VIA

VIA International – the “Digital Concierge”

Acresis helped identify and merge 6 separate Founder-owned luxury home technology providers across the U.S. to create the world’s largest luxury residential technology integrator.  Acresis started with a vision that home technology integration could emulate the IT systems integration industry, and provided strategic direction, planning and management for HR, legal, marketing and sales, executive search, and tax and audit functions.  Over 18 months, Acresis counseled the 11 founders and helped them to triple their respective enterprise values for the new, combined company.  Read about the VIA story and Case Study, below:

 

“When we began working with Acresis, they had all sorts of tools at their fingertips like corporate development frameworks, marketing plans, investor decks, M&A deal structures, terms sheets and NDA’s.  When I have what I think is a unique challenge, Acresis acts as my 411 directory assistance and 911 emergency response and they address it immediately.”

- Randy Stearns, Founder and former CEO, VIA International

 

Over the course of less than two years, Acresis helped structure, resource and build the largest luxury home integrator in the world  Prior to its formation, there were 7 regional companies and 11 Founders working separately under their own banner, all privately held … and all sub-scale, with the largest at less than $13 M in annual sales.      

 

Acresis approached various Founders to help define a strategy and execution plan around two goals:  (1) achieving an exit (or exits) for significant future liquidity events, and (2) organizing to become much more forward leaning in their go-to-market (GTM) plan and actions.  

 

It began when Acresis had a vision that home technology integration could emulate the IT systems integration industry, led by companies we have worked with such as Accenture, IBM, Cap Gemini and others.  To realize the vision, Acresis initially identified a small home technology integrator led by 2 Founders.  Then, Acresis identified a larger integrator who shared a similar vision.  Working together, Acresis led the initiative to identify 5 other Founder-led integrators based in the Western U.S.  

 

In less than two years, Acresis led a planning and integration process to deliver valuation guidance, identify and incorporate better business practices, and provide legal, accounting, sales, and marketing oversight.  All of the Founders have seen the value of their formerly individual businesses triple in value within two year’s VIA’s launch.

 

Getting there required more than any one company could manage, but in combining them in a 6-way merger with no outside capital, Acresis was able to create real commercial value for all the Founders in the form of a new company and corporation, VIA, which remains a 100% Founder and employee-owned company today.

 

How Acresis helped:

 

• Acresis helped develop the go-to-market strategy, organized the required professional services (best practices, governance, financial due diligence, legal due diligence, valuation, etc.) and helped to determine how to value the new enterprise based on revenues and EBITDA less any balance sheet liabilities.

 

• Acresis also steered the original Founders and new company away from raising capital and towards taking debt, which ultimately secured working capital faster and at lower cost (a loan repayment vs. equity distribution and payout), which has resulted in more liquidity and a higher valuation for the Founders.

 

• Acresis led or managed key activities like valuation, due diligence, executive search and staffing, and business process improvement (e.g., finance, sales), so that the Founders could focus on their business.  For example, Acresis helped to source and hire a world-class executives such as Head of Sales, CFO and CEO.

 

By leveraging Acresis as its corporate development function during the critical phases of formation, launch and growth, VIA was able to plan and execute faster, more efficiently and more effectively than would have otherwise been possible.  

 

“I had a very good network of external resources…  auditors, lawyers, etc. but the firms that Acresis recommended are so much better…  and Acresis always know the leaders at those organizations with real juice.”

- Tim Lucas, CFO, VIA International