Before, throughout, after: The acquisition diary of a journey tech CEO

What is it like to steer a journey tech firm
by means of an acquisition if you weren’t actively seeking to promote, and when the
buying firm relies on the opposite aspect of the world?

In February 2025, Mize,
a fintech-based options supplier for the journey business, acquired
RightRez, a U.S.-based specialist in air journey automation and post-booking
optimization. This is my perspective on the acquisition journey as CEO of RightRez, from the primary method to
life after the deal.

The preliminary
method: Open, not on the market

We weren’t actively available on the market, though we
have been properly conscious of the tempo of journey tech mergers and acquisitions. Over time,
a number of events reached out, however none of these conversations progressed past
early discussions.

RightRez was a robust, owner-operated enterprise with a loyal shopper base and a repute
constructed on reliability, experience and care. However, we have been working at full
capability. Demand was there, however rising additional with our present sources
would have stretched the workforce and risked the standard of service that outlined
our model. That wasn’t a trade-off we have been prepared to make.

The alternative with Mize felt totally different. They
have been seeking to increase past resort fintech into new verticals, with air journey
know-how a transparent precedence. Their method was selective: working with
established companies that had already confirmed their worth however may scale
additional with the best sources. That perspective resonated strongly with us.

From the outset, there was a way of
alignment, not simply commercially, however culturally. The conversations felt
constructive and collaborative moderately than transactional.

Key learnings:

• Stay open to surprising alternatives,
  even when you’re not actively promoting.
• Understand the client’s underlying
  motivations and the way they align with your individual.

From
dialogue to deal

Getting a deal over the road isn’t
easy.

After early conversations and preliminary due
diligence, we met Mize’s co-founders, Dor Krubiner and Omry Litvak, in particular person.
That assembly proved pivotal. There was a transparent alignment round buyer
success, innovation and constructing know-how that delivers long-term worth.

What stood out was Mize’s deal with product and
their perception that development solely works when clients are introduced together with it.
We may clearly see how our strengths would complement one another. That was
the second we allowed ourselves to imagine the acquisition would possibly occur.

Formal due diligence adopted, bringing with
it an intense interval of balancing day-to-day operations with the calls for of the
deal. Maintaining deal with shoppers and supporting the workforce whereas navigating
authorized, monetary and operational scrutiny required self-discipline and stamina.

Although this part moved comparatively shortly,
we have been cautious to not get forward of ourselves. Even after signing a letter of
intent, we stayed firmly centered on enterprise as regular till all the pieces was
finalised and formally introduced in February 2025.

Key learnings:

• Keep the core enterprise entrance and heart all through the method.
• Nothing is closing till contracts are
  signed.
• Expect the method to demand extra time
  and vitality than anticipated.

Bringing
the workforce with us

One of essentially the most delicate features of the
acquisition was how and when to speak with the workforce.

Our precedence was to take care of stability and
keep away from pointless uncertainty. For that purpose, we restricted information of the
deal to senior administration till it was near completion. There is not any
common playbook for this; leaders should make selections based mostly on what’s proper
for his or her group and their folks.

Once the acquisition was introduced, we centered
on open and frequent communication. I used to be assured that Mize was dedicated to
investing within the enterprise and offering entry to sources, folks, know-how
and capital that may enable the workforce to develop and thrive.

There have been many questions, starting from
strategic path to day-to-day processes. Some solutions advanced over time,
and being sincere about that was important. Through common conferences, open
dialogue and an open-door coverage, the workforce remained engaged and aligned.
Apart from one deliberate retirement, we retained the complete workforce.

Key learnings:

• Be deliberate concerning the timing and methodology
  of workforce disclosure.
• Keep communication open, constant and
  sincere.
• Help folks perceive that ambiguity is
  a part of the transition.

Adjusting personally

I had been with RightRez for greater than 18
years, together with the previous three as CEO. We have been a small, close-knit group,
and one in every of my largest challenges, each virtually and emotionally, was
guaranteeing continuity for our clients and our folks.

I’m naturally palms on, so stepping again from
areas the place I beforehand had full management took adjustment. At the identical time, it
was liberating to collaborate with colleagues whose abilities complemented mine
and to delegate to groups with deep experience.

Access to help in areas resembling finance,
authorized and advertising was invaluable, despite the fact that it meant selections have been no
longer mine alone. Letting go of that autonomy wasn’t at all times simple, however it freed
up psychological house and allowed me to focus extra on product, gross sales and long-term
technique.

While I’d ready myself for change, moments
of uncertainty and fatigue nonetheless surfaced. They have been reminders of how deeply I
cared about what we’d constructed. I spent a lot vitality supporting the workforce and
shoppers that it took time to mirror on what this new chapter meant for me
personally. That pause proved grounding and worthwhile.

Throughout all of it, my confidence within the
resolution by no means wavered. When doubts arose, I acknowledged them as a pure
emotional response to vary and stored my deal with the larger image.

Key learnings:

• Use change as a possibility to increase
  your skillset.
• Balance emotional reactions with rational
  considering.
• Prepare your self for all times after the deal,
  not simply the deal itself.

Final reflections

Selling a enterprise shouldn’t be a single second however
an ongoing course of. During due diligence, the main focus is on being evaluated; solely
after completion do you really perceive how your new homeowners function and the way
you’ll develop collectively.

Our expertise has been constructive and
constructive. It hasn’t been with out challenges, however it has opened up new
alternatives for the enterprise and for the folks inside it.

For small and midsize journey tech leaders
contemplating acquisition gives, my recommendation is easy: Seek real alignment,
determine actual synergies, guarantee your tradition and relationships are valued and
above all, preserve prioritizing the individuals who constructed your corporation.