Navigating the New M&A Landscape with Indy Guha (VMG), Jared Roesch (OctoAI), Dan Kang (Mercury), Michelle Edwards (Perkins Coi) | Inside Summit 2025 [LIVE]

About this episode

The episode features a panel discussion on the complexities of the M&A landscape in 2025, offering insights from various industry experts.

In this special Inside Summit episode of The Room Podcast, Claudia moderates a powerhouse panel featuring Michelle Edwards, Partner at Perkins Coie, Indy Guha, GP of VMG, Dan Kang, CFO of Mercury, and Jared Roesch, a founder who recently exited to NVIDIA. Together, they unpack the increasingly complex M&A landscape that founders are navigating in 2025. With perspectives spanning legal, investor, financial, and operator experience, the panel breaks down how deals get sourced, what drives acquirer motivation, and how macro conditions—from AI acceleration to shifting public markets—are reshaping the paths available to startups. In this conversation, the group shares tactical lessons on preparing your company years before an exit, cultivating strategic relationships, and understanding the human and emotional realities of selling a business. They explore why deals fall apart, how founders can signal readiness to buyers, and why the best outcomes often begin long before a term sheet is drafted. Whether you're raising, scaling, or fielding interest from potential acquirers, this episode offers clear, actionable insights for building toward a successful transaction.

People in this episode

Hosts: Claudia Laurie, Madison McIlwain

Guests: Michelle Edwards, Indy Guha, Dan Kang, Jared Roesch

Topics covered

• M&A landscape
• startups
• investment strategies
• business exits
• entrepreneurship
• financial insights

Keywords

• M&A
• startups
• entrepreneurship
• investment
• business exit
• NVIDIA
• AI
• financial strategies

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Perkins Coie, VMG, Mercury, OctoAI, NVIDIA

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