"Working with emerging companies means taking a different view of where we can add value — a broader and more strategic view,” says Craig. “Given resource challenges, start-ups often underestimate the importance of getting this kind of strategic advice in the early stages. In my experience it would be hard to overestimate how much value impairment and risk the decision to put off getting expert advice represents for start-ups, because there are many issues for which there is no amount of advice that can be obtained later that can truly fix a problem that could have been addressed with relative ease and little expense earlier. When a company has legal skeletons in its closet, the reality is that in many cases, investors — from seed stage through Series C financings and exits — will decide not to fund that company, or will discount what they’re willing to invest or pay."
Craig’s M&A experience includes acting for Geac Computer in its sale to Golden Gate through a plan of arrangement, Labatt in the sale of the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Club to Rogers Communications, Bedford Funding in the acquisitions of Authoria, PeopleClick and Strategia to create People, Weblink Wireless in the sale of PageMart Canada to Bell Mobility, MidOcean Partners in the acquisition and subsequent divestiture of aerospace manufacturer Noranco and Centro in the acquisition of SiteScout.
In addition to his role at Blakes, Craig served from 2001 to 2006 as the senior vice-president of mergers and acquisitions, and corporate secretary, of Geac Computer, a large Canadian public software company. In that role, in addition to providing strategic direction for the company, he led a number of acquisitions and divestitures of technology businesses, including Extensity, Comshare and Interealty.
To learn more about Craig's background and obtain his contact information, click here.