Why M2?

THE DEALCRAFT IMPERATIVE

Why Most Companies Can't Close Alone

Sourcing, assessing, negotiating, and operationalizing partnerships at scale is a distinct discipline — separate from business development, product, or M&A alone. It demands market intelligence, dealcraft, precise structuring, integration readiness, and hands-on post-deal execution.

Most internal teams lack all five.

M2 Ventures was purpose-built to close every one of these gaps — with the process, network, and 29-year track record to execute where internal teams cannot.

Premature target selection

Zeroing in on too few partners before the landscape has been properly mapped and evaluated.

Weak due diligence

Insufficient assessment of commercial fit, operational compatibility, and counterparty risk before committing.

Weak dealcraft

No playbook, no precedent, no structuring depth. Negotiations stall or yield poor commercial terms.

Non-objective decision-making

Internal pressure and confirmation bias drive decisions a neutral party would not endorse

Post-close misalignment

Weak governance and shifting priorities erode value after the agreement is signed.

Execution overload

Core teams carry deals as incremental burden. Haste and fatigue compound into lost deal value.

The Principal

Randy McGraw

Founder & Managing Principal, M2 Ventures

Randy McGraw is a partnership architect and principal operator with a 29-year track record closing, commercializing, and governing large-scale partnerships across Japan and ASEAN — across five technology cycles, from pay-TV and broadband through OTT, e-commerce, telco ecosystems, and AI commercialization.

He has structured, closed, and governed more than $2.3B in partnership and joint venture value across eight countries, serving as CCO, interim Country Head, and Acting Director across multiple mandates. He brings the full weight of operator experience — not just advisory distance — to every engagement.

M2 Ventures is his specialist advisory practice, purpose-built to provide the process, network, and dealcraft that internal teams rarely have in full.

The New Rules of Partnerships: Winning Through Collaboration in a World of Scarcity, Speed, and Al

Available on Amazon – Kindle & Paperback

Randy’s book establishes the intellectual framework behind M2 Ventures’ advisory practice – arguing that in an Al-driven economy, partnerships are no longer peripheral business development but the primary mechanism for assembling the scarce assets that determine competitive survival.

Capabilities & Cases

Built From the Deal Table, Not the Boardroom.


Every engagement below was executed at the deal table — structuring, negotiating, and closing. M2 Ventures brings this depth of direct operator experience to every client mandate, across commercial partnerships, joint ventures, and equity transactions spanning Japan, ASEAN, and the US.

Commercial Partnerships

DIRECTV (US)1997–99
Distribution

Built market strategy for independent retailer channel; onboarded 3,000+ reseller partners including RCA, Sony, and Regional Buying Groups.

DIRECTV (US)1999
M&A Diligence

Co-led diligence on TiVo acquisition and XM Satellite Radio investment.

DIRECTV (US)2011
Broadband

Originated and closed broadband bundling with WildBlue and HNS; renegotiated agreements with Verizon and AT&T.

DIRECTV (Japan)1999–2000
Exit Strategy

Executed NTV partnership; led subscriber base sale to SkyPerfecTV; negotiated Sony contracts; advised C-suite on JV dissolution.

Star Channel (Japan)2004–05
Commercial

Acting CCO; secured broadband distribution rights; negotiated IPTV carriage with Plala; delivered 20%+ SG&A reduction.

TNMG (Japan)2005–09
Content & Telco

Negotiated 35 tier-one media partnerships and vendor agreements with NTT, Chungwha Telecom, Equinix, Sony, and others.

Echostar (US)2009–10
Commercial

Structured and executed all commercial partnerships for the VipTV business.

Echostar (US)2010
M&A Diligence

Supported diligence on Motorola's Set-Top Box business acquisition.

HOOQ (Singapore)2014–16
Telco Expansion

Co-led business plan; served as interim Country Head Philippines; drove GTM and telecom partnerships with Globe and Telkomsel.

Amazon (Japan)2019–21
$800M

Led NTT Docomo business plan development, negotiation, and execution of Prime bundling and handset app distribution agreements.

Sertis / Ricoh (TH)2025
Distribution

Structured, negotiated, and completed commercial and technology distribution alliance with regional expansion terms.

Sertis / Salim (ID)2025
AI Commercial

Developed, negotiated, and closed commercial agreements with NVIDIA, ZTE, AWS, and Salim Group; served as Interim Director.

Joint Ventures & Equity Leadership

DIRECTV Japan JV1999–2000
JV

Head of BD for Hughes, Panasonic, Mitsubishi, and Tsutaya joint venture.

Star Channel JV2004–05
JV

Acting CCO for TFC, Sony, Itochu, and News Corp JV; closed refinancing with major US studio shareholders.

TNMG VentureCo2005–09
$12.5M Series A

Built business plan, secured $12.5M Series A funding, and operated the venture for four years.

Astro / Singtel JV2013–14
$250M JV

Built, negotiated, and managed $250M JV to purchase PayTV assets; led diligence on ATV, Cable Thai Holdings, and others.

HOOQ JV2014–16
$92M JV

Co-developed investment plan; co-led JVA close with Sony and Warner; led PE partner evaluations.

Singtel GDL2014
$15M Investment

Led Series D in Maker Studios; drove content partnerships with Machinima and Dailymotion; supported BPL rights planning.

True Digital JV2023
JV

Contract CCO for JV with Sumitomo (Thailand).

Sertis / Salim JV2025–26
AI JV

Built and closed AI development joint venture; currently serving as Acting Director.

Sertis / Andersen2024–26
Consulting Alliance

Supported creation of Andersen Consulting Thailand and managed initial rollout.

M2 VENTURES  ·  m2-ventures.com