Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) are often overlooked as a strategy for hyper-growth companies, but they can be a powerful tool. They can provide access to talent that may not be otherwise available, eliminate or deter competition, enhance product offerings, and expedite development by months or even years. Some of the most successful companies have used M&A to acquire key products. For example, Google acquired Android, Google Maps, and Gmail through M&A.

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High Growth Handbook

You’ve found a good product with strong market fit, so how do you scale from an early stage startup to list on the S&P? Elad Gil, co-founder of Color...

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M&A, in Gil's approximation, is a criminally underrated tool for businesses in the hyper-growth phase. Usually thought of as a tool for giants, most hyper-growth stage companies are in fact in a strong position to be acquiring other companies. This tool can give a company access to talent it wouldn't otherwise be able to get, can knock out competitors or prevent competitors from entering the market, can improve its own products, and can advance development by months or years. Many of the products we think of today as integral to a company's strategy were in fact gotten through M&A. Google, for instance, acquired Android, Google Maps (from ZipDash) and Gmail (from Reqwireless) this way.

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The High Growth Handbook doesn't provide a specific roadmap for M&A success. However, it emphasizes the importance of M&A as a tool for businesses in the hyper-growth phase. It suggests that M&A can be used to acquire talent, eliminate or prevent competition, improve products, and expedite development. It also highlights that many successful products were acquired through M&A, citing examples from Google such as Android, Google Maps, and Gmail.

The High Growth Handbook provides guidance to CEOs on change management by emphasizing the importance of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) as a strategic tool for businesses in the hyper-growth phase. It suggests that M&A can be used to acquire talent, eliminate competition, improve products, and expedite development. The book uses examples like Google's acquisitions of Android, Google Maps, and Gmail to illustrate the effectiveness of this strategy.

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