WorkWise

Financial Transaction Leadership Academy

The big company deals, the IPO, acquisitions, financings, mergers, and restructuring. Everybody gets excited when these happen. You need to know how these deals work to contribute best at any level – to become a more valuable new employee or candidate.Workwise gives you an orientation to context, state of play, strategy, and tactics germane to common investment banking deal scenarios so you can anticipate the kind of things and timing of tasks your company may assign you to do during a deal. Workwise guides you through how various deal processes work with insights derived from the expertise of senior working bankers who have seen it all. Workwise gives you what you need to know: no fluff, no jargon, no irrelevant details. Workwise tells you how the machine works; it does not tell you how to work it. WorkWise is not teaching you to be a junior investment banker; it's teaching you how to be a better junior employee at a company doing an investment banking deal. Other fine education companies teach you how to do the financial modeling that occupies 90% of the time of junior investment bankers. WorkWise is like math or physics for poets. It teaches you how to best work with the junior bankers if they show up at your company. Workwise is a dynamic and interactive platform that adapts to your needs, preferences, schedule, and lifestyle. You can choose from a variety of topics and formats, such as on-demand video presentations, guided seminars with "office hours," one-on-one coaching, articles, diagrams, and more. You can also access Workwise anytime, anywhere, on any device - including pinging Workwise's AI bot to answer specific queries exclusively from Workwise's authoritative proprietary data. Learn from the best to become a more valuable employee. Workwise can help you achieve your career goals. Sign up today to access the Workwise trove of practical deal intelligence.
ENTRY LEVEL and STUDENTS: SELECT YOUR DEAL BELOW

Orientations to how things really work with Investment Banking Transactions - Company Sales, IPOs, Restructuring, Acquisitions, Fairness Opinions, Rights Offerings

Elevate your value as an up and coming new hire. Workwise equips you to understand and anticipate common investment banking transaction scenarios - the fundamental elements driving the dynamics of any deal. Workwise teaches you how the game is played, a level above just knowing the pieces and the rules. Senior investment banking transaction managers founded Workwise. They know what you need to know and cut to the chase to teach you demonstrate better situational awareness and to be a better contributor in important deal contexts. Brief video modules, integrated to give you the big picture - and enjoy it.
Business (or Division) Sale
The process, phases, timing and big decisions involved in selling a private or public company.
IPO
The process, phases, timing and big decisions involved in the IPO.
Restructuring
The process, phases, timing and big decisions involved in restructuring a company to live to fight another day.
Acquisition
The process, phases, timing and big decisions involved in acquiring a private or public company.
Fairness Opinion
What is a "Fairness Opinion"? Why and When do Boards request them? What is the process?
Rights Offering
What is a "Rights Offering"? Why and When do Companies do them? What is the process?
Michael Kane, Ph.D., J.D.
Creative.Education. Leaders

Our Story

Scores of investment banking transactions executed over three decades at two internationally recognized investment banks and my private investment bank - hundreds of transactions evaluated - thousands of executives interviewed - this is how I know how to orient you to investment banking transactions.
I've seen, and been a part of, fantastic successes and made my fair share of errors. I've paid attention. I have learned what I would want to know if I were you now. I'm bringing to you what I teach business leaders in active transactions to empower them to anticipate, and make, informed decisions for all of their stakeholders.
"I teach my clients in every active investment banking engagement. It's the (second) most rewarding part of my job. I have looked back to find the subject matter I most often repeat in a given transaction and am sharing it with you now - before you become accountable for results. It's information you can use if you are a business leader, and if you are at the beginning of your career, it will help you become a business leader."
Michael Kane
Founder & CEO
  • "Kane has a unique ability to not just spot issues, but to proactively help solve them. When things get challenging – and they will, whether you are going through a sale, IPO or a restructuring – any issue that Kane uncovers will be presented to you with a menu of solutions so that you are empowered to navigate the process in an efficient and informed way."
    ★★★★★
    Michael Moulton
    Managing Partner - Law Firm
    "Mike is like 4 or 5 board members in one person. Finance? Yep. Ops? Yep. Strategy? Yep. He’s seen it all, but if you can come up with some-thing he hasn’t seen before, he can figure it out quickly. Responsive. Responsible. Solution-oriented, positive, and calm in every situation. He’s great in transactions and provides a vantage point that helps you consider many more alternatives than you could by yourself. Mike can find and extract value."
    ★★★★★
    Andy Laats
    Founder, Chairman, CEO - Client Company
    "Kane makes a significant difference in maximizing the value to a client company.... helping foster superior returns to the investors"
    ★★★★★
    Keith Benjamin
    Research Analyst, Technology Investment Bank; Venture Capitalist
  • "Kane teaches an M&A Master Class to everyone involved, if you’re interested in learning (and if you’re not, that’s your loss). He brings a unique blend of experience, process, discipline, creativity and intelligence that you're just not going to get from anybody else. ."
    ★★★★★
    Dan Erickson
    CEO - Client Company
    "Michael Kane has the most experience of any-one you'll likely meet in making successful deals -- an astounding range of business types, busi-ness conditions, and buyers. He knows what's possible, and what is a waste of time...He"s a real chess master for selling companies."
    ★★★★★
    Grant Langston
    CEO - Client Company
    "I have found Michael Kane to be very knowledgeable and competent in evaluating companies to determine optimal equity market value and for preparing companies to execute transactions designed to realize that value"
    ★★★★★
    MIchael Moe
    CEO - Investment Bank