What is Vaughan Capital Advisors?

Vaughan Capital Advisors ("VCA") is a media, technology and sports M&A advisory company founded in 2012.

Its founder, Craig Vaughan, has spent over 20 years executing strategic and financial transactions in the technology, media and telecommunications sectors at Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Sony Pictures, 21st Century Fox and Creative Artists Agency.

Vaughan Capital Advisors' approach to closing M&A transactions is designed to deliver the best parts of blue-chip investment banking, Fortune 500 corporate development, and "talent advocacy" found at the top Hollywood talent agencies. We view the management teams of the companies we represent as the most important “talent” or "asset" in the M&A transactions we close.

How is Vaughan Capital Advisors different than other media and technology investment banking firms?

We are committed to closing the transaction that achieves the corporate and personal objectives of the owners of the company.

For deals between $25 million and $150 million, VCA recognizes that we must create leverage for our customers by running a highly competitive transaction process. We use the leverage we create to maximize purchase price, post-closing terms and conditions, and to unlock the “hidden capital” available to our customers at closing and post-closing.

We deliver value to our customers by seeing the transaction from all sides. We have sold middle-market companies to Apple, WPP and Oracle among others. We have advised major media companies on corporate carve-outs and acquisitions. We have advised on principal investments in some of the leading media and technology companies in the world.

VCA uses its breadth of perspective to deliver premium transaction value to our customers.

What kinds of media and technology companies does Vaughan Capital Advisors work with specifically?

Vaughan Capital Advisors executes M&A transactions for media and sports companies that deliver owned and licensed content via linear and digital distribution models, and at concerts and other live events. The companies may also generate revenue through licensing owned or controlled intellectual property to third parties for use in the development of video content, branded games, and product merchandising.

We advise technology companies who have created scaled platforms which support the business models of major media companies, sports franchises and global brands. Because we have been operators at major media companies, we know the vetting process media companies use to select technology partners, and the scalability required for millions of viewers or users to access premium media content in real-time or through on-demand models.

VCA closes transactions for companies that provide services to the media industry. These companies include advertising agencies, software application development agencies, and outsourced business services firms.

VCA targets transaction values between $25 million and $150 million.

What do you mean by “Driving Companies to an Empowered Future”?

Our firm exists to capture value for middle-market business owners by closing M&A and private equity transactions that achieve their corporate and personal objectives.

Most of our customers have taken considerable risk in founding and operating their companies. Their companies provide income and opportunities for their families and the families of their employees. Our customers’ companies also represent the lion’s share of the owners’ net worth. Our approach to closing a transaction is designed to convert the business owners' ownership in the company to cash or "capital", and to set the stage for a powerful next chapter in the lives of the owners and the story arc of the company.

How does Vaughan Capital Advisors create alignment and clarity in the transaction process?

First, alignment means that all interested parties are clear on achieving the same outcome on the same timeline. Interested parties include the business owner(s), a board of directors, key employee shareholders, Vaughan Capital Advisors, and eventually, the interested buyers.

Vaughan Capital Advisors asks five basic questions to achieve alignment and clarity at the beginning of the transaction process.

  • Why are you selling your company?
  • What valuation gets your deal done?
  • What factors beyond valuation are important to you?
  • What does your company do better than anyone else?
  • What companies will pay a premium for your unique capabilities?
What do you mean by “hidden capital”?

In M&A transactions people tend to focus on the quoted purchase price or "valuation" for good reason, the amount of capital exchanged in the transaction is very important.

We believe there are other valuable forms of capital in every transaction. These additional forms of capital include contingent consideration (also known as “earn outs”) structures, employment contracts, access to better information and industry best practices, expanded access to industry leading executives, and the ability to grow the professional capital of the selling management team through speaking engagements and published thought leadership in an industry.

Is VCA licensed to execute M&A transactions?

Yes. The principals at Vaughan Capital Advisors who manage and close transactions are licensed with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA") to close M&A.

It is very important that a company use a licensed professional to execute its transaction. The seller in a transaction is at much higher risk of deal rescission (having the buyer "undo the deal") if the seller uses an unlicensed broker to close an M&A transaction.