Transforming innovative technology into valuable businesses

Aran partners have been successfully commercializing technology around the world for over 20 years. We help entrepreneurs overcome the many obstacles to creating value, not with presentations and platitudes, but by rolling up our sleeves as part of the team. We invest in high potential technology-based businesses through Level 8 Ventures.

Ann Arbor | Cambridge, UK | San Francisco

Who We Are

We are an eclectic group of entrepreneurs, engineers and recovering bankers from North America, Europe and Asia. We have enjoyed successful private and public exits, but we also carry the scars and learning from our failures. We are intellectually curious, frequently contrarian and results-orientated. With locations in Ann Arbor, Cambridge and San Francisco, you benefit from the combined experience of our global network.

Ann Arbor

Cambridge

San Francisco

What We Do

We enable your business to reach its full potential. Frequently by becoming part of your team to achieve defined goals. This may be one day a week for a month, or multiple professionals full time for a year or more.

TECHNOLOGY

We love science and technology, more so when it addresses substantial needs better than the alternatives. We bring decades of hands-on experience across a wide variety of disciplines from software development to chemical engineering.

STRATEGY

We can wheel out the MBA models and academic theory, but what sets us apart is the combination of deep technical knowledge and years of experience guiding high-growth businesses. We have a good sense of what is likely to work.

FINANCE

We have raised debt and equity as officers, advisers and investors, and can help you put a rational capital structure in place. We make equity investments in North American and European technology companies though Level 8 Ventures.

Plan

Quickly understanding the real problems and challenges is key. We are, and expect you to be, brutally honest while we take a deep dive into your business and jointly determine focus areas and priorities. Using our network and experience we help you assemble the essential financial, human and other resources needed.

Research

Obtaining complete, timely, accurate and relevant market and competitive information is not easy, and is frequently overlooked. But committing substantial resources on a hunch or conventional wisdom is unwise. Aran is adept at sourcing the most relevant internal and external data, enabling you to focus on running your business. We apply sophisticated analysis to deliver actionable insight with rigor to underpin substantial initiatives. Placing emphasis on the evolving competitive dynamics within your target market helps to avoid rear view mirror analysis and to spot emerging threats and opportunities.
Strategy

We work with you to develop and execute strategy that delivers bottom line results. We take a pragmatic approach avoiding the survey and analysis paralysis that derails many strategic planning initiatives. We look for ways to exploit megatrends, build competitive positions around intangible assets (such as intellectual property, brands, talent, and networks) and creatively serve unmet needs.

Often you don’t need a whole new strategy but want to revisit components in the light of execution feedback or changes in the competitive landscape. The scope may be an existing or planned product, line of business, geographic or functional area. We quickly provide an objective, data and experience driven, assessment of your existing approach. We explore actions and potential partnerships to seize new opportunities. We work collaboratively with you to strengthen and refocus your team on the revised plan.
Commercialization

We can help you analyze and rank potential markets, quantifying the both the opportunities and risks. Working together we will build a commercialization plan that addresses both technical and market risk. We have decades of experience taking technology from lab to market across many engineering and scientific disciplines. There are always setbacks and obstacles, you benefit from our battle scars resulting realistic, executable and bankable plans.

Accelerate

With your technology and business model validated by paying customers, now is the time to pull away from the pack. We add new capabilities to your organization, transfer our experience to your team and leave as soon as we are no longer needed. These are discrete projects requiring specialized skills for a short period of time, typically one to six months.

International Expansion

We help identify, structure and develop international opportunities that contribute to your bottom line. Our team has decades of experience expanding businesses into Asian, European and North American markets. We can help you in develop an international market entry plan, conduct diligence on overseas business opportunities, establish an international subsidiary, and hire a strong local team.
Channel Development

The right joint venture or channel partner can provide access to new markets, products and services without the investment and ramp-up required to build these capabilities organically. The wrong partner, or misaligned incentives, can consume an inordinate amount of time, cash and ultimately tarnish your brand. We can help you identify and diligence prospective partners, negotiate agreements with reasonable safeguards, and create compelling upside for both parties.
Mergers & Acquisitions

We help you refine acquisition criteria, identify and contact primary targets, negotiate transaction terms, maintain anonymity, and raise acquisition financing. We also advise the management of companies in formulating buyout plans. Such situations may include advising management on alternative courses of action, presenting the plan to the board, negotiating the terms of the transaction, and arranging financing.
Management Augmentation

We draw on our diverse network to provide interim executives to fill critical skills and bandwidth gaps when a permanent employee cannot be found fast enough. We take a hands-on approach, becoming part of your executive team, and are typically involved in identifying and mentoring a permanent replacement. We rapidly resolve business issues and can take ownership of special projects.

Harvest

The time may be right for a change. Perhaps you want to step back from day to day management, partially or fully cash out, or realize value locked in non-core operations or IP. Providing a fresh perspective, we identify and quantify the alternatives and can rapidly implement the chosen option minimizing disruption and maximizing shareholder value.

Divestitures

Mandates range from resolving family business succession issues through complete divestitures to providing business owners with liquidity and diversification through minority or majority equity recapitalization. Our involvement has ranged from full-scale representation, where we prepare the information memorandum, identify potential buyers and negotiate the transaction, to special assignments where we may be retained to negotiate a specific transaction with a previously identified buyer or investor. Working with Aran usually motivates the buyer to complete a transaction expeditiously to avoid a potential auction process.
Buyouts
Restructuring

We help corporations, creditors and equity holders in situations where the financial condition of a company has deteriorated so dramatically that it cannot continue to meet its obligations in a timely manner. Rather than being the executioner, we explore ways to make the business viable in whole or in part. Avoiding bankruptcy, if possible, conserves stakeholder value and speeds the process to its conclusion. We assume operating control of the business, tightly manage cash, while working with the stakeholders to achieve an acceptable outcome. Typically, we need to arrange incremental or restructured debt financing to support the restructuring.