How Experienced Buyers Actually Make M&A Work with Carlos Cesta

Carlos Cesta, Partner at Makanta Services M&A isn't just about closing deals, it's about making the deal actually work.  Carlos Cesta, M&A advisor and founder of his own boutique advisory practice, spent 30 years on the buy-side at Verizon, Dentsu, Presidio, and NP Digital. He's worked 125+ deals across telecom, advertising, and digital marketing. Now he's flipped to advisory, bringing that buy-side operator mindset to entrepreneurs preparing for exit. In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Carlos Cesta, Partner at Makanta Services, breaks down how seasoned buyers really think about M&A. Not as a linear process, but as a series of decisions that constantly reshape one another. Carlos shares why strategy is as much about what not to pursue, and he also explains why one-size-fits-all deal templates fail, how earnouts are often misused, and what experienced buyers do differently to protect value after closing. Things You'll Learn: Why M&A strategy also means defining what you WON'T buy  The deal spiral model experienced buyers use How to start integration planning before LOI How to structure earnouts that actually work Using deal structure earnouts as a risk management tool _____________________ M&A Doesn't Have to Be So Painful 💔  Get Optimized with DealRoom DealRoom helps corporate development teams take control—streamlining diligence, syncing integration, and eliminating the back-and-forth.  👉 Learn how you can run a repeatable, buyer-led process at DealRoom.net ____________________ Questions, comments, concerns?Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.

Christian Hassold, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategic Partnerships at Wpromote x Giant Spoon Christian has been on both sides of M&A as a serial founder and corporate development leader. In this episode, Christian shares his hard-earned lessons about culture as the ultimate deal-breaker in M&A. He breaks down the subtle red flags that founders miss when evaluating acquisition targets, explains why he interviews employees before talking to investors, and shares the fascinating story of acquiring a competitor that was shutting down—where culture assessment made all the difference. Christian also introduces his 5-pillar lean M&A framework and explains why "commit to close" doesn't mean ignoring red flags, but rather cataloging them until you have enough evidence that culture fit is fundamentally broken.   Things You'll Learn Why interviewing employees before investors reveals the real culture story—and the specific red flags that signal a deal should stop  How to distinguish between fixable cultural friction and fundamental misalignment that will crater post-merger integration The "commit to close" philosophy that balances conviction with cataloging red flags—knowing when three strikes means you walk away _____________ Buyer-Led M&A™: The Framework is Now Available Traditional M&A is broken. Buyers chase auctions. Sellers control the process. It's reactive, inefficient, and exhausting. After 300+ episodes of M&A Science, I've taken insights from the world's top corp dev leaders and distilled them into a practical framework for taking control of your M&A pipeline—how to source deals directly, build relationships earlier, and stop being auction-chasers. If you'd like to build a proactive M&A program that founders actually want to engage with, you can grab your copy. https://dealroom.net/resources/ebooks/buyer-led-m-a-tm-the-framework  _____________ This episode is sponsored by DealRoom! Turn your chaos into control. Tired of chasing updates across spreadsheets and email threads? Discover how DealRoom helps corporate development teams bring order to M&A.  👉 Learn how you can run a repeatable, buyer-led process at DealRoom.net _____________  Episode Chapters [00:03:00] The Entrepreneur's Path to Corporate Development – How building and selling three companies shaped Christian's view on culture fit [00:10:30] Three Things I Wish I Knew Before My First Deal – Why assuming nothing about culture and motivations is critical [00:13:00] The Lean M&A Framework for Culture Assessment – Five pillars that put people and culture at the center of deal evaluation [00:16:00] Deep Dive the Business: Beyond Numbers – Why talking to customers and employees reveals culture gaps before they kill deals [00:22:30] Commit to Close vs. Catalog Red Flags – When dishonesty, fraud, or culture misalignment should stop a deal immediately [00:27:00] Culture as the Ultimate Deal-Breaker – The difference between management style preferences and irreconcilable cultural dysfunction [00:31:00] Post-Merger Integration Starts Day One – Why the PMI team needs a front-row seat on culture assessment from the IOI forward [00:54:30] The Hub Logics Story: Interviewing Employees First – How Christian uncovered the real reasons a competitor failed by talking to the team   Questions, comments, concerns?Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.

