The M&A Science Podcast

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Hosted by Kison Patel
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Featuring guests from leading companies

Learn from leading M&A practitioners

Join Kison Patel, Founder and CEO of DealRoom and Chief Scientist at M&A Science for weekly episodes where he explores the complex world of M&A with industry leaders and practitioners. Here's to the deal.

"When you hire good people who care a lot and you develop those employees - all boats rise" 
Michael Hoy
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"The biggest challenge for serial acquirers isn’t just execution—it’s ensuring every deal fits into the broader strategy. You need a decision-making framework, and a way to track progress without disrupting your teams." 
Gwen Pope and Tracie Smith
Co-Founders of Tiger Team M&A
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"M&A should not be just about valuation triage. It’s about real value creation, structuring deals that benefit both sellers and buyers while preserving business operations."
Mimi Wu
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Live Podcast
Nov 7, 2022

Sell-Side Behind-the-Scenes Part 2: Preparing a Company For an Acquisition

Frederic Lebourg
, 
CEO & Managing Director at Redlands Farm Holding, Corp.- a Subsidiary of the Bollore Group
Diligence
Live Podcast
Nov 7, 2022
This interview is part two of our M&A Science podcast interview with Frederic Lebourg, CEO & Managing Director at Redlands Farm Holding, Inc. During this interview, he discusses what happens after the deal preparation stage.
Live Podcast
Nov 3, 2022

Sell-Side Behind-the-Scenes Part 1: Preparing a Company For an Acquisition

Frederic Lebourg
, 
CEO & Managing Director at Redlands Farm Holding, Corp.- a Subsidiary of the Bollore Group
Diligence
Live Podcast
Nov 3, 2022
Where do you start when selling a business? This is the first of two interviews with Frederic Lebourg, CEO & Managing Director at Redlands Farm Holding, Inc. During part 1, Frederic discusses how to prepare a company for an acquisition.
Live Podcast
Oct 31, 2022

Reverse Auction in M&A

Atul Tiwary
, 
Vice President of Corporate Development at Barracuda (NYSE: CUDA)
Sourcing
Live Podcast
Oct 31, 2022
Have you ever heard of a reverse auction process in M&A? In this interview, Atul Tiwary, former Vice President of Corporate Development at Barracuda, talks about the reverse auction process in M&A including how the process works and why should acquirers consider it.
Live Podcast
Oct 28, 2022

How to Properly Lay Off People During an Acquisition

Evelyn De la Cruz
, 
Head of North America Administrative Operations at Spencer Stuart
General
Live Podcast
Oct 28, 2022
When acquiring another company, there is always the potential that layoffs will need to take place to streamline the new organization. Of course, letting people go is never easy, but there are ways to do it properly to minimize damage to the individuals and the company's reputation. In this episode, Evelyn De la Cruz, Head of North America Administrative Operations at Spencer Stuart, discusses how to properly lay off people during an acquisition.
Live Podcast
Oct 25, 2022

Dissecting GTM for Successful Integration

Dustin Delewski
, 
Director of M&A Integration Management at Cardinal Health
Integration
Live Podcast
Oct 25, 2022
Go-to-market integration is more than just combining the sales and marketing teams. In this interview, Dustin Delewski, Director of M&A Integration Management at Cardinal Health, gives a comprehensive view of how you can dissect your GTM for successful integration.
Live Podcast
Oct 20, 2022

How to Approach Deal Targets

Andrew Whitcomb
, 
Sr Director, Strategy, Corporate Development, M&A at Builders FirstSource
Diligence
Sourcing
Live Podcast
Oct 20, 2022
Are you trying to become a proactive acquirer? One of the most crucial aspects of success is managing the pipeline and approaching companies. In this interview, Andrew Whitcomb, Sr Director, Strategy, Corporate Development, M&A at Builders FirstSource, shares how to approach deal targets.
Live Podcast
Oct 17, 2022

Introducing M&A to a Larger Company

Dan Menge
, 
Head of M&A Integration at AMD
Jeff Hennig
, 
Vice President, Corporate Development at AMD
Integration
Live Podcast
Oct 17, 2022
Ever wonder what happens when a first-time acquirer merges with a serial acquirer? In this interview, Jeff Hennig, Vice President, Corporate Development at AMD, and Dan Menge, Head of M&A Integration at AMD discuss how to introduce M&A to a larger company.
Live Podcast
Oct 13, 2022

