hyper-focus on seeding accurate, compelling narratives in environments where LLMs are trained and sourced. For company-specific information, they primarily look for high-quality, high-authority, and well-structured data: Curated datasets and encyclopedic knowledge: Wikipedia is a primary source for data validation and general knowledge due to its extensive coverage, collaborative editing, and structured, foundational facts. Major news and media outlets: Tier 1 wire services and major news organizations (e.g., The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal) are frequently scraped and licensed by LLMs as they add recency and have formal writing styles and high Domain Authority (DA). Established industry-specific publications and journals: These offer expert insights and formal analysis. Trade press is vital. High-quality corporate websites and official brand pages: Crucial for direct product/service information, official statements, and corporate facts. To optimize your company’s presence for LLMs, consider these strategies: Structural clarity: Ensure your website and public documents are structured with clear headings, consistent terminology, and verifiable data. Amplify executive voices: Our research shows a CEOs reputation directly influences brand trust. Articulate executive perspectives in ways LLMs can attribute, integrate, and share in places they scrape. Earn strategic mentions and quotes: Shift focus from mentions to earning direct quotes or factual inclusions in high-authority news articles and industry reports. Many LLMs prioritize diverse, multi-source citations. A concise, quotable statement from an expert in a reputable publication is gold. Double check foundational reference points: Ensure a well-sourced, accurate Wikipedia entry or other reference page about your company, founders, or products. Proactive monitoring and correction: LLMs are still prone to hallucinations. Regularly audit how your company is described and implement a rapid response protocol to correct AI-generated misinformation. The dynamic AI environment demands communicators understand what LLMs read, and how they interpret and synthesize brand information. By using intentional content structure, distribution, and third-party validation, you can ensure your company’s narrative is accurately and effectively represented in the AI era. THE FULL SPECTRUM OF INFLUENCE: BEYOND GEO AI is no longer an emerging trend; its an operational reality. Those who balance traditional earned media’s rigor with owned content’s authenticity will not only navigate this complex new media world but also help define it. GEO is a powerful, but not exclusive, lever for influence. While indispensable, it’s not a magic wand. Many audiences don’t primarily use generative AI tools for information discovery, preferring channels like newsletters, direct social media, in-depth podcasts, and YouTube. Human-curated content sources like paywalled Substacks are also not extensively scraped or licesed by large language models. A modern communications program understands this broader ecosystem and includes a holistic strategy that integrates GEO while doubling down on direct-to-audience engagement. By embracing this approach, you ensure your brand’s message resonates authentically, building trust and influence across all channels where stakeholders seek information. Tyler Perry is co-CEO of Mission North.
Category:
E-Commerce
Ive lived in the United States long enough to call it soccer nowbut where I come from, its most definitely football, and it is life. I grew up 20 minutes from Dens Park, home to Scottish Premier League team Dundee FC (not to be confused with Dundee United). I inherited my fandom from my mother, who sneaked off to matches in her teens without her parents knowing. Back then, few girls followed football, let alone played it. During my high school years, I spent five days a week on the field hockey pitchsomething I loved but wished it could be football. When I moved to South Florida in the late 90s, I latched onto the short-lived Miami Fusion, then in Boston dabbled in the New England Revolution. Major League Soccer (MLS) was an upstart at the time, fighting for a toehold among the Big Four (NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB) and barely hanging on in some markets. In Scotland, fandom is an unbreakable bond passed down from generation to generation; here, it felt fleeting. I drifted to other U.S. spectator sports, though I still checked the results for Dundee FC and my dads beloved Tottenham Hotspur every week. I couldnt ignore, though, when the US Womens National Team roared into the spotlight, hosting, and winning the 1999 FIFA Womens World Cup. The Womens United Soccer Association and Womens Professional Soccer laid the foundation, but it wasnt until 2013 that the National Womens Soccer League (NWSL) took rootemerging as the premier league in the U.S. and now a global powerhouse. The momentum shows no signs of slowing. At the August 2025 UEFA European Womens Championship, there were record-breaking viewership numbers, exceeding 400 million live viewers worldwide and a cumulative audience of over 500 million for all programming. The accelerating business of womens soccer in this country is buoyed by a level of fan loyalty that, according to new analysis, is the stuff of dreams for brand marketers. THE LOYALTY PLAYBOOK BRANDS CANT AFFORD TO IGNORE Paritys latest research shows that womens soccer fans arent just passionatetheyre purchase-driven. They are 58% more likely than other womens sports fans to buy from a brand because of a sponsorship, and two-thirds say a brands investment in womens sports makes them proud to support it. They also exhibit a high level of trust, with 78% expressing confidence that female athletes believe in the products and services they promote… In an era when trust is the hardest currency to earn, womens soccer fans are essentially handing brands a blank checkf the brand shows up authentically. And its not just that they support womens soccer. Theyre active in the broader sports ecosystem: 60% also watch womens basketball 43% follow womens volleyball 39% watch womens tennis. Thats more than crossover appealthats a multiplier effect for brands that know how to build for communities, not just customer segments. The numbers are climbing on every front: streaming minutes, in-person attendance, social engagement, and sponsorship dollars. In 2025 alone, the NWSL has secured multiple league-level sponsorsAT&T, bobbie, e.l.f. Beauty, Tylenol, and Unwellwith more likely to follow. Whats striking is that fans dont just tolerate brand involvement; they welcome it when its done well, with 60% saying brands still arent doing enough. They see it as investment in something they care about deeply, and they reward it with attention, trust, and spending power. BUILDING BELONGING, NOT JUST AWARENESS Too often, sports marketingand marketing in generalis about visibility. More impressions. More eyeballs. More reach. But womens soccer fans are showing that the real key to loyalty is belonging. The brands winning in this space arent the ones plastering logos in the background; theyre the ones collaborating with players, telling authentic stories, and meeting fans in their spaces, both physical and digital. For example, Modelo launched a fun campaign that sent Angel City FC captain Ali Riley into the stands to interact with fans at the CONCACAF W Gold Cup. Another notable example is Gainbridges 5-year naming rights investment in the USL Super League coupled with naming goalkeeping legend Briana Scurry a brand ambassador. These case studies highlight the opportunity to build long-term loyalty by leading with values first and commerce second. For every brand chasing Gen Z, trying to resonate with women, or attempting to reach multicultural audiences, the womens soccer community is essentially a ready-made blueprint. But the window for first-mover advantage is closing. Proof point: the next big stage in pop culture So, when it comes to soccer in this country, is the future female? Consider this: in Paritys study, 63% of soccer enthusiasts in the U.S. tune in to women’s soccer, with 25% indicating that they only follow the women’s game. But if the business metrics dont convince you, maybe this will: the next season of Ted Lasso will focus on the womens side of AFC Richmond. Thats not just a creative decisionits part of the cultural movement. Jason Sudeikis, a proud supporter of womens sports, is helping cement womens soccer as a central storyline in global sports culture through this beloved series. What was once considered niche is now mainstream. And in sports, as in business, the brands that build loyalty early are the ones fansand consumersnever forget. Leela Srinivasan is the CEO of Parity
Category:
E-Commerce
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