Donara Jaghinyan – Transformation and Integration Leader Donara Jaghinyan, returns for Part 2 of our conversation on what actually breaks integrations after the deal closes. This episode tackles the messy reality of post-merger execution: integration debt that piles up when long-tail items don't get done, change management as a practical framework (not corporate fluff), and the cultural friction that surfaces in cross-border deals. Donara shares firsthand experiences navigating gender-based hierarchy in Middle Eastern TSA negotiations, building trust across geographies, and managing the communication breakdowns that create employee uncertainty. If you missed Part 1, listen to that first—then come back for the operational realities that determine whether your deal actually delivers value. Things You'll Learn What integration debt actually is and why long-tail items get forgotten six months post-close without a formal tracking system Change management as a framework, not fluff—identifying friction points, enabling change agents, and communicating up to seven times before messages reach end users Cross-border cultural challenges that don't show up in diligence, including hierarchy-based decision-making and relationship-building strategies that work globally  _____________ 💡 Tired of spending weeks organizing seller documents and building diligence checklists from scratch? DealRoom helps M&A teams cut manual review time and move faster through diligence. Automatically organize messy data rooms, surface risks earlier, and generate tailored diligence requests in seconds—so your team can focus on analysis, not admin work.  👉 See how AI can streamline your next deal: dealroom.net/ai __________________ Episode Chapters [00:02:00] What Is Integration Debt and Why Track It – Long-tail items that don't close in 90 days and how to prevent them from getting lost after handoff [00:04:00] Change Management: Framework, Not Fluff – How change management sits on top of integration like Agile and why it's about experience, not just execution [00:06:00] Culture Isn't a Scapegoat—It's Strategy – Three approaches to culture in M&A: old-school "figure it out," progressive tailoring, and proactive culture transformation [00:11:00] Implementing Change Management from Scratch – Surveys, assessments, and identifying change agents who can influence adoption before mass rollout [00:17:30] US Work Standards Don't Translate Globally – Why European lunch breaks and Middle Eastern approval hierarchies require adaptation, not enforcement [00:19:00] Gender and Hierarchy in Cross-Border TSAs – Donara's experience navigating decision-making challenges as a woman in Middle Eastern TSA negotiations [00:21:00] Building Trust Across Borders – Human connections that smooth working relationships and create execution momentum [00:24:00] Where Friction Actually Shows Up – Communication gaps, leadership changes, and employee uncertainty that derail integration plans [00:27:00] What Goes Wrong and How to Go Fast – Delays, plan shifts, leadership turnover, and why IMOs push back on unrealistic timelines [00:30:00] The Craziest Things in M&A – From TSAs resolved by title hierarchy to founders walking away from earn-outs mid-integration.   Questions, comments, concerns?Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.  

Donara Jaghinyan – Transformation and Integration Leader Donara joins us to pull back the curtain on why integrations break—and what it actually takes to make them work. With deep experience across healthcare, SaaS, professional services, and financial services in both public and PE-backed environments, Donara has led diligence, post-close integration, TSA execution, and enterprise system implementations. This episode tackles the hard truths about carve-outs, TSA management, day-one readiness, and the cross-functional dependencies that most teams miss until it's too late. If you've ever wondered why integration timelines slip or costs balloon, this conversation delivers the answers. Things you will learn: Why TSAs aren't contracts, they're projects with hard deadlines, cost escalations, and integration dependencies that functional teams consistently underestimate The hidden complexity of carve-outs and how scope, vendor negotiations, and people gaps create surprises even with solid diligence How Integration Management Offices (IMOs) orchestrate cross-functional dependencies that functional leads can't see  _____________ 💡 Tired of spending weeks organizing seller documents and building diligence checklists from scratch? DealRoom helps M&A teams cut manual review time and move faster through diligence. Automatically organize messy data rooms, surface risks earlier, and generate tailored diligence requests in seconds—so your team can focus on analysis, not admin work.  👉 See how AI can streamline your next deal: dealroom.net/ai __________________ Episode Timestamps [00:02:30] From International Relations to M&A Integration – Donara's unconventional path from Armenia to becoming a full-time integration leader in Boston [00:04:00] The Dependency Problem No One Sees Coming – Why integration isn't just about systems or people—it's about understanding what breaks when you miss upstream and downstream connections [00:06:00] Why You Can't Just Promote a PM to IMO – The critical difference between project management and integration program leadership [00:07:00] What Gets Underestimated in Carve-Outs – Scope creep, vendor negotiations, and people gaps that blindside even experienced teams [00:09:00] TSAs Are Projects, Not Contracts – Why treating TSAs as temporary extensions instead of hard deadlines creates integration debt and cost overruns [00:13:00] Managing Two Carve-Outs Simultaneously – The story of integrating two business units with heavy TSAs, cross-border complexity, and mismatched organizational structures [00:19:00] Getting IMO Involved Before LOI – How early integration involvement during diligence creates smoother execution and realistic timelines [00:30:00] Day One Readiness and the 30/60/90 Framework – What actually happens from day one through the first 90 days, including controls, discovery, and execution milestones [00:37:00] Integration Governance That Actually Works – Structuring steering committees, functional cadences, and escalation paths that keep deals on track [00:40:00] The Integration Kickoff That Sets the Tone – What to cover, who to involve, and how to align teams on why the deal matters Questions, comments, concerns?Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.

