The startup landscape in 2026 moves at a speed that few industries can match. Merger and acquisition activity, once seen as a late-stage milestone, now influences companies long before they reach product-market fit. From understanding what strategic buyers actually want to preparing cap tables for due diligence, the session promises real answers from people who have been in the room when deals happen.
The event runs from October 13 through October 15 at San Francisco’s Moscone West. Organizers have assembled three panelists with distinct vantage points: a buyer from one of the most active acquirers in crypto, a lawyer who represents startups in acquisition negotiations, and an investor who has both built companies and taken them public. Together they will address the questions that keep founders up at night when they consider the possibility of selling their company.
Below are seven critical ma questions answered that the panel will explore, each grounded in real market dynamics and recent deal activity.
1. When Should Founders Start Planning for a Potential Exit?
Many founders treat M&A conversations as something that begins only after a term sheet arrives. That approach can leave millions of dollars on the table. Lindsey Mignano, founder of Mignano Law Group, will explain why legal readiness matters from the very first round of financing. She represents seed through Series B companies in enterprise SaaS, PaaS, and AI. In her experience, companies that organize their cap tables early and keep clean records close deals faster than those scrambling to reconstruct history.
The panel will discuss how early decisions about equity structure, intellectual property ownership, and investor rights affect future acquisition options. Founders who consider these factors from day one create what Mignano calls “M&A optionality.” That means the company remains attractive to buyers even if the founders have not yet decided whether to sell.
2. What Do Strategic Buyers Actually Look For in a Young Company?
Aklil Ibssa brings the buyer perspective to the stage. As Head of Corporate Development and M&A at Coinbase, he has overseen more than fourteen acquisitions and nearly fifty investments. He joined Coinbase early enough to help build an M&A program that has completed over forty total acquisitions. Buyers like Coinbase evaluate young companies through a specific lens. They ask whether the target offers technology, talent, licenses, or product velocity that would be difficult to build internally.
Ibssa will share how strategic buyers assess these factors during early-stage evaluations. He can speak directly to acquisitions such as Deribit, Liquifi, and Echo, as well as investments in startups like Kalshi. Founders who understand this evaluation process can position their companies more effectively long before any formal talks begin.
3. How Do Cap Tables and Legal Structures Affect M&A Deals?
Legal complexity kills more deals than valuation disagreements. Mignano will ground the conversation in the structural realities that matter most. Her practice covers SAFE notes, priced rounds, bridge financings, buy-side acquisitions, sell-side acquisitions, and acqui-hires. She knows exactly where deals get stuck.
Cap tables with too many small investors can create friction. SAFE notes that lack clear conversion mechanics confuse buyers. Asset sales require different documentation than stock purchases. The panel will walk through these distinctions and offer practical guidance on maintaining a clean legal foundation. Founders who address these issues proactively remove obstacles before buyers ever see them.
The ma questions answered in this segment will save attendees weeks of frustration and thousands of dollars in legal fees.
4. Should Founders Keep Building Independently or Seek an Acquisition?
Karl Alomar, Managing Partner at M13, brings an investor and operator perspective to this question. He backs seed and Series A software founders across infrastructure, fintech, and developer productivity. Before joining M13, he served as COO of DigitalOcean, where he helped scale the company from its first product to roughly $250 million in annual recurring revenue and a successful NYSE IPO. He also co-founded China Export Finance, which was acquired in 2010, and Clearview Networks, which was acquired in 2000.
Alomar understands the tension between staying independent and pursuing an acquisition. He will discuss the signals that suggest a company is better off building alone versus seeking a buyer. Market timing, competitive pressure, and capital efficiency all play a role. His perspective is especially valuable for founders at the seed and Series A stages who wonder whether they should focus on growth or consider exit scenarios.
5. What Does the Acquisition Process Actually Look Like from Start to Finish?
First-time founders often underestimate how much work an acquisition requires. The process typically moves through several phases: initial outreach or inbound interest, a confidentiality agreement, preliminary due diligence, indication of interest, exclusive negotiation, confirmatory due diligence, definitive agreement, and closing conditions. Each phase introduces new demands on the founding team.
