M&A in the AI Gold Rush: Build What Acquirers Will Buy

Hosted by Dr. Marily Nika and Gene Alston

Thu, Nov 20, 2025

6:00 PM UTC (1 hour)

Virtual (Zoom)

Free to join

55 students

Invite your network

Go deeper with a course

Featured in Lenny’s List
AI Product Management Bootcamp & Certification by AI Product Academy
Dr. Marily Nika
View syllabus

What you'll learn

Positioning for acquisition

Build AI products that match what acquirers value.

Operational leverage through AI

How automating critical functions increases valuation multiples.

Avoiding the “AI trap”

Why most AI startups fail diligence and how to stand out.

Why this topic matters

M&A in the AI space is moving fast but the rules have changed. Acquirers care less about headcount and more about durable workflows and data moats. Gene breaks down how startups using AI to replace or augment core functions become more efficient, more profitable, and more appealing for acquisition. Founders will leave knowing how to design for exit from day one.

You'll learn from

Dr. Marily Nika

Gen AI PM Lead @ Google | ex-Meta, Fellow @ Harvard | TED AI Speaker | 40u40

AI PM Newsletter (30k+)

🔗 LinkedIn (90k+)

❌ Twitter

🎥 YouTube channel

🤝 Coaching

Based in Silicon Valley, Dr. Marily Nika is an award-winning AI Product Management leader & one of the world's best AI educators, with 12+ years of experience at Google & Meta, with a PhD in Machine Learning. Featured in TechCrunch, executive Fellow at Harvard, TED AI Presenter.

Marily created the first (and best) AI Product Management Certification on Maven. Marily is also a keynote speaker (TED AI / 3 x TEDx) and has been recognized for her contributions in AI & tech several times: Amplitude most influencial product leader, medal of Outstanding Achievement, WISE Influence Award, 2020's Top 100 Women in tech, Emerging Leader Award, 2021's 40 under 40 list.

Marily is also an Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School where she teaches AI Product Management.

She has taught over 8k students on Maven and offers these courses:

✉️ maven@aiproduct.com

Reach out for corporate trainings and group/student discounts.

Gene Alston

Operator | Board Member | Advisor

Based in the Bay Area, Gene Alston is a seasoned technology executive, board member, and advisor with global expertise in payments, commerce, and digital platforms. He currently serves on the board of Ancestry and previously spent five years at Meta, where he led Commerce Business & Operations and Global Marketing Partnerships.

Before Meta, Gene held senior business and corporate development roles at Pinterest, Groupon, and PayPal. With dual degrees in law and business (UCLA JD/MBA), Gene brings a unique operator’s perspective to scaling digital ecosystems and monetization strategy.

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