Andy Cohen, Vice President of Corporate Development at F5 Andy has built a career that proves M&A is fundamentally about relationships, not just transactions. With 30 years of experience and 60 deals closed across high-growth tech companies including Citrix, Acquia, and F5, Andy has cultivated the kind of reputation where every CEO he's worked with will take his call tomorrow. In this conversation, he reveals why zero-sum thinking kills deals, how to convince people to sell without convincing them to sell, and why walking away on principle matters more than closing at any cost.  Things you will learn:  Why reputation is your most valuable M&A asset The shift from zero-sum to win-enough thinking Learn Andy's approach to using due diligence as the foundation for integration strategy, cultural fit assessment, and long-term value creation.  _____________ 💡 Tired of spending weeks organizing seller documents and building diligence checklists from scratch? DealRoom helps M&A teams cut manual review time and move faster through diligence. Automatically organize messy data rooms, surface risks earlier, and generate tailored diligence requests in seconds—so your team can focus on analysis, not admin work.  👉 See how AI can streamline your next deal: dealroom.net/ai __________________ This episode is brought to you by S&P Global. Today's episode of M&A Science is brought to you by S&P Global Market Intelligence. If you're in corp dev or PE, you know the pain — good private company data is hard to come by. Everyone's still chasing clean, reliable, up-to-date data. I started out using CapIQ Pro for public comps, but didn't realize until recently how deep their private company coverage has gotten. Over 58 million private companies, global reach, and actually usable for real deal work. This isn't surface-level. You get real metrics — ownership, financials, funding rounds, even asset-level insights. So if you're still toggling between a dozen tools trying to piece together the picture, maybe it's time to stop guessing and start sourcing better. Learn More Here: https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/solutions/products/private-company-data?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=MAScienceH225 _____________ Episode Timestamps [00:02:30] The Empathy Advantage – Why sitting in every seat at the M&A table gives you the perspective to close better deals. [00:04:00] Zero-Sum Thinking Will Kill Your Deals – The mindset shift from "winning" to ensuring everyone gets enough of what they want. [00:07:30] Building Relationships That Actually Drive Deals – How a 30-year network of bankers, VCs, and former CEOs creates proprietary deal flow. [00:10:30] Why Proactive Beats Auctions Every Time – Why almost all of Andy's deals are proactive and how strategic focus enables targeted outreach. [00:14:00] Getting to the Story Behind the Company [00:21:00] How to collaboratively build the acquisition narrative without being pushy or transactional. [00:25:00] Trust Through Reputation and References [00:32:00] Due Diligence Is Integration Planning  [00:42:00] Navigating the hardest negotiations—convincing product teams that buying beats building [00:53:00] Walking Away on Principle – The deal Andy killed because the other side wanted to hurt employee shareholders Questions, comments, concerns?Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.

