Complex sentence: In the process, Cullinet acquired some very questionable VAX companies but one had an outstanding relational DBMS but by then it was too late, the company's $50 million nest egg had been burned.
Split into simpler sentences: In the process, Cullinet acquired some very questionable VAX companies, but one had an outstanding relational DBMS. Unfortunately, by then it was too late--the company's $50 million nest egg had been burned.