Leveling the Playing Field: a Guide to Successful Business Development Transactions for Private and Small Public Life Science Companies

Business development transactions are an important way for private and small cap life science companies to realize value. When negotiating transaction terms, small companies confront a playing field tilted steeply to the advantage of large companies such as Pfizer, GSK, J&J, and Medtronic. Leveling the Playing Field shows how small companies can create a level playing field and achieve a transaction that fully recognizes the value of their technologies and products. Leveling the Playing Field uses auctions as a model for successful business development. Auctions are especially effective in creating power for sellers when many, wealthy bidders compete enthusiastically to acquire a singular asset, a Rembrandt painting, a uniquely situated piece of real estate, a small company's technology or product. Leveling the Playing Field guides small companies through the process of attracting large companies, transforming their interest into enthusiasm, and maintaining a high level of competition among potential buyers for as long as possible. Leveling the Playing Field draws on the authors' experiences closing more than 100 transactions ranging in size from a few million to over $2 billion as well as their serving as senior finance, R&D, and operations executives with large and small life science companies.