Research & Commentary

Koch v. Koch: $12M Verdict & $58M Minority Buyout in Valuation Battle

Koch v. Koch (No. 27-CV-18-20579, 2022 WL 1467980 (Minn. Dist. Ct. May 06, 2022)) involved a shareholder dispute among three brothers who owned two businesses in Minnesota. The plaintiff, Jim Koch, had a falling out with his brothers, Randy, and Dave Koch (the defendants), resulting in a deteriorated relationship and disputes over the terms of …

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New Study Suggests Auditors Are Hurting M&A (aka Get Your Valuation Done Right the First Time)

New Study Suggests Auditors Are Negatively Impacting (aka Get Your Valuation Done Right the First Time) A provocative new study out of Singapore Management University suggests that acquirors may seek to avoid intangibles via acquisition because they fear scrutiny from the PCAOB over impairment matters. The study suggests that investing internally in corporate innovation is …

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Fenwick Survey: Private Company Valuations are Up in Q4 2020!

Fenwick published its quarterly survey of venture financings and to sum it up, valuations are definitely up! Fenwick’s 2020 Q4 survey indicates that the private company financing market continues to generally favor companies. The survey analyzed the terms of 229 venture financings closed in the 2020 Q4 in Silicon Valley and found the following: Valuation …

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Wilson Sonsini: 2020 Venture Deals Exceeding Pre-Pandemic Volumes and Amounts Raised

Wilson Sonsini published its full year 2020 edition of The Entrepreneurs Report, and to sum it up, valuations are definitely up. Wilson Sonsini’s report indicates that deal volume, valuations, and amounts raised in venture financings kept pace with or even exceeded pre-pandemic years. The report analyzed the data on venture financing transactions in which the …

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Fenwick Survey: Valuations Returning to Pre-Pandemic Levels in October 2020

Fenwick published its interim report on the venture capital environment in Silicon Valley in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and overall, the climate is strong. Fenwick’s October 2020 survey indicates that venture valuation metrics were strong and are now returning to pre-pandemic levels for the first time. The survey found the following: The percentage of …

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Fenwick Survey: 2020 Q3 – Average venture valuation up by 76%

Fenwick published its quarterly survey of venture financings and to sum it up, valuations are definitely improving. Fenwick’s 2020 Q3 survey indicates that the private company financing market continues to generally favor companies. The survey analyzed the terms of 211 venture financings closed in the 2020 Q3 in Silicon Valley and found the following: Up …

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Wilson Sonsini: 2020 Q3 – Down Rounds are Down and Up Rounds are Up

Wilson Sonsini published its Q3 2020 edition of The Entrepreneurs Report, and to sum it up, valuations are definitely up. Wilson Sonsini’s report indicates that deal volume, valuations, and amounts raised in venture financings persisted through Q3 2020, but yet, deal volume for venture financings was healthy. The report analyzed the data on venture financing …

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Fenwick Flash Survey: August 2020 – Venture valuations up 65%

Fenwick published its interim report on the venture capital environment in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and overall, the environment continued to exhibit strong deal volume. Fenwick’s August 2020 survey indicates that venture metrics were solid although lagged pre-pandemic levels. The survey found the following: The percentage of up-rounds in August 2020 was 77%, effectively …

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Fenwick Flash Survey: July 2020 – Venture valuations improving, up 78%

Fenwick published its interim report to highlight changes in the Silicon Valley venture capital environment through July 2020 in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fenwick’s survey indicates that the venture environment is looking strong as deal volume continued to be strong in July 2020, with a notable increase in the percentage of early-stage financings. The …

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