In this special father-daughter episode, My daughter interviews me on my new book on Buyer-Led M&A™. We break down the framework built from over 400 practitioner interviews—covering why traditional M&A is flawed, how to shift from reactive auction-chasing to proactive deal sourcing, and why integration planning must begin during diligence. Things you will learn: Why integration planning during diligence (not after) determines deal success How the five pillars of buyer-led M&A transform reactive processes into strategic engines  Why proactive deal sourcing beats bank-led auctions every time ____________________ This episode is brought to you by S&P Global. Today's episode of M&A Science is brought to you by S&P Global Market Intelligence. If you're in corp dev or PE, you know the pain — good private company data is hard to come by. Everyone's still chasing clean, reliable, up-to-date data. I started out using CapIQ Pro for public comps, but didn't realize until recently how deep their private company coverage has gotten. Over 58 million private companies, global reach, and actually usable for real deal work.  This isn't surface-level. You get real metrics — ownership, financials, funding rounds, even asset-level insights. So if you're still toggling between a dozen tools trying to piece together the picture, maybe it's time to stop guessing and start sourcing better.  Learn More Here: https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/solutions/products/private-company-data?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=MAScienceH225  __________________ Buyer-Led M&A™: The Framework is Now Available Traditional M&A is broken. Buyers chase auctions. Sellers control the process. It's reactive, inefficient, and exhausting. After 300+ episodes of M&A Science, I've taken insights from the world's top corp dev leaders and distilled them into a practical framework for taking control of your M&A pipeline—how to source deals directly, build relationships earlier, and stop being auction-chasers. If you'd like to build a proactive M&A program that founders actually want to engage with, you can grab your copy. https://dealroom.net/resources/ebooks/buyer-led-m-a-tm-the-framework _________________ Everything You Need to Learn Modern M&A — In One Membership Access proven templates, frameworks, and real operator insights — all designed to help you learn faster, make smarter decisions, and run Buyer-Led M&A with confidence. Sign up now with promo code "FOUNDER" for 50% off at checkout.  https://www.mascience.com/membership __________________ Episode Timestamps [00:00:00] Introduction to Buyer-Led M&A – Kison introduces his new book and the framework for flipping traditional M&A from reactive to proactive deal-making. [00:05:30] The M&A Science Origin Story [00:08:30] The Maturity Curve Problem – Why companies make catastrophic mistakes on their first deal and how the buyer-led framework accelerates learning. [00:12:30] Integration Is Where Value Lives – Understanding that the real work starts after close and why planning integration early prevents people from quitting. [00:19:00] M&A Has a Design Problem, Not an Execution Problem – Why focusing on closing deals instead of making deals successful creates systemic failure. [00:25:00] The Five Pillars of Buyer-Led M&A – Breaking down never M&A on impulse, unified tools, synchronized diligence-integration, scalability, and win-win approaches. [00:37:30] The Three Coats of Conviction – How reactive positioning, integration negligence, and model mirage derail even well-intentioned deals. [00:49:00] What Elite Buyers Do Differently – Early alignment, clear accountability, defined operating models, and building M&A as an organizational muscle. [00:54:00] Proprietary Deal Sourcing Beats Auctions – The house-buying analogy that illustrates why doing the hard work of finding your own deals creates better outcomes. [01:00:30] The Single Most Important Takeaway – Own your assumptions, validate them through rigorous work, and lead the process instead of letting sellers drive it. Questions, comments, concerns?Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.

Sharon Van Zeeland, Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development at Rockwell Automation Sharon brings a unique engineer's perspective to the softest parts of M&A. In this episode, Sharon reveals how Rockwell developed a systematic scoring system for evaluating culture fit during due diligence—complete with numerical rankings across key dimensions like decision-making authority, adaptability, and mission alignment. She also shares unconventional tactics for getting deals across the finish line, from negotiating hunting rights to sponsoring 4th of July parades, and explains why marrying your diligence and integration teams early is the secret to accelerating post-deal value creation. Things You'll Learn How to build a numerical scoring system for culture assessment Why marrying your diligence and integration leaders from day one eliminates knowledge chasms, captures integration costs in your deal model, and helps you reach steady state faster than traditional handoffs Creative negotiation tactics beyond price and terms  ____________________ This episode is brought to you by S&P Global. Today's episode of M&A Science is brought to you by S&P Global Market Intelligence. If you're in corp dev or PE, you know the pain — good private company data is hard to come by. Everyone's still chasing clean, reliable, up-to-date data. I started out using CapIQ Pro for public comps, but didn't realize until recently how deep their private company coverage has gotten. Over 58 million private companies, global reach, and actually usable for real deal work.  