Selling with Confidence: Mastering Financial Due Diligence in M&A
Presented By: ORBA / Venable LLP
For sellers, the due diligence process can be one of the most challenging phases of a transaction—especially when financial questions or valuation discrepancies threaten to derail a deal. This session brings together experienced dealmakers and advisors to demystify the financial due diligence process, from preparing clean financials and anticipating buyer questions to addressing red flags head-on. Panelists will share strategies for navigating valuation gaps, aligning expectations, and keeping negotiations on track so sellers can preserve momentum, build buyer trust, and close with confidence.
Moderator:
Associate
Venable
Prior to joining Venable, Jesse served as a lobbyist, advocate, and organizer for a national community-based umbrella organization and as a legislative aid in the U.S. Senate.
Panelists:
Co-Founder & CEO
Ascent Integrated Tech
Paul is a second-time founder with a background in scaling government technology. He co-founded Optivolt Labs, raised over $10M in venture deals, and secured more than $5M in defense contracts. Now at Ascent, Paul focuses on enhancing firefighter and warfighter safety through innovative technology. He hold an engineering degree from UIUC and also been recognized in Forbes 30 Under 30.
Managing Director
Patriot Capital
Kyle Griffith joined Patriot Capital in 2018. Mr. Griffith is responsible for origination, deal execution, and portfolio management. Prior to Patriot, Mr. Griffith worked at CIBC and The PrivateBank in the Sponsor Coverage Group providing lending and funding services to private equity firms.
Transaction Advisory Manager
ORBA
Luca is a Transaction Advisory Manager in ORBA’s Tax Group. He is responsible for the direction of the client services and has worked for an array of clients in various industries, including closely held businesses, manufacturing, distribution, financial services, technology and construction. Luca has focused his last several years on executing deals in the small-market and middle-market for a variety of buy-side and sell-side transactions. Luca possesses a diverse set of skills which allows him to effectively navigate the complexities of transaction-related services for our clients. He is expert in thoroughly conducting the due diligence necessary to identify and analyze the potential risks, legal issues and other factors impacting transactions. His years of project management experience ensures that deadlines are met and tasks are executed efficiently.
CEO
Skyline Accelerators
Walter has extensive background in general management, operations, strategic planning, product development, financial management, sales and market execution.
He has been successful in growing businesses, both organically and via M&A, driving high profitable performance in complex situations. His experience ranges from start-ups to larger mid market companies and includes extensive private equity experience.