Carving Out A Competitor

Liz Lockhart
, 
Sr. Director, PMO, Training and Business Applications
Divestiture
Live Podcast
Oct 13, 2022
Carve-outs are incredibly complex. Buying a small part of a target company brings many challenges and can be even more complicated if the acquirer is carving out a public company. In this interview, Liz Lockhart, Sr. Director, PMO, Training and Business Applications, shares her experience in carving out a public company competitor.
Live Podcast
Oct 10, 2022

Formulating M&A Strategy for Proactive Sourcing

Mike Kryza
, 
Head of Corporate Development at The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America
Sourcing
Strategy
Live Podcast
Oct 10, 2022
When companies do reactive M&A there is a much lower chance of achieving the intended post-close deal value. In this interview, Mike Kryza, former Head of Corporate Development at the Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, discusses formulating an M&A strategy for proactive sourcing.
Live Podcast
Oct 6, 2022

Realizing Go-To-Market Synergies

Karen Ashley
, 
Vice President, Corporate Development Integration at Cisco
Integration
Live Podcast
Oct 6, 2022
Revenue synergies are one of the hardest things to achieve during integration. In this interview, Karen Ashley, Vice President, Corporate Development Integration at Cisco, discusses their best practices to realize go-to-market synergies.
Live Podcast
Oct 3, 2022

How to Convince People to Sell their Business

Willy Walker
, 
Chairman and CEO of Walker & Dunlop, Inc (NYSE: WD)
Strategy
Live Podcast
Oct 3, 2022
M&A is one of the fastest ways to grow a company. Many of the largest companies in the world turn to M&A for inorganic growth. However, first-time acquirers often find it difficult to buy companies due to a lack of experience and reputation. In this episode, Willy Walker, Chairman, and CEO of Walker & Dunlop, Inc, discusses how to convince people to sell their business.
Live Podcast
Sep 29, 2022

Proactive Deal Sourcing

Lisa Marchese
, 
Head of Corporate Development at American Express
Sourcing
Live Podcast
Sep 29, 2022
It’s been proven time and again that culture should not be ignored during acquisitions. In this interview, Lisa Marchese, Head of Corporate Development at American Express, discusses proactive deal sourcing with culture in mind.
Live Podcast
Sep 26, 2022

How to Improve the Sales Function During Integration

Richard Dunkel
, 
Global Head of Field Enablement at Celonis
Strategy
Live Podcast
Sep 26, 2022
Having trouble building a sales function? In this interview, Richard Dunkel, Global Head of Field Enablement at Celonis, discusses how to improve the sales function during integration.
Live Podcast
Sep 22, 2022

Lessons Learned from Leadership Onboarding

Kim Jones
, 
SR. HR M&A Manager and SR. HR Manager XBOX at Microsoft
Integration
Live Podcast
Sep 22, 2022
An effective M&A onboarding process post-close can dictate employee retention. But what's even more important is retaining the acquired company's leadership. Leadership has massive influence inside the business, and helping them transition properly will positively impact the overall transaction. This interview will discuss lessons learned from leadership onboarding with Kim Jones, HR Director M&A at Microsoft.
Live Podcast
Sep 19, 2022

Building an Exit Path

Touraj Parang
, 
President & COO of Serve Robotics
Strategy
Live Podcast
Sep 19, 2022
Selling a business is a difficult task that requires a lot of planning and preparation. However, most entrepreneurs refuse to entertain the idea of a sale until it is too late. The best time to plan an exit is when times are good, not in a desperate situation. The longer the prep time, the higher chances of success. This interview talks about how to build an exit strategy featuring Touraj Parang, President & COO of Serve Robotics.
Live Podcast
Sep 15, 2022

Developing an M&A Thesis

Siran Tanielyan
, 
SVP Corporate Development at Paramount
Live Podcast
Sep 15, 2022
A good M&A thesis is fundamental to a successful transaction. Learn the steps and challenges of developing an M&A thesis, featuring Siran Tanielyan, SVP, Corporate Development at Paramount.
Live Podcast
Sep 12, 2022

