E9: Running a Rollup Play in a SaaS Co with Chris Barnes

Building a multi-product company inorganically is no easy feat. It requires a strong product team, tight alignment among executive leadership, and a solid M&A function to identify and pursue the targets of interest. This is a fairly common strategy, but how does it work?On this episode of In/Organic, we are joined by Chris Barnes, former SVP of Corporate Development at Syndigo, a SaaS and services business backed by Summit Partners and The Jordan Company. Syndigo was scaled to hundreds of millions in revenue through a sophisticated roll-up strategy. Under Chris's leadership, the company acquired twelve companies over 5 years. In this episode, we will discuss how Chris and the team at Syndigo ran their process with a lean team.Takeaways- Multiple acquisitions can be a strategic approach for SaaS CEOs to solve specific problems or drive platform expansion.- Identifying and prioritizing acquisition targets requires thorough research and consideration of factors such as market size, growth potential, and cultural fit.- Successful integration of acquired companies requires a focus on culture, process alignment, and a great customer experience.- Investor partners can provide valuable resources and expertise in valuation, pricing strategy, and customer / market feedback.Highlights00:00 Introduction01:23 Chris Barnes’ Background04:53 Syndigo's Acquisition Model07:21 Key Players on the M&A Team09:08 Identifying Acquisition Targets10:55 Prioritizing Acquisitions12:18 Qualifying Potential Targets14:03 Managing Multiple Acquisition Outreaches17:43 Running Plays to Assess Targets19:24 The Role of the Acquisition Team22:38 Evaluating Business Growth Potential25:17 Valuing an Acquisition27:10 Involvement of Investor Partners33:02 Lessons Learned33:45 Limitations and Risks of Multiple Acquisitions34:52 Key TakeawaysConnect with Christian & In/organic PodcastChristian's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hassold/In/organic on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inorganic-podcastIn/organic on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InorganicPodcast/featuredConnect with Chris Barnes on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-barnes-a0a7022/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.