James Bamford is a Senior Advisor at Ankura based in Washington, DC. He joined Ankura with the firm’s 2020 acquisition of Water Street Partners, which he co-founded in 2008. Water Street Partners has been independently ranked as the number one global advisor on joint ventures since 2017. Prior to Water Street, he was global co-lead of the Joint Venture & Alliance Practice at McKinsey & Company.
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By seriously considering the prospect of JV failure upfront, companies can take action before it’s too late.
JV transactions have complexities not found in traditional M&A – yet they’re often executed without the help of investment bankers. That can create pitfalls in the deal process.
Why JV negotiations are uniquely challenging
Due diligence for joint ventures is more important than due diligence in an M&A context and requires an approach that exceeds traditional M&A due diligence.
Joint ventures are a critical tool for companies to access or commercialize new technologies and capabilities, share risk, meet local regulatory requirements, gain scale, and pursue capital-light growth.
Where JV committees go bad, and how JV Boards and CEOs can ensure their committees contribute productively to venture performance
Why charting a Capabilities Map of the venture landscape is critical for JV Boards, management, and shareholder governance teams