Leadership Alignment and GTM Strategy for Successful Deals

Cole Breidenbach
, 
Head of M&A Integration, Corporate Development and Director, Business Value Consulting at Okta
Strategy
Live Podcast
Sep 12, 2022
Leadership is often overlooked but extremely important in M&A. Getting alignment early from all leaders will help increase deal success. In this interview, Cole Breidenbach, former VP, M&A Integration & Strategic Initiatives at Okta, discusses leadership alignment and GTM strategy for successful deals.
Live Podcast
Sep 8, 2022

Growing Beyond M&A

Christina Ungaro
, 
VP, Head of Strategic Alliances & Corporate Development at Wind River
Live Podcast
Sep 8, 2022
Corporate development is more than just doing M&A. Sometimes, acquiring a company isn't the best way to achieve the organization's growth strategy. This episode will discuss growing beyond M&A with Christina Ungaro, former VP, Head of Corporate Development at Wind River.
Live Podcast
Sep 5, 2022

How to Build and Grow an IMO Function

Joshua Zatkin-Steres
, 
Head of M&A Integration at Zuora
Integration
Live Podcast
Sep 5, 2022
Integration is one of the most challenging and crucial parts of M&A, and having a dedicated integration function can be extremely valuable to an organization. Let's all learn how to stand up an IMO function with​​ Joshua Zatkin-Steres, Head of M&A Integration at Zuora.
Live Podcast
Sep 1, 2022

Secrets to Building an M&A Function

Bani Bedi
, 
Senior Vice President at Smartsheet
Live Podcast
Sep 1, 2022
M&A is one of the most powerful tools to transform your business instantly. If done right, your organization will reach new heights that otherwise would not have been possible. Before you can reap its benefits, you must build a good M&A function. In this episode, Bani Bedi, SVP, Head of Corporate Development, Strategy, and Monetization at Smartsheet, shares the secrets to building an M&A function.
Live Podcast
Aug 29, 2022

Financial Diligence in M&A

Amr Abdelaziz
, 
Senior Director - Global M&A & Strategy Finance at Equinix
Diligence
Live Podcast
Aug 29, 2022
Finance is arguably the most critical part of the due diligence process. Almost every transaction comes down to the numbers unless it's a pure IP deal. Conducting effective financial diligence in M&A is crucial to every acquisition's success. This interview tackles the basics of financial diligence featuring Amr Abdelaziz, Senior Director, M&A Finance at Equinix.
Live Podcast
Aug 25, 2022

Developing Strategy with Business Leaders

Michael McDonald
, 
Director, Strategy at Koch Engineered Solutions
Strategy
Live Podcast
Aug 25, 2022
Strategy is a crucial part of a M&A. Without it, acquirers may end up purchasing companies that compromise their time and resources. This episode will discuss developing strategy with business leaders, featuring Michael McDonald, former Director, Strategy at Koch Engineered Solutions.
Live Podcast
Aug 22, 2022

How to Compete in a Competitive M&A Market

Tyler Rodewald
, 
CPA - VP, Mergers and Acquisitions, EIS Holdings
Strategy
Live Podcast
Aug 22, 2022
No buyer desires an auction process, but if you are ever involved in one, it’s important to know how to handle the process effectively. In this interview, Tyler Rodewald, VP, M&A at EIS Holdings, talks about how to engage in a competitive M&A process.
Live Podcast
Aug 18, 2022

Capturing Revenue Synergies

Joachim Heel
, 
Chief Revenue Officer at Zebra Technologies
Live Podcast
Aug 18, 2022
Revenue synergies are one of the most challenging metrics to achieve during integration, but are also the primary reason companies buy businesses. In this episode, Joe Heel, Chief Revenue Officer at Zebra Technologies, talks about capturing revenue synergies.
Live Podcast
Aug 15, 2022

Architecting Communications for Successful Integration

Emma Barton
, 
Director, Alliance and Integration Management at AstraZeneca
Integration
Live Podcast
Aug 15, 2022
Deal failure can often be tied back to a lack of communication and collaboration. Let's discuss architecting communications for successful integration featuring Emma Barton, Director, Alliance and Integration Management at AstraZeneca.
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