Entrepreneurship and M&A: Perspectives on Start-ups, Mergers, and Integration

About the Episode

The world of M&A is complex, but it is possible to plan, learn, and be flexible enough to make an acquisition successfully happen. Cassio Bobsin takes a broad perspective of entrepreneurship and gives his insights into start-ups, mergers, integration, taking a company public, and the influence of AI on the M&A industry. Cassio doesn’t take the typical scientific approach to decide about an acquisition – he looks at core competencies, synergies, and best practices of a company and how to integrate them.

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In this Episode

1:47 What is Zenvia, and how was it founded?
3:25 How did Zenvia grow from being a start-up run in a garage to now being a publicly traded company on NASDAQ?
4:22 How did Zenvia’s merger with its main competitor occur in 2012?
6:19 What lessons were learned from the merger process?
11:40 What went into the decision to take Zenvia public?
14:37 What was the biggest lesson learned from taking Zenvia public?
17:15 What acquisitions did Zenvia make after going public?
22:05 What can be done to mitigate the uncertainty that occurs when core competencies between companies don’t become evident until after due diligence is done?
24:02 Does a company owner typically understand the core competencies of their business, or are there potential blind spots in this area?
28:22 How often does Cassio acquire a company and unexpectedly discover synergies that weren’t anticipated?
32:39 What has been the most challenging aspect of managing an acquisition pre-closing?
40:02 How will ChatGPT impact the industry?
46:08 What impact will AI have on M&A and the pace of acquisitions?
47:56 What is the key message that Cassio wants listeners to take away from this discussion?

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Resources Mentioned

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Acronyms or Terms Used in This Episode

  • SaaS: software as a service
  • NASDAQ: the American stock exchange market, based in New York City
  • IPO: initial public offering
  • SWOT Analysis: an analysis that looks at the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats related to a business in strategic planning
  • Lean Approach: a business methodology that embraces continuous improvement to streamline business processes

Meet Our Guest

Cassio Bobsin

Cassio Bobsin

CEO of Zenvia

Cassio Bobsin is the founder and CEO of Zenvia, and the founder of WOW Startups Accelerator, the largest independent startup accelerator in Brazil. Cassio holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, an MBA in Business Management at ESPM, and an MSc in business administration from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. He also attended the Owner/President Management Program at Harvard Business School and the Executive Program for Growing Companies at Stanford University. Cassio is a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and an Endeavor Entrepreneur.

Location Location: São Paulo, Brazil
Website Website: www.zenvia.com

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