Bracton Partners · The Founder Brief

The Founder Brief

What founders of software, fintech and data companies should know about M&A: one idea per issue, with the numbers behind it.

  1. Issue 4 · October 2, 2026

    The vastly underrated exit.

    Long seen as a consolation prize, the acqui-hire has become a $40 billion exit for some of tech's most successful startups.

  2. Issue 3 · September 27, 2026

    You and your buyer are watching different numbers.

    The numbers that set your price are the ones your ledger was never built to produce.

  3. Issue 2 · September 22, 2026

    When the buyer is a sponsor, part of your company's price is set in the credit market.

    Cheaper debt lifted what sponsors could pay for two years. On September 16 the Fed changed that.

  4. Issue 1 · September 15, 2026

    Everyone knows that AI killed software. The recovery says otherwise.

    After a selloff of up to a third this spring, application software has come all the way back, except for the fifteen largest names.

Get the Founder Brief by email

One idea per issue on selling a software, fintech or data company, with the numbers behind it. It goes out by email first.