Latest case study: Prosper (formerly known as BillGuard)

On a crisp morning in late October 2015, Raphael Ouzan was walking briskly to his office, thinking about the whirlwind of activity that just took place. Prosper, a San Francisco-based company, had just acquired BillGuard1, the start-up Raphael helped establish and develop as founding partner. The transaction went quite smoothly, with the companies demonstrating great synergy relative to value-added and growth potential. Nevertheless, Raphael felt uneasy. “Why encourage myself with these positive affirmations? It is never that cut and dry!” he thought to himself.

For the rest of the walk, Raphael wondered what would happen next and how he might impact the outcome. The acquisition was finalized – but what were the plans for an effective integration? Will the two firms attain success as one entity? Would he achieve his financial earn-out? How will organizational restructuring influence the results? The company could pursue a number of different paths. Yet, one wrong decision could easily turn the entire plan into a fiasco. As Raphael walked into his office, he pondered the most important question – “How can I go back and work for someone else?”