Derek Kearns
Panelist
Derek is a Partner at Centri Business Consulting and the leader of the firm’s SPAC Practice. He has more than 23 years of accounting experience in both public and private industries. He joined Centri in September 2020 and has focused on Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filings, including IPO registration statements, accounting for complex debt and equity transactions, business combination accounting, and international consolidations. Additionally, he has significant experience with international public filers in the technology, media, and telecommunications sectors, the mining industry, and merchant services, as well as experience in the cannabis industry, manufacturing, and employee benefit plans.
Prior to his time with Centri, Derek oversaw the reporting and technical accounting functions at Mile High Labs, an international cannabinoid and CBD product manufacturer. While at Mile High Labs, he guided the company through its initial financial statement audits and adoption of ASC 606 while documenting the accounting for multiple debt and equity transactions, and business combinations, including downstream mergers and stock compensation plans.
Derek has held management positions at multiple Fortune 250 companies and a public gold exploration company overseeing SEC reporting and technical accounting functions. Derek began his career with Deloitte, spending 6 years in the audit and assurance practice.
Derek has held management positions at multiple Fortune 250 companies, as well as a public gold exploration company, overseeing SEC reporting and technical accounting functions. Derek began his career with Deloitte, where he spent six years in the audit and assurance practice.
He received his B.S. in Accounting and Finance from The Kelley School of Business at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. He is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Colorado.
Topic
Thursday General Session 2/1/2024
Entrepreneur's Dilemma: Sharing the Baby With the Public and the Risk of Losing It
- What drives an Entrepreneur to create a company, and what factors determine when the public company route becomes a consideration?
- What are the pros and cons that an Entrepreneur should weigh before going public?
- How should an entrepreneur evaluate which capital raising route to take, such as a Reg-A, SPAC, Reverse Merger/PIPE, et al., and what are the obstacles, pros and cons of each?
- Are there examples of entrepreneurs who managed to successfully steer a company into the public arena without sacrificing too much of the original vision?
- Are there examples of entrepreneurs who hated going public but later found that the company turned out better than the original vision?
