E187: Why Holding Companies Beat Private Equity w/Matt Foran

Jul 16, 2025

Matt Foran, co-founder and president of StoicLane, discusses the innovative world of holding companies, focused on real estate and small business acquisitions. He shares insights on how StoicLane has successfully acquired 71 companies with a unique seller-friendly approach. Matt emphasizes the long-term advantages of permanent capital and the importance of transparency in building trust. The conversation also delves into leveraging AI for operational efficiency and the competitive edge of holding companies over traditional private equity in fostering sustainable growth.

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ANECDOTE

Legacy Preservation Wins Deals

Matt Foran told a story about acquiring 26 vacation rental companies with a long-term vision.
They promised sellers legacy preservation and operational participation, which helped close deals.

INSIGHT

Permanent Structure Advantage

StoicLane’s permanent, long-term holding company structure allows nuanced decisions and patient integration.
This contrasts with private equity's fast-paced model, better protecting key employees and client relationships.

ADVICE

Use Seller Trust as Deal Flow

Build trust with sellers by delivering on promises and maintaining transparency during integration.
Use satisfied sellers as advocates who refer other acquisition opportunities to you.

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What if Berkshire Hathaway were built today, with the best of technology and long-term thinking baked into its DNA? That’s the question Matt Foran and his team at StoicLane are answering—by doing it. In this episode, I speak with Matt Foran, co-founder of StoicLane, a holding company quietly building one of the most interesting portfolios in private markets. With over 70 acquisitions across four major verticals—accounting, PEO, appraisal and mortgage services, and vacation rentals—StoicLane now manages $300M in TTM revenue and expects $60M in EBITDA this year. But it’s not just the numbers. StoicLane stands out for its permanent capital structure, seller-friendly integration approach, and deep use of technology and AI to transform old-school industries. We dive deep into how Matt thinks about company building, permanent capital advantages, competing with PE firms, and the cultural flywheels StoicLane is creating as they scale.

Highlights:

The long-term edge of a permanent holding company
Why legacy preservation wins deals in fragmented industries
How StoicLane acquired 71 companies in 3.5 years
Building the 2nd largest vacation rental platform in the U.S.
The C-Corp + LLC structure and what it enables
Aligning every employee with equity ownership
Using AI to uplevel employees and improve service quality
Why top talent is the only real constraint
The tax advantages of evergreen structures
Lessons from competing with PE playbooks—at a different pace

-- Guest Bio: Matt Foran is the Co-Founder, President, COO, Board Member of StoicLane, a holding company focused on acquiring and transforming real estate and small business service firms using technology and permanent capital. Since launching StoicLane, Matt and his team have completed 71 acquisitions across four major verticals, scaling the platform to $300M in trailing revenue and $60M in EBITDA. Prior to founding StoicLane, Matt built and exited multiple startups in FinTech, real estate, and InsureTech.

Our Podcast now receives more than 300,000 downloads a month. Are you interested in sponsoring an episode? Please email David Weisburd at david@weisburdcapital.com.

#VentureCapital #VC #Startups #OpenLP #assetmanagement

-- Stay Connected: X / Twitter: David Weisburd: @dweisburd

LinkedIn: David Weisburd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dweisburd/ Matt Foran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattforan/

Links StoicLane: https://www.stoiclane.com/

-- Questions or topics you want us to discuss on How I Invest? Email us at david@weisburdcapital.com.

(0:00) Episode preview (0:31) Business scale, acquisitions, and holding company benefits (2:30) Long-term vision in vacation rental business (4:32) Stoic team background and competitive advantages (8:06) Financial outcomes with a unique investment approach (10:27) Business strategies in different verticals (11:26) Proprietary deal flow and acquisition strategy (15:02) Holding company incentives and reverse references (19:33) Commitment fulfillment and long-term relationship building (22:25) Tax benefits of Stoic's business structure (24:18) Capital redeployment and value compounding (26:26) Advantages of evergreen structures (29:14) Utilizing AI in business roll-ups (34:48) Limited use of holding companies in the industry (38:04) Seeking talent for Stoic's growth (40:34) The value of self-sufficiency in employees (42:11) Closing remarks