The Story Behind Jason Flick’s $100 Million Sale to WarnerMedia

These days, you’re just as likely to watch a football game on a mobile phone as you are on an old-school TV. The technology that enables you to watch your favorite show on whatever device you have handy was made possible by Jason Flick. Flick co-founded a company called You.i TV with a vision to “own the glass.” He struck deals to provide the user interface, which enabled content to be viewed across devices with the likes of the NFL, NBA, and just about anyone else who produces original content.

The business was thirsty for cash which Flick raised through four rounds of investment totaling around $35 million. One of his investors was WarnerMedia (formerly Turner Broadcasting), who decided to switch from an investor in You.i TV to the owner when they offered Flick more than $100 million for his company. There is lots to chew on in this episode, including:

• A solid overview of the pros and cons of raising money from a private equity group, venture capital firm, and a strategic partner.
• The definition of an A, B, C, and D round of funding and the dilution associated with each.
• Valuation benchmarks for both recurring and one-time revenue.
• A sneaky trick some SaaS companies use to boost their valuation.
• How to avoid the downward pressure on your valuation that comes with giving an investor the option to acquire your business.
• The danger of raising an investment round too early.
• An overview of the liquidation preferences most venture capitalists demand (and why they might upset your other investors).
• How Flick forced the hand of his investors into making a pre-emptive acquisition.

WarnerMedia was not only an investor in You.i TV, but also a customer. When the proportion of You.i TV’s revenue attributable to WarnerMedia crested 30%, Flick knew he risked undermining his negotiating leverage if they ever want to flip their investment into an acquisition. Suppose you feel overly reliant on a single customer. In that case, we’ll help you think through your options in step eight of The Value Builder System™ — complete step one for free by getting your Value Builder Score.

Check out our article on The Recurring Revenue Bump.

Check out our full M&A Glossary

About Our Guest

Jason Flick’s mission is to challenge the status quo, understand what’s next, turn it into business value and disrupt an industry. By cultivating a habit of seeking new ideas, inspiring people, and creating excellent work culture, he has built a career path of founding/co-founding many successful start-ups. N-able Technologies, which Jason co-founded in 2001 was acquired by SolarWinds (NYSE: SWI), a leading provider of powerful IT management software. He co-founded You.i.TV, attracting big-name U.S. investors since its founding in 2009 as an offshoot of his mobile software firm, Flick Software. The company’s customers have included Sky, Fox, AT&T, NBA, Disney, and Twitch. You.i was sold to U.S. media giant WarnerMedia, one of its biggest customers, in late 2020. Jason is a big believer in giving back to the community and sits on non-profit entrepreneur-focused entities and private sector company boards. In addition, Jason continues to mentor the next generation of tech leaders and help them summon courage, resilience, and creativity in their entrepreneurial journeys. Twitter: https://twitter.com/jasonflick
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonflick/