The most common theme for these conversations was simply: “I wish I had known then what I know now.”

Throughout his career, David has experienced 11 different acquisitions from multiple perspectives: as a founder, an investor, and a Board member. Recently, he recently went on a listening tour to compare his experience with the post-acquisition stories of a wide range of acquired founders — and then shared his findings with Harvard Business Review.

Originally published in Harvard Business Review. Read the full story here.