This isn't surface-level. You get real metrics — ownership, financials, funding rounds, even asset-level insights. So if you're still toggling between a dozen tools trying to piece together the picture, maybe it's time to stop guessing and start sourcing better.  Learn More Here: https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/solutions/products/private-company-data?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=MAScienceH225  __________________ Buyer-Led M&A™: The Framework is Now Available Traditional M&A is broken. Buyers chase auctions. Sellers control the process. It's reactive, inefficient, and exhausting. After 300+ episodes of M&A Science, I've taken insights from the world's top corp dev leaders and distilled them into a practical framework for taking control of your M&A pipeline—how to source deals directly, build relationships earlier, and stop being auction-chasers. If you'd like to build a proactive M&A program that founders actually want to engage with, you can grab your copy. https://dealroom.net/resources/ebooks/buyer-led-m-a-tm-the-framework _________________ Everything You Need to Learn Modern M&A — In One Membership Access proven templates, frameworks, and real operator insights — all designed to help you learn faster, make smarter decisions, and run Buyer-Led M&A with confidence. Sign up now with promo code "FOUNDER" for 50% off at checkout.  https://www.mascience.com/membership __________________ Episode Chapters [00:02:30] From Engineering to Corp Dev – How Sharon's electrical engineering background shaped her analytical approach to evaluating all deal variables, including the unexpected correlation between employee retention and new product introductions. [00:05:30] Owning the Full Lifecycle – Why Rockwell expanded Sharon's role to include strategy, M&A, integration, and venture investing, creating an enterprise-wide view with quarterly reviews and closed-loop learning. [00:08:30] The Cultural Wake-Up Call – The story of how Rockwell acquired a small software company and nearly derailed a customer's drug development timeline because they missed evaluating decision-making authority during diligence. [00:12:00] Building a Culture Scoring System – How Rockwell uses a 50-item survey to create numerical rankings (0-5 scale) across cultural dimensions, then visualizes gaps and similarities in graphs that are "worth a thousand words." [00:19:00] Integration Playbooks by Company Size – Why Rockwell developed separate playbooks for small, mid-size, and large acquisitions, and how they determine whether to leave companies alone, partially integrate, or fully absorb. [00:27:00] Getting Deals Actionable – Sharon's unconventional negotiation stories: securing hunting land rights for a Texas seller, letting an owner keep his beloved company truck, and guaranteeing 4th of July parade sponsorships. [00:38:30] Marrying Diligence and Integration – The shift from waiting until closing to starting integration planning before LOI, including how Rockwell pairs each integration leader with a corresponding person on the target side. [00:46:00] Continuous Learning Through Retrospectives – How Rockwell conducts retrospectives after every deal phase—not immediately after closing, but six months to a year later when they can truly assess what worked. [00:49:00] AI's Impact on M&A – Sharon's perspective on how AI is changing deal flow and diligence processes, plus a cautionary tale about AI hallucinations incorrectly identifying a public company as private. [00:52:00] Data Beyond Financials – Why corp dev leaders should track employee retention rates, promotion rates, new product introduction velocity, and customer complaints as cultural success indicators. Questions, comments, concerns?Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.

Leon Brujis, Partner and Co-Head of U.S. at 65 Equity Partners Leon Brujis shares how his firm is redefining private equity through non-control investments in founder-led businesses. In this conversation, Leon breaks down why the best companies are never for sale, how immigrant adaptability translates to investing success, and why boring, disciplined deal-making consistently outperforms flashy transactions. He also walks through his framework for negotiating term sheets and building relationships that span years before cutting checks north of $200 million. Things You'll Learn Why non-control "partnership capital" allows PE firms to capture the alpha of founder-led companies that outperform by 3x How to structure competitive fundraising processes that balance relationship-building with deal tension—without talking to 60 firms The five-point framework for negotiating term sheets: value, structure, governance, strategy alignment, and exit planning ____________________ This episode is brought to you by S&P Global. Today's episode of M&A Science is brought to you by S&P Global Market Intelligence. If you're in corp dev or PE, you know the pain — good private company data is hard to come by. Everyone's still chasing clean, reliable, up-to-date data. I started out using CapIQ Pro for public comps, but didn't realize until recently how deep their private company coverage has gotten. Over 58 million private companies, global reach, and actually usable for real deal work.  This isn't surface-level. You get real metrics — ownership, financials, funding rounds, even asset-level insights. So if you're still toggling between a dozen tools trying to piece together the picture, maybe it's time to stop guessing and start sourcing better.  Learn More Here: https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/solutions/products/private-company-data?