M&A Science

Latest Episodes:

The Basics of Sell-Side M&A Jun 13, 2022

Show notes

Adam Coffey, Founding Partner of CEO Advisory Guru LLC.

Selling a business is an extremely significant event in a business owner's life.

The decision to sell is life-changing for entrepreneurs, and not just financially. Owners need to be prepared and educated before putting their company up for sale.

In this episode of the M&A Science podcast, Adam Coffey, Founding Partner of CEO Advisory Guru LLC, discusses the basics of sell-side M&A.

Liked today's episode? Unlock over 50 courses taught by top-tier M&A practitioners by joining the M&A Science Academy. Use code "podcast" on the sign-up page for a 20% discount, available on either monthly or annual plans. www.mascience.com/academy

Want to learn about upcoming interviews, events, and industry trends? Sign up for our weekly newsletter. https://www.mascience.com/newsletter-signup

If you're a head of corporate development and looking to build up a world-class M&A team, reach out to me at kison@mascience.com.

This episode is sponsored by DealRoom, the leading M&A lifecycle management platform. To see why the best in the industry use DealRoom, go to https://www.dealroom.net

How to Source Deals and Build Your Pipeline Jun 06, 2022

Show notes

Jeremy Segal, Executive Vice President Corporate Development at Progress NASDAQ: PRGS

Corporate development teams are tasked with finding potential M&A targets.

And while that may sound fun and exciting, deals don't just fall out of the sky. Any serious acquirer knows that inbound deals are not always the best way to get leads. Proactively sourcing deals is the best way to approach M&A.

In this episode of the M&A Science podcast, Jeremy Segal, EVP, Corporate Development at Progress, teaches us how to source deals and build a pipeline.

Liked today's episode? Unlock over 50 courses taught by top-tier M&A practitioners by joining our M&A Science Academy. Use code "podcast" on the sign-up page for a 20% discount, available on either monthly or annual plans. www.mascience.com/academy

Want to learn about upcoming interviews, events, and industry trends? Sign up for our weekly newsletter. https://www.mascience.com/newsletter-signup

If you're a head of corporate development and looking to build up a world-class M&A team, reach out to me at kison@mascience.com.

This episode is sponsored by DealRoom, the leading M&A lifecycle management platform. To see why the best in the industry use DealRoom, go to https://www.dealroom.net

How M&A Strategy Evolves in Education Technology May 30, 2022

Show notes

Tom Horton, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development & Strategy at Kaplan, Inc.

Online education is not new. Back in 2010, Kaplan University already had 75,000 students in its online higher education program. It grew rapidly and was highly profitable since online schools have lower costs than face-to-face campus delivery-based education.

But because of the pandemic, the entire educational sector was forced to shift in this direction, increasing competition. There has been a 40% increase in acquisitions since the pandemic, and interest in the education sector has exploded.

In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Tom Horton, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development & Strategy at Kaplan, Inc., talks about how M&A strategy has evolved in education technology.

Things you will learn in this episode:

- The evolution of online education

- How Kaplan allocates resources for growth

- Five M&A criteria Kaplan requires for potential acquisitions

- Team alignment and how it has evolved over the years

- Biggest lessons learned from Tom's M&A experience

Liked today's episode? Unlock over 50 courses taught by top-tier M&A practitioners by joining our M&A Science Academy. For a special 30% discount, use code "podcast" at our sign-up page for either monthly or annual plans. www.mascience.com/academy If you're head of corporate development and looking to build up a world-class M&A team, reach out to me at kison@mascience.com

From Accounting to an M&A Career May 23, 2022

Show notes

Kayla Davis, Vice President, Head of M&A at ABM Industries (NYSE: ABM) M&A is a fascinating career path, and traditionally there are a only few entry points. Banking roles are the most common entry point to M&A, but recently, we have seen an increase in practitioners coming from different backgrounds.

In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Kayla Davis, Vice President, Head of M&A at ABM Industries, talks about how she transitioned from accounting to an M&A career.

Things you will learn in this episode:

- Kayla's journey to M&A

- How she built her team and the function

- Advice to new M&A practitioners

- How to transition to internally sourcing deals

- Maintaining accountability throughout the entirety of the deal

To join our network of M&A practitioners and sign up for our newsletter, go to mascience.com.

