Most AI founders see the EU AI Act as a burden: time, costs, documentation. That's a framing error. Viewed from the exit, compliance isn't a cost — it's a quality signal that changes the list of possible buyers and the price they're willing to pay.
The SaaS market has already lived this with SOC 2 certification. Third-party-proven compliance isn't a defensive cost — it's a commercial asset. More than 60% of companies prefer to work with a certified vendor, and nearly 70% of investors favor a compliant target. Without the proof, you're shut out of the best tables.
The EU AI Act is following the same curve, two years behind. The AI company that arrives with established, attested compliance doesn't just avoid a discount: it widens its buyer market and supports its multiple. The one without it ends up "confined to niche buyers," in Brown Rudnick's words.
Established twelve months before the transaction, compliance costs a fraction. Handled during the process, under buyer pressure, it costs far more — and arrives too late to count as a premium. The golden ticket is bought in advance, not at the gate.