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=MAScienceH225  __________________ Buyer-Led M&A™: The Framework is Now Available Traditional M&A is broken. Buyers chase auctions. Sellers control the process. It's reactive, inefficient, and exhausting. After 300+ episodes of M&A Science, I've taken insights from the world's top corp dev leaders and distilled them into a practical framework for taking control of your M&A pipeline—how to source deals directly, build relationships earlier, and stop being auction-chasers. If you'd like to build a proactive M&A program that founders actually want to engage with, you can grab your copy. https://dealroom.net/resources/ebooks/buyer-led-m-a-tm-the-framework __________________ Everything You Need to Learn Modern M&A — In One Membership Access proven templates, frameworks, and real operator insights — all designed to help you learn faster, make smarter decisions, and run Buyer-Led M&A with confidence. Sign up now with promo code "FOUNDER" for 50% off at checkout.  https://www.mascience.com/membership __________________ Episode Chapters [00:01:00] From Engineering to Wall Street – How Leon's immigrant journey led him from Lehman Brothers to 20+ years in private equity [00:05:30] The Immigrant Advantage – Why cultural adaptability creates flexibility in deal-making and relationship management [00:10:00] The 65 Equity Model – Non-control investments in founder-led businesses generating $20-100M EBITDA [00:16:00] Pull vs. Push Value Creation – Why partnership capital relies on influence, not mandates [00:24:00] Underwriting Relationships First – Spending 1-2 years building conviction before writing $200M+ checks [00:33:00] Crisis of Comfort – Getting comfortable being uncomfortable as the key to growth in business and life [00:43:00] Making M&A Boring – Why consistency and discipline beat motivation and excitement every time [00:48:00] Term Sheet Negotiation Framework – The five buckets that matter: value, structure, governance, strategy, and exit [00:56:30] Running a Competitive Process – How to balance broad outreach with targeted relationship-building [01:01:00] The Craziest Thing in M&A – When deal fever overtakes discipline and creates the next crisis  __________________ Questions, comments, concerns?Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.  

Brandon Batt – Chief People and Transformation Officer at Quadient Brandon Batt joins us to discuss how successful M&A integration starts long before you sign an LOI. Brandon shares how Quadient built M&A capability across the organization through strategic hiring, created a transformation office that breaks down traditional silos, and executed portfolio transformation through dozens of acquisitions and divestitures. Learn why the secret to integration success isn't just about playbooks—it's about building M&A muscle into your team from day one. Things You'll Learn Why hiring for M&A experience across your organization creates the foundation for deal success, even in roles that seem unrelated to corporate development The transformation office model that eliminates the handoff problem  Why cultural "add" beats cultural "fit"  ____________________ Share Your M&A Experience for the Chance at $500 Giftcard M&A moved fast in 2025. But what actually changed? We're collecting real insights from practitioners—not consultants on the sidelines—to understand how corp dev teams, PE firms, and advisors are adapting. Takes 10 min. Get early access to results + chance at $500 gift card. Share your experience: https://hubs.ly/Q03Rr89G0 ____________________ This episode is brought to you by S&P Global. Today's episode of M&A Science is brought to you by S&P Global Market Intelligence. If you're in corp dev or PE, you know the pain — good private company data is hard to come by. Everyone's still chasing clean, reliable, up-to-date data. I started out using CapIQ Pro for public comps, but didn't realize until recently how deep their private company coverage has gotten. Over 58 million private companies, global reach, and actually usable for real deal work.  This isn't surface-level. You get real metrics — ownership, financials, funding rounds, even asset-level insights. So if you're still toggling between a dozen tools trying to piece together the picture, maybe it's time to stop guessing and start sourcing better.  Learn More Here: https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/solutions/products/private-company-data?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=MAScienceH225  __________________ Episode Chapters [00:02:30] Building a Transformation Office – How Quadient structured M&A, HR, legal, and sustainability under one umbrella to drive seamless execution [00:05:00] Portfolio Simplification Through M&A – Starting transformation with strategic divestitures before adding new capabilities through acquisitions [00:10:00] The Pre-LOI Integration Planning Model – Why strategic operations teams get involved in due diligence from the beginning, not after the deal is signed [00:16:00] Human Connection as M&A Secret Sauce – Building trust with founders and management teams before discussing price and terms [00:21:00] Hiring for M&A Muscle – Why M&A readiness starts with recruiting people who have transaction experience across key business functions [00:28:00] Evolving M&A Maturity – Getting more formal about talent assessment and playbooks while giving teams autonomy to move fast [00:33:00] Founder-Led Business Challenges – Learning to structure deals and set expectations upfront when acquiring companies led by first-time sellers [00:42:00] Collaboration Without Hierarchy – How "collaborate like crazy" became a cultural principle that breaks down silos in M&A execution [00:47:00] Deal Story: Meeting in London During COVID – Why some deals still require getting on a plane, even during a pandemic [00:51:00] AI in M&A and the Human Element – Balancing technology efficiency with the human intuition that uncovers critical deal insights  __________________ Questions, comments, concerns?Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.

