Introducing Kōkua Ventures

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‘kōkua’ defn. to help, give aid or assistance; extending help to others; denotes a spirit of generosity, even self-sacrifice.

I have been quietly brewing a new, independent advisory practice this year, and decided that now is the time to bring that a bit more into the foreground, for two reasons.  First, many folks have asked what we are up to these days, so consider this is the brief overview for those inquiring.  Second, and perhaps more importantly, especially during these uncertain times, so that others can get access to the world-class leadership and counsel they deserve when it comes to all things mergers & acquisitions (‘M&A’).

Kōkua Ventures began with a simple question… “How can we share what we have learned from leading M&A deals with other tech founders, investors and executives as they look to either acquire, merge or be acquired?”

Reflecting back, we have been truly fortunate to have been part of growing multiple tech companies that have transacted in over $26 billion worth of mergers & acquisitions, and another $18 billion in equity investments, including 7 initial public offerings (‘IPOs’). We became really excited by the unique opportunity that provided us to share the best practices we developed from being an advisor, investor, executive and operator at several of the most innovative and valuable tech companies (e.g. Apple, Google, Facebook, Pinterest, etc.).

As athletes, we then asked ourselves, who would every tech CEO want as their trusted, go-to coach on their next (and sometimes first or only) acquisition?  Those experiences that stood out for our ideal M&A coach would be: 1) someone who had been part of championship teams, both as player and coach, and 2) someone who had seen it all before - had lots of reps, both wins (and losses).

As a result, we felt truly compelled to start Kōkua Ventures, if for no other reason than to provide clients with what we consider a competitive M&A advantage.

Specifically, we do this by offering bespoke advisory services to tech founders, execs and investors that are looking to engage in world-class M&A (big & small, as either buyer or seller).

Our values are threefold, to start.  These are the embodiment of the approach, empathy and passion that we share with each of our clients.  This set is by no means complete and will evolve and expand with time -

1. Support others

2. Bias for action

3. Move the finish line

Feel free to follow us for more thoughts about all things M&A, occasional tech innovation musings, or some business-building interludes.

If you want to learn more, or if you think we might be able to kōkua (help) in developing your competitive M&A advantage, then reach out to us - gary@kokua.ventures