

M&A Science
Kison Patel
M&A Science, hosted by Kison Patel (Founder & CEO of DealRoom), is your go-to podcast for mastering the art of mergers and acquisitions. Each week, Kison and his expert guests from leading brands like Xerox, FastLap, and Cisco dig deep into real-world M&A strategies, offering actionable insights to optimize your M&A practice.
Whether you're an experienced practitioner or new to the field, M&A Science provides practical advice on key topics like sourcing, due diligence, integration, divestitures, and more. With over 300 episodes, this podcast is the premier thought leadership resource designed to streamline your deal-making process.
Start listening today and visit mascience.com/podcast to access over 300 episodes. Brought to you by DealRoom, the leading M&A optimization platform used by the best M&A teams around the world
Whether you're an experienced practitioner or new to the field, M&A Science provides practical advice on key topics like sourcing, due diligence, integration, divestitures, and more. With over 300 episodes, this podcast is the premier thought leadership resource designed to streamline your deal-making process.
Start listening today and visit mascience.com/podcast to access over 300 episodes. Brought to you by DealRoom, the leading M&A optimization platform used by the best M&A teams around the world
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 17, 2022 • 41min
Bottoms Up Deal Origination Model
Benjamin Orthlieb, VP and Head of Corp Dev at LinkedIn The M&A can be highly inefficient, and inefficiency can lead to failed deals. However, some practitioners have figured out how to increase deal success using new work methods. For example, some practitioners have turned to Linkedin as a different way to approach deal origination. In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Benjamin Orthlieb, Vice President and Head of Corporate Development at Linkedin, discusses Linkedin’s bottoms-up deal origination model. Liked today's episode? Unlock over 60 courses taught by top-tier M&A practitioners by joining the M&A Science Academy. Use code “academy20%” on the sign-up page for a 20% discount, available on either monthly or annual plans. https://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: faster diligence and integration in one combined process. See how DealRoom produces more value in less time by going to www.dealroom.net

Nov 14, 2022 • 48min
How to Execute an Effective M&A Integration Handoff
Keith Crawford, Global Head of Corporate Development / M&A at State Street (NYSE: STT) Integration is where value is created regardless of what happened during negotiations and diligence. However, an acquirer can destroy a target company if integration is poorly executed. Therefore, ensuring the acquired business is in good hands is imperative. In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Keith Crawford, Global Head of Corporate Development / M&A at State Street, discusses how to execute an effective M&A integration handoff. Liked today's episode? Unlock over 60 courses taught by top-tier M&A practitioners by joining the M&A Science Academy. Use code “academy20%” on the sign-up page for a 20% discount, available on either monthly or annual plans. https://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: faster diligence and integration in one combined process. See how DealRoom produces more value in less time by going to www.dealroom.net

Nov 10, 2022 • 46min
How to Create an Agile M&A Strategy
Daniel Gittsovich, Vice President, Corporate Strategy & Development at L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) Strategy execution is one of the most fundamental reasons behind M&A. Acquiring a business and rationalizing the deal afterwards is a quick way to waste time and money. In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Daniel Gittsovich, Vice President, Corporate Strategy & Development at L3Harris Technologies, discusses how to create an Agile M&A strategy. Liked today's episode? Unlock over 60 courses taught by top-tier M&A practitioners by joining the M&A Science Academy. Use code “academy20%” on the sign-up page for a 20% discount, available on either monthly or annual plans. https://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 FirmRoom. We built the world's most intuitive virtual data room, that meets public company standards, at a fair price. Learn more by going to https://www.firmroom.com

Nov 7, 2022 • 46min
Sell-Side Behind-the-Scenes: Preparing a Company For an Acquisition Part 2
Frederic Lebourg, CEO & Managing Director at Redlands Farm Holding, Inc. - a Subsidiary of the Bollore Group Selling a business is always challenging. Finding the right buyer, negotiating a fair price, and preserving a business for sale takes time and effort, and there are plenty of potential pitfalls that can derail the entire process along the way. This interview is part two of our M&A Science Podcast interview during which Frederic Lebourg, CEO & Managing Director at Redlands Farm Holding, Inc., discusses how to prepare a company for an acquisition. Liked today's episode? Unlock over 60 courses taught by top-tier M&A practitioners by joining the M&A Science Academy. Use code “academy20%” on the sign-up page for a 20% discount, available on either monthly or annual plans. https://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 FirmRoom. We built the world's most intuitive virtual data room, that meets public company standards, at a fair price. Learn more by going to https://www.firmroom.com

Nov 3, 2022 • 46min
Sell-Side Behind the Scenes: Preparing a Company For Acquisition Part 1
Frederic Lebourg, CEO & Managing Director at Redlands Farm Holding, Inc. - a Subsidiary of the Bollore Group. There are many reasons why