[fnazeeri]

This is a great opportunity....to raise $$ from investors. Every startup knows that they have to convince investors "why to invest" but fewer know that they also have to convince them "why now?" Having a company sniffing around the fringes is a big motivating factor for potential VCs. It also can be a serious motivator for the "big company" if there are VCs interested as well. They willingness to acquire you at a premium can be driven by their assessment of the probability of "taking out a well funded competitor".

So, a long way of saying, if you're going to talk with them in detail, make sure that you also talk to some investors at the same time (Google BATNA).

[kordless]

I love this. It's turning skewed/unknown expectations into a positive movement on an investment.