 Rachel Hindley, Vice President of Corporate Development, IFS  Rachel oversees transformative acquisitions for the global leader in industrial AI and enterprise software. In this episode, Rachel shares how IFS navigates the unique dynamics of having three major private equity backers—EQT, HG, and TA Associates—while executing strategic deals that enhance their portfolio. She breaks down IFS's four acquisition archetypes (product bolt-ons, customer migration, market entry, and new platforms), explains why integration and value creation must be separated, and reveals how the company is adapting its strategy for early-stage AI acquisitions. M&A professionals will learn how to build repeatable frameworks, maintain cultural continuity during integration, and balance stakeholder priorities in complex deal environments. Things you will learn: How to structure M&A around four distinct acquisition archetypes  Why separating systems integration from value creation  How to balance multiple PE stakeholder priorities  ____________________ Share Your M&A Experience for the Chance at $500 Giftcard M&A moved fast in 2025. But what actually changed? We're collecting real insights from practitioners—not consultants on the sidelines—to understand how corp dev teams, PE firms, and advisors are adapting. Takes 10 min. Get early access to results + chance at $500 gift card. Share your experience: https://hubs.ly/Q03Rr89G0 ____________________ Today's episode of the M&A Science Podcast is brought to you by Grata! Grata is the leading private market dealmaking platform. With its best-in-class AI workflows and investment-grade data, Grata helps investors, advisors, and strategic acquirers effortlessly discover, research, and connect with potential targets — all in one sleek, user-friendly interface. Visit grata.com to learn more.  __________________ This episode is brought to you by S&P Global. Today's episode of M&A Science is brought to you by S&P Global Market Intelligence. If you're in corp dev or PE, you know the pain — good private company data is hard to come by. Everyone's still chasing clean, reliable, up-to-date data. I started out using CapIQ Pro for public comps, but didn't realize until recently how deep their private company coverage has gotten. Over 58 million private companies, global reach, and actually usable for real deal work.  This isn't surface-level. You get real metrics — ownership, financials, funding rounds, even asset-level insights. So if you're still toggling between a dozen tools trying to piece together the picture, maybe it's time to stop guessing and start sourcing better.  Learn More Here: https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/solutions/products/private-company-data?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=MAScienceH225  __________________ Episode Chapters [00:02:30] From Tax to Corp Dev – Rachel's unconventional path from PwC tax structuring to leading M&A at a global software company. [00:05:00] Managing Three PE Backers – How IFS leverages deep support from EQT, HG, and TA Associates while navigating different investment horizons and exit expectations. [00:12:30] Four Acquisition Archetypes – Breaking down IFS's strategic framework: product bolt-ons, customer migration, market entry, and new platform deals. [00:18:00] The AI Acquisition Challenge – Why IFS acquired The Loops despite it being smaller and earlier-stage than typical targets, and what it means for their agentic platform. [00:26:00] The Standalone Strategy – How IFS kept Poka as a standalone business to preserve culture and agility while still achieving cross-sell synergies. [00:31:00] In-House Commercial Diligence – Why IFS brings dozens of people into due diligence and keeps most work in-house rather than outsourcing to consultants. [00:37:30] Integration vs. Value Creation – The critical distinction between systems integration and value creation that determines whether deals hit their business case projections. [00:43:00] Cultural Retention Tactics – From MacBooks to Slack, the small decisions that make or break retention of key talent in acquired companies. [00:52:30] Building Trust Before the Deal – Why bilateral deals trump auction processes and how face-to-face relationship building accelerates transaction timelines. [00:59:00] Corporate Venture 2.0 – How fast-moving AI markets are pushing IFS to consider series financing and call options instead of traditional full acquisitions.  __________________ Questions, comments, concerns?Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.