Career Development in M&A May 16, 2022

Show notes

Caleb Shafer, Corporate Development Associate at RS Group plc. (LON: RS1)

Traditionally, corporate development professionals come from banking roles.

And while nothing is wrong with that, it is always fascinating to hear other ways that professionals start their careers in M&A.

In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, M&A is Caleb Shafer, Corporate Development Associate at RS Group plc talks about his career development in M&A.

You will also learn:

- Where Caleb started

- Skills required for a corporate development role

- What senior leadership can do to unlock their junior-level talent

- Gray-zone leadership Advice to aspiring practitioners

To join our network of M&A practitioners and sign up for our newsletter, go to mascience.com.

Implementing an Actionable GTM Strategy May 09, 2022

Show notes

Hannah Leung, Senior Manager, Global Distribution M&A at Salesforce (NYSE: CRM)

Implementing a GTM strategy is one of the most crucial parts of integration. The GTM strategy is what makes achieving synergies and scaling post-close possible.

In this episode of the M&A Science podcast, Hannah Leung, Senior Manager, M&A at Salesforce, talks about the challenges of implementing an actionable GTM strategy.

In this episode you will learn about:

- The relationship between corp dev and integration team

- How integration teams do GTM planning

- The challenges in implementing an actionable GTM strategy

- How to ensure team alignment

- How to track value from buying plans

To join our network of M&A practitioners and sign up for our newsletter, go to mascience.com.

How to Run an Integration Led Confirmatory Diligence Process May 02, 2022

Show notes

Jim Buckley, Vice President, Mergers and Acquisitions Integration at VMware (NYSE: VMW)

It doesn't matter if you buy the best company in the world, if integration is not done properly, value will be lost. And while there are a handful of companies embracing the value of integration and bringing the integration team in during the diligence process, some take it even further.

In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Jim Buckley, Vice President, Mergers and Acquisitions Integration at VMware, talks about how to run an integration-led confirmatory diligence process.

Things you will learn in this episode:

-The difference between a corporate development and integration team

-Why you should involve the integration team pre LOI

-How integration leaders draft diligence questions

-The do's and don'ts of integration

To join our network of M&A practitioners and sign up for our newsletter, go to mascience.com.

How to Formulate Your M&A Strategy Apr 25, 2022

Show notes

Matt Arsenault, VP of Corporate Development at Jamf

Too many times, we've seen M&A used as a strategy to grow businesses. But in fact, M&A is not a strategy, it's a tool that organizations use to achieve their corporate strategy.

But once you understand your true north, having an M&A strategy is just as important.

In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Matt Arsenault, VP of Corporate Development at Jamf, talks about how to formulate an M&A strategy.

You will also learn:

- The importance of an M&A strategy

- How socializing your strategy can help you source deals

- Creating your own M&A scorecard

- Challenges in developing your M&A strategy

- Lessons learned along the way

To join our network of M&A practitioners and sign up for our newsletter, go to mascience.com.

How to Stand Up an IMO Apr 18, 2022

Show notes

Ian Burk, EVP of integration at Upland Software (NASDAQ: UPLD)

The importance of integration has never been more prevalent. And standing up a dedicated function to oversee integration is becoming more of a necessity as a company grows more prominent.

Having an integration management office (IMO) might be a good fit for your company. But how do you stand up to such a function?

In this episode of the M&A Science podcast, Ian Burk, EVP of integration at Upland Software, talks about how to stand up an IMO.

You will also learn:

-What is the primary role of an integration management office

-The actual steps in standing up an IMO

-How to build playbooks

-Best practices during integration

-The importance of executive sponsorship

To join our network of M&A practitioners and sign up for our newsletter, go to mascience.com.

How to Grow Purely on Acquisitions Apr 11, 2022

Show notes

Austin Woody, Senior Vice President of M&A and Corporate Development at Upland Software(NASDAQ: UPLD)

From zero revenue to a billion-dollar market capitalization, Upland Software has exponentially grown its business through acquisitions. How did Upland Software do it?

In this episode of the M&A Science podcast, Austin Woody, Senior Vice President of M&A and Corporate Development at Upland Software, explains how to grow purely on acquisitions.

You will also learn:

- How Upland Software source deals

- Standing up an M&A function

- What their integration process looks like

- How they look at culture

- Biggest lessons learned

To join our network of M&A practitioners and sign up for our newsletter, go to mascience.com.