The panelists will describe what happens behind the scenes during a typical transaction. Ibssa can speak to how Coinbase structures its corporate development team to evaluate and execute deals. Mignano will explain the documentation timeline and common sticking points. Alomar can share what investors expect during a sale process. Founders who understand the full arc of an acquisition can prepare their teams for the workload and avoid surprises that could derail a deal.
6. How Do Acqui-Hires Differ from Traditional Acquisitions?
Acqui-hires remain common in the tech industry, especially within artificial intelligence. Recent examples include OpenAI acquiring Hiro, Anthropic buying Vercept, Google taking the team behind Hume AI, and Databricks pulling in two startups specifically for its security product. These deals often look different from standard M&A because the primary asset is the team rather than the product or revenue.
The panel will address what founders should consider before accepting an acqui-hire. Compensation structures, earn-out periods, and integration expectations differ significantly. Mignano will cover the legal mechanics of an asset sale versus a stock sale. Ibssa will explain how Coinbase evaluates talent-driven acquisitions alongside technology-driven ones. Founders who receive acqui-hire offers need to understand the trade-offs between these deal types.
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7. What Can Founders Learn from Recent Tech Acquisitions in 2026?
The current wave of AI acquisitions provides a rich dataset for founders who want to understand buyer behavior. Large companies are acquiring small teams and specific technologies at an accelerating pace. The panel will analyze recent public deals and extract lessons that apply broadly.
Ibssa will discuss how Coinbase identifies acquisition targets and what makes a company stand out during the evaluation process. Alomar will share patterns he observes in portfolio companies that attract acquisition interest. Mignano will highlight legal preparation that made these deals possible. Founders who study these examples can reverse-engineer the signals that buyers respond to.
Understanding these ma questions answered will help founders recognize opportunities that might otherwise remain invisible.
Meet the Experts on the Builders Stage
The value of any panel depends on the depth of its participants. This session at Disrupt 2026 brings together three professionals who have collectively spent decades building, buying, and selling companies.
Aklil Ibssa, Head of Corporate Development and M&A at Coinbase. Ibssa leads acquisition strategy and execution for one of the most influential companies in cryptocurrency. He was one of the first hires on Coinbase’s corporate development team and helped build an M&A program that ranks among the most active in crypto. He has seen firsthand how strategic buyers evaluate young companies for technology, talent, licenses, and product velocity.
Lindsey Mignano, Founder of Mignano Law Group. Mignano represents emerging technology companies, venture-backed startups, and venture firms as outside general counsel. Her practice spans SAFE notes, priced rounds, bridge financings, and acquisitions on both the buy side and sell side. Many of her clients operate in enterprise SaaS, PaaS, and AI. She brings the legal grounding that determines whether a deal can actually close.
Karl Alomar, Managing Partner at M13. Alomar backs seed and Series A software founders. His operational experience includes serving as COO of DigitalOcean, where he helped drive the company from its earliest product to about $250 million in ARR and a NYSE public listing. He also co-founded two companies that were acquired. His perspective spans both sides of the negotiation table.
How to Attend Disrupt 2026 and Access the M&A Panel
Disrupt 2026 will take place at San Francisco’s Moscone West from October 13 through October 15. The M&A panel will appear on the Builders Stage, one of several programming tracks designed for founders who want actionable insights.
For a limited time, attendees can take advantage of a special offer. Buy one Disrupt 2026 pass and receive 50 percent off a second pass of the same ticket type. This deal makes it practical to bring a co-founder, investor, teammate, or colleague. The offer ends May 8 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.
Founders who attend will leave with a clearer understanding of how M&A works as an early-stage strategy. They will learn what buyers look for, how legal structures affect outcomes, and when to keep building versus when to pursue a deal. The panelists have designed the session to equip attendees with a practical playbook for creating optionality and making their startups more enticing to potential acquirers.
Being acquired does not mark the end of a founder’s journey. It can represent a strategic move that accelerates product development, expands distribution, or provides resources that independence could not offer. The ma questions answered at Disrupt 2026 will help founders approach these decisions with confidence and clarity.
