Rocket Science® PR Launches M&A Business Unit; Joins Venture Studio

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#PortolaValleyPartners—Rocket Science®, an award-winning marketing and public relations agency, today officially announced the launch of XROCKET, a business unit focused on sell-side advisory for mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

The need for XROCKET arose out of requests from Rocket Science clients to help them prepare for VC fund raises, to attract investor interest leading up to IPO filings, or to position companies as attractive M&A acquisition targets. Rocket Science interviewed dozens of M&A bankers to develop a predictive model for which business metrics and marketing strategies best optimize for higher strategic valuations during M&A negotiations, and from that formula XROCKET was borne. Our proprietary Valuation Audit scores companies on their M&A preparedness.

“Getting strategic valuation on a deal can make the difference between having just an okay M&A exit, or negotiating a life-altering event. Our Valuation Engineering teams know what buyers look for during M&A negotiations, so we focus on improving those metrics while management can continue to focus on running their business,” said Mark Addison, founder of XROCKET and chairman of Rocket Science.

“We learned first-hand that M&A buyers want only the leaders,” said Ken Burke, founder & CEO of MarketLive, which was acquired by Vista Equity Partners. “After we rejected our first acquisition offer as too low, we doubled-down with XROCKET on raising our brand credibility and improving key metrics. Our next offer came in 350% higher as a result.”

XROCKET’s formula has already resulted in six successful M&A exits. As part of its turn-key offering, XROCKET also developed a proprietary due diligence platform where companies can start organizing and metatagging important contracts and documents in a secure portal, and either spin up a dedicated M&A deal room or export everything to the M&A banker of their choosing.

Venture Studio:

In related news, Rocket Science has been appointed to the Venture Studio at Portola Valley Partners, a venture accelerator specializing in fundraising and liquidity, founded by C-level executives from Apple, Dell, HP, Snowflake Computing, and Wall Street banking and private equity firms.

The alliance with Portola Valley Partners offers clients of Rocket Science and XROCKET the option to access capital resources, executive talent, and a network of companies to pair up with related businesses in their supply chain or sector in order to strengthen revenues and become more attractive M&A candidates.

“We have a unique model at Portola Valley Partners that sits at the intersection of venture valuation and private equity strategy, where company founders, investors, and partners are happier and more succcessful. As part of our Venture Studio, XROCKET will help us increase our portfolio companies’ M&A appeal and valuation in a way where everyone wins,” said John Majeski, CEO of Portola Valley Partners.

About Rocket Science® PR:

Founded in 1998, Rocket Science is a tech-focused marketing and public relations agency that has become legendary in Silicon Valley and internationally. Rocket Science re-invented PR for a KPI-driven world, delivering measurable results and proven valuation increases. By the numbers, we have launched 31 international clients into North America, driven 5 clients to IPO, and positioned 19 clients for successful acquisition exits. Along the way, we have won 11 gold and silver awards for our work and earned countless friends and valuable lessons. We work with domestic and international clients in five different countries to develop and implement their growth marketing and brand reputation strategies.

About XROCKET:

The XROCKET.io business unit helps entrepreneurs optimize their companies and themselves for the best possible acquisition price at exit. Our Valuation Engineering teams come in 12 months ahead of hiring an M&A banker to conduct our proprietary Valuation Audit, which scores companies on the key metrics used in M&A negotiations. Our team then focuses on optimizing these valuation drivers while management continues to focus on running their business. XROCKET’s optimization formula has proven itself to increase exit valuations by as much as 350%.

XROCKET also publishes a popular blog with sell-side advice for companies considering an M&A exit.

Website: https://rocketscience.com/
M&A blog: https://www.xrocket.io/blog/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rocketscience/

Contacts

Mark Addison

mark@rocketscience.com
Telephone: +1 415 464 8110 x212

Mobile: +1 415 606 4006