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Optionality and M&A Club Partner on Exit Readiness

Optionality and M&A Club Partnership
Optionality and M&A Club Partnership

Optionality AI and M&A Club partner to help owners prepare earlier and build stronger transaction opportunities

The partnership connects AI-powered exit planning with Canada’s largest M&A network, bringing business owners, advisors and buyers closer together before a transaction begins.

MONTRÉAL, September 24, 2026 – Optionality AI and the M&A Club today announced a strategic partnership to help business owners prepare for a successful transfer and give advisors and buyers stronger opportunities to work with them earlier.

The partnership connects two complementary communities: owners using Optionality to understand their value and prepare their next chapter, and the M&A Club professionals who advise, finance and execute transactions.

For Optionality’s business owners, this means access to the M&A Club’s professional community, educational content, events and preferential pricing on selected M&A Academy programs. Owners can better understand their options, learn what buyers look for and connect with the expertise needed to prepare themselves and their businesses.

For M&A Club members and advisors, the partnership provides preferential access to Optionality’s platform and the opportunity to pursue the Optionality Certified Exit Guide certification. These tools help advisors engage owners before a sale mandate exists, assess readiness, address valuation expectations and build a pipeline of better-prepared clients.

For buyers and investors, the shared objective is a stronger pool of businesses ready for transition, with clearer owner objectives and more productive conversations about value and strategic fit.

“Owners often wait until they want to sell before starting the conversations that should have happened years earlier,” said Simon Leroux, President of Optionality AI. “Optionality helps them understand where they stand and what they need to work on. The M&A Club brings the relationships, education and transaction expertise to help them move forward. Together, we can give owners more choices and help advisors build those relationships sooner.”

Preparing for Canada’s business transfer wave

76% of small business owners planned to exit within the following decade, yet only 9% had a formal succession plan.

AI creates an opportunity to close that preparation gap by making analysis and planning more accessible. Experienced advisors remain essential to translating those insights into decisions, particularly when family, financial security and an owner’s identity are tied to the business.

Optionality addresses both sides of readiness: whether the owner is prepared for their next chapter and whether the business is prepared for a transfer. M&A Club members bring the experience, judgment and relationships needed to guide owners through a successful business transfer. From valuation and financing to negotiations and ownership transition, their expertise helps owners navigate complex decisions. The Club’s national network and M&A Academy extend that support through professional connections and practical education for owners, advisors and acquisition entrepreneurs.

“Our members understand what makes a business ready for a transaction, and what it takes to create value and get a deal across the finish line,” said Ugo Dionne, President of the M&A Club. “This partnership brings their expertise into the conversation earlier, when there is still time to address risks, build value and prepare the owner. That creates stronger opportunities for everyone involved.”

The organizations will also offer shared content and events to connect their communities and turn early preparation into informed action.

Learn more at optionality.ai and maclub.ca/en.

About the M&A Club

Founded in 2009, the M&A Club is Canada’s largest network of M&A and corporate finance professionals, bringing together 6,000+ attendees annually across 20 chapters and more than 150 events. Its M&A Academy provides practical education for business owners, acquisition entrepreneurs and M&A professionals.

About Optionality AI

Optionality AI is an AI-powered exit planning platform for business owners and their advisors. Centred on owner readiness and business exit readiness, it combines valuation insights, market intelligence and collaboration tools to help owners build value and prepare for a future sale or transfer. Optionality was selected by Google for Startups Accelerator and is backed by investors including Inovia Capital and Luge Capital.

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