Record breaking registrations, attendance, and networking highlighted the strength of the M&A Science community at the Spring Summit.
This past Wednesday we welcomed 1,500 registrants to our virtual M&A Science 2024 Spring Summit. As always, this event brought together the brightest minds in M&A. From students and interns to veteran M&A executives, the M&A Science Spring Summit, sponsored by DealRoom, provided a welcoming environment for anyone looking to optimize their M&A practice or learn how others are doing so. The five dynamic sessions were chock full of best practices, trends, and predictions. Check out all of the session recordings here.
It was no surprise to me that the shining star of the day was not the expert-prepared content or the quantity of attendees. It was the overflowing engagement from the M&A Science community. In fact, attendees asked 50+ questions and sent 350+ chats. Whether via lobby chat, session chat, Q&A, or follow ups on LinkedIn, the community was eager to connect and learn from each other beyond a single 3 hour period.
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A Welcome Keynote
To kick things off, Kison Patel, CEO at DealRoom and M&A Science, welcomed a panel of M&A experts for a rousing discussion on moving past “traditional” M&A processes and embracing a better way to source, execute, and integrate deals. M&A veterans John Palausci (Division Director, Transformative Finance at BAYADA), Cirprian Stan (Head of M&A Integration at Polygon), and Tyler Rodewald (CPA- VP, Mergers & Acquisitions at EIS Holdings) shared the big and little things they are doing within their businesses to move beyond “the way it is'' and optimize their practices. The group specifically discussed the art of saying no to a deal and the future role of AI in the dealmaking process.
Sessions for All M&A Professionals
Following the keynote, attendees could choose between a variety of sessions, with options for different types of M&A professionals from corp dev leaders to PMI team members.
First up,Kison was joined by Ivan Colubic (CFO, Fastlap) to dive into the world of roll-ups. With deep experience in a variety of roll-ups businesses from Local Motors to FastLap, Ivan brought a wealth of knowledge for those looking to scale their rollup business efficiently. Ivan dove into the differences between fast-moving rollups and slower-paced corporate companies, noting that rollups rely on efficient deal cycles in order to drive business growth.
Simultaneously, Chris von Bogdandy (Global Lead M&A - Managing Director at Slalom) was joined by Kris Bates (Senior Manager, PMO (CEO Office) at Miovision) to walk through the downfalls of checklists and the importance of deal thesis alignment for risk reduction. Why is this topic so important? As Chris shared, the reality is, most deals don’t meet synergy targets.
In this session Chris & Kris walk through Miovision’s real world experience with optimizing their traditional check-list centric M&A processes for value-focused, modern processes.
Next up, attendees were welcomed to a Women in M&A Panel where female leaders in the M&A Space shared their learnings, best practices, and predictions for 2024. This session brought together Ritika Butani (Corporate Development Leader), Amy Weck (VP, M&A and Integrations at The Liberty Company Insurance Brokers), and Shveta Mujumdar (SVP Corporate Development, Intuit). The panelists voiced their support for corporate development being a disciplined, neutral party and their definitions of deal success and how they personally ensure the success of a deal.
"The definition of a successful deal is a deal that is in service to accelerating the strategy of business" -Shveta Mujumdar (SVP Corporate Development, Intuit
Lastly, the team at Valuation Research Corporation joined the Summit to close out the day. Together PJ Patel (Co-CEO), Charles Sapnas (Managing Director), and Chris Mellen (Senior Managing Director) walked attendees through the state of valuation in 2024. They covered the burning topics on most of our minds, from the current deal environment to the impact of future rate cuts to prices and multiples. This session was filled with active Q&A from attendees eager to have their top questions answered by the experts.
M&A Community Beyond the Summit
The success of this spring’s Summit is a testament to the vibrant community of M&A practitioners committed to excellence in their field. The M&A Science Spring Summit was not just about listening to experts; it was about connecting with other M&A professionals. Attendees engaged in Q&A sessions and networked with peers, creating a dynamic learning environment.
For those looking to continue the conversation beyond the summit, follow along on LinkedIn as we disrupt the M&A space, all in the name of optimizing the way YOU do M&A.
