Twenty-six books, and what each one changes about how you buy.
The main page draws on these without naming them inline, because a page is for the argument, not the shelf behind it. Here is the shelf.
← Back to VectorsHow deals actually work
End-to-end mechanics: strategy, valuation, diligence, structuring, execution.
Leadership and change under deal pressure
Why well-run processes still fail: the human response to change, and how leaders should carry it.
People, culture and talent risk
The risks that rarely appear in a deal model and routinely decide the outcome.
Ownership, exits and the deal record
How the best and worst acquirers of the last half-century actually behaved, and what became of their deals.
Where the headline numbers come from
The short version. Every figure quoted across Vectors, in brief.
70–90%
Acquisitions failing to create buyer value. Widely cited range from Harvard Business Review's long-running analysis; definitions of failure vary by study.
23% / 54%
Success rates for first-time versus serial (10+) acquirers. Commonly cited alongside the HBR research as the experience-curve comparison.
75%
Frequent acquirers meeting or beating their own synergy targets. Bain & Company, 2026 M&A Report.
~65% vs ~50%
Odds of outperforming peers, programmatic versus one large bet. McKinsey, longitudinal Global 1,000/2,000 research.
~4 years
Median lifespan of a corporate venture programme without a charter. Widely cited London Business School figure, referenced across CVC industry commentary.
Prequate mandate figures
4,232 to 3 in 23 days; 9-day first offer; 18 of 22 declined; board in under 90 days; $125m+ conserved. All drawn from Prequate's own engagement record.
Capital Cities / Teledyne
19.9% over 29 years; roughly 130 acquisitions. As reported in Thorndike's The Outsiders, not independently re-verified for this site.
Motherson / Piramal / Info Edge
43 recorded deals; $3.72bn sale at 31x; 456x on an early Zomato stake. Public company filings and press record.
The Ready to M&A “value at risk” figure is illustrative: the midpoint of the stated deal-size band, multiplied by a risk factor tied to the archetype, derived from the first-timer and serial-acquirer success-rate research above. It communicates order of magnitude, never a specific transaction outcome.