M&A Science

David Hindley, VP of Corp Dev at Autodesk (NASDAQ: ADSK) This episode is sponsored by the M&A Science Academy, DealRoom, and FirmRoom. To join our growing online community of M&A practitioners, visit https://www.mascience.com/academy. Don't forget to use the code "podcast" at checkout. Ready to take your M&A to the next level with software made to manage each stage of the deal process? See how DealRoom can facilitate your next deal at https://www.dealroom.net. FirmRoom provides 80% cost savings over VDRs that bill by page and delivers a far better user experience to boot. Sign up in under 2 minutes by going to https://www.firmroom.com Episode Timestamps 00:00 Intro 05:00 The Evolution of M&A Functions 06:48 Deal experience as a Banker vs. Corp Dev 15:04 Leading an evolving M&A function 16:13 How the strategy evolved 18:07 Scoring opportunities 19:28 Speeding up the evolution for efficiency 21:31 Working with functional leads 22:29 Aligning the functions 24:10 Business Units 25:08 Corporate Development structure 27:57 Accountability 29:11 Working with integration folks 32:41 Evolution of the governance model 33:56 Success metrics 35:42 Retaining deal learnings 37:04 The hiring process 40:19 Lessons learned 41:26 Craziest thing in M&A

Staci van Schagen, Head of M&A Integration & Disentanglement at Philips This episode is sponsored by FirmRoom, the fastest virtual data room used to get deals done. Leave the pay-per-page world behind by going to https://firmroom.com/ Episode Timestamps 00:00 Intro 05:40 Running global Integrations 08:08 Adapting to different cultures 09:37 Fostering safety in IMO 11:31 Continuous Improvement 13:57 Delivering integration outcomes 18:16 Dealing with uncertainties during integration planning 20:52 Threshold for mistakes during integration 24:56 Using reflections to run integration 28:57 Deal sizes affecting preparations 31:51 Upskilling scenario planning 32:53 Craziest thing in M&A

Jeff Wald, co-founder of Bento Engine, shares best practices when selling a business, including thinking about an exit, engaging with investors, and negotiating law firm prices. He also discusses the importance of communication with employees during the deal process and shares tips for successful integration. The podcast episode provides valuable insights and real-life experiences in M&A.

Brent Campbell, Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategy at Alight Solutions (NYSE: ALIT) This episode is sponsored by the M&A Science Academy, DealRoom, and FirmRoom. To join our growing online community of M&A practitioners, visit https://www.mascience.com/academy. Don't forget to use the code "podcast" at checkout. Ready to take your M&A to the next level with software made to manage each stage of the deal process? See how DealRoom can facilitate your next deal at https://www.dealroom.net. FirmRoom provides 80% cost savings over VDRs that bill by page and delivers a far better user experience to boot. Sign up in under 2 minutes by going to https://www.firmroom.com Episode Timestamps 00:00 Intro 05:46 Importance of Integration 07:38 Gaining integration perspective 10:12 Negative consequences of neglecting integration 12:53 How corporate development can focus on integration 15:38 Challenges in integration 18:22 Challenges in aligning stakeholders 21:04 HSR restrictions 22:27 Integration structure 24:19 Building the integration muscle 32:06 Business sponsor 34:02 How to measure integration success 37:13 Craziest thing in M&A

Klint Kendrick, HR and M&A Leader | Keynote Speaker | Author of the HR Practitioners Guides to Mergers & Acquisitions This episode is sponsored by the M&A Science Academy, DealRoom, and FirmRoom. To join our growing online community of M&A practitioners, visit https://www.mascience.com/academy. Don't forget to use code "podcast" at checkout. Ready to take your M&A to the next level with software made to manage each stage of the deal process? See how DealRoom can facilitate your next deal at https://www.dealroom.net. FirmRoom provides 80% cost savings over VDRs that bill by page and delivers a far better user experience to boot. Sign up in under 2 minutes by going to https://www.firmroom.com. EPISODE TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 05:30 The role of HR in M&A 09:55 Importance of identifying a potential culture clash 12:40 Cultural due diligence 17:27 Pre-LOI cultural diligence 22:09 Finding culture fit 24:48 Five Areas of culture clash 49:39 Deal-specific considerations 59:48 Taking findings that impact the deal terms 1:02:55 Assessing the level of cultural diligence 1:05:40 Transformative deals 1:09:44 The secret sauce to overcoming culture clash 1:12:44 Craziest thing in M&A

PJ Patel, Co-CEO & Senior Managing Director at Valuation Research Corporation (VRC) This episode is sponsored by the M&A Science Academy, DealRoom, and FirmRoom. To join our growing online community of M&A practitioners, visit https://www.mascience.com/academy. Don't forget to use code "podcast" at checkout. Ready to take your M&A to the next level with software made to manage each stage of the deal process? See how DealRoom can facilitate your next deal at https://www.dealroom.net FirmRoom provides 80% cost savings over VDRs that bill by page and delivers a far better user experience to boot. Sign up in under 2 minutes by going to https://www.firmroom.com EPISODE TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 08:37 Market Trends 11:15 Maximizing your company's valuation 12:24 Growth vs Cash flow 13:35 The effect of Storytelling on valuations 14:27 Investor's Influence on Valuation 17:14 Things to avoid as an operator 19:14 Common Mistakes in Valuation 20:53 Impairment 23:42 Implications of impairment 25:49 Purchase price allocation 29:05 Earnout structures 32:34 Length of earnouts 32:51 Computing for Earnouts 38:33 Negotiating Earnouts 41:06 Craziest thing in M&A

Sam Youssef, Founder and CEO at Valsoft Corporation This episode is sponsored by the M&A Science Academy, DealRoom, and FirmRoom. To join our growing online community of M&A practitioners, visit https://www.mascience.com/academy. Don't forget to use code "podcast" at checkout. Ready to take your M&A to the next level with software made to manage each stage of the deal process? See how DealRoom can facilitate your next deal at https://www.dealroom.net FirmRoom provides 80% cost savings over VDRs that bill by page and delivers a far better user experience to boot. Sign up in under 2 minutes by going to https://www.firmroom.com EPISODE TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 05:44 Looking at business through a different lens 09:19 Distinguishing good acquirers 11:17 Identifying the right segment and deal size 15:07 Platform play acquisition 19:57 Approaching target companies 23:16 Financial structure 26:09 Challenges in building an M&A muscle 29:42 Driving value from synergies 30:56 Getting the right people 32:49 Sharing learnings 38:39 Craziest thing in M&A

Kevin Griffin, Executive Director, Corporate Development at JLL (NYSE: JLL) This episode is sponsored by the M&A Science Academy, DealRoom, and FirmRoom. To join our growing online community of M&A practitioners, visit https://www.mascience.com/academy. Don't forget to use code "podcast" at checkout. Ready to take your M&A to the next level with software made to manage each stage of the deal process? See how DealRoom can facilitate your next deal at https://www.dealroom.net FirmRoom provides 80% cost savings over VDRs that bill by page and delivers a far better user experience to boot. Sign up in under 2 minutes by going to https://www.firmroom.com EPISODE TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 04:15 Focusing on smaller deals 06:48 Sourcing deals 08:10 Pros and cons of a competitive auction process 15:47 Cons of doing a proprietary deal 18:35 Benefits of doing a proprietary deal 22:15 Relationship problems 23:24 Proprietary deals vs auctions 25:32 Educating founders on the deal process 26:13 Working with lawyers 27:40 Biggest challenge when educating founders 29:42 Valuation 31:09 Negotiation 34:49 Earnouts 41:45 Making earnouts successful 43:19 Retention with smaller companies 44:17 Best Practices to retain people 46:08 Craziest thing in M&A

Marilyne H. O'Hara, Global Head of M&A Integration at Block (NYSE: SQ) This episode is sponsored by the M&A Science Academy, DealRoom, and FirmRoom. To join our growing online community of M&A practitioners, visit https://www.mascience.com/academy. Don't forget to use code "podcast" at checkout. Ready to take your M&A to the next level with software made to manage each stage of the deal process? See how DealRoom can facilitate your next deal at https://www.dealroom.net FirmRoom provides 80% cost savings over VDRs that bill by page and delivers a far better user experience to boot. Sign up in under 2 minutes by going to https://firmroom.com 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 EPISODE TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 05:20 What is People-Focused Integration 06:02 Ideal Integration Process 08:46 Strong Partnerships With Deal Leads 12:25 Consequences of Late Integration 14:53 Building the Integration Team 20:41 Involving the Integration Team 22:29 Integration Led Diligence 24:07 Building an Agile Team 28:30 Understanding Culture 30:49 Culture Shaping Integration 31:44 Red Flags in Culture Fit 32:46 Best Practices When Onboarding People 39:06 Working with Vendors for People-Focused Integration 40:12 Biggest Challenge 40:36 Advice for First Timer 41:23 Craziest thing in M&A

Nadia Gil, Chief of Strategic Planning and Corporate Development at Brady, discusses why large companies acquire startups for innovation, challenges in identifying unsuccessful acquisitions, importance of communication during integration, unexpected funding stories, and networking opportunities through golf.