Topic: The Mergers & Acquisitions Marketplace and Capital Markets Update: Pre- and Post-COVID

Speaker: Joel Weinstein, Managing Director at RA Capital Advisors.

Joel is a well-known investment banker in San Diego and a popular speaker on the topic of M&A, corporate recapitalizations and the capital markets.

After going through the heady days of the longest running economic boom in American history -- over ten years! -- we suddenly find ourselves dashed with the cold water of a recessionary economy caused by the global coronavirus pandemic, with that pandemic having especially disastrous consequences in the U.S. The M&A market has been strong for years now, but the future currently appears uncertain, with the health of our economy dependent on the health of our people -- and that being dependent on a whole host of seemingly unpredictable factors.

Even with that uncertainty, however, companies continue to function, investors continue to invest, markets continue to transact, and the M&A marketplace continues -- even if a bit cautiously -- to flourish.

For companies considering acquiring or being acquired, or raising growth capital or recapitalizing, there are a range of questions to be asked and answered. For example, for a private company considering an investor exit, is an IPO the exit strategy of choice, or are more firms choosing to bypass the administrative and legal hassles of going public in favor of delivering investor returns via the M&A process? And if your own current or future company is considering an exit event anytime in the next few years, are there any trends you should be following, or indicators and clues that the market is signaling, that suggest how best to plan for such an eventuality?

In order to make those decisions, and to successfully navigate an M&A transaction in this dynamic environment, it is critical for buyers and sellers to understand what will be required to be successful in their strategic transaction efforts.

In Tuesday's meeting, the audience will have the opportunity to understand:

- What is the current landscape of the M&A and private capital markets, both before and during the pandemic?
- What sectors and transaction structures have been most active, and is that expected to continue?
- How has the COVID crisis affected deal activity and valuations?
- Are lenders taking a pause, as they did in the Great Recession? Will acquirors’ access to cheap debt continue?
- What other useful comparisons and contrasts are there between today and the Great Recession?
- What venture capital and private equity trends can we see in today's marketplace?
- Logistically, how does M&A financing work, and will those processes be affected by the pandemic and its aftereffects?
- What are some of the special considerations private business must take into account in this market?

And for companies planning some kind of deal activity, there are key factors to consider in addition to the COVID impact to your business:

- Making operational, financial and legal decisions well ahead of a potential transaction, to maximize the company's value.
- How operating efficiency, customer/supplier quality, strategic focus and key management effectiveness affect valuations and deal terms.
- Key steps, even during COVID, to begin preparing your company now for a sale or capital raise 1-3 years in the future.

About our speaker:
Joel Weinstein is a Managing Director with RA Capital Advisors and has advised numerous public and privately-owned companies on mergers, acquisitions, capital raises, financings and strategic advisory assignments totaling over $5.0 billion. Joel has deep experience in the consumer, healthcare, industrials and technology sectors and has considerable expertise in the design and execution of successful processes for sales, mergers and recapitalizations of founder-led or privately-held businesses.

Prior to joining RA Capital Advisors, Joel founded boutique investment bank W Partners and started his career with PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Assurance and Business Advisory group, where he joined the Technology, InfoComm and Entertainment practice, first in New York and then in San Diego.

Joel regularly serves in advisory and board positions for private companies, industry organizations and nonprofit organizations. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), and has served on the board of the CFA Society of San Diego. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) licensed in California, and a FINRA-registered securities representative. Joel earned both a bachelor’s degree in finance and master’s degree in accounting from Tulane University's A.B. Freeman School of Business.

This will be an enlightening talk, with lots of facts, insights and anecdotes, on one of finance's more exciting areas, by a key exec at one of San Diego's premier investment banking firms. Join us on Tuesday, when Joel will address the above issues and more in this highly knowledgeable, engaging and energetic presentation.

To Attend:
Meetings are for members, prospective members and invited guests only. For non-members, RSVP is required by writing to chapter chair, Dan Ruchman at [email protected]. Please include a one or two sentence description of who you are, and your interest in attending the meeting. Thank you.

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CPE Credits - 1.0 hours: Reminder for those members maintaining their professional certifications - we offer the documentation for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits for our speaker presentations. For those members interested in this, you may complete the appropriate forms, which we'll have available at the meeting, for 1.0 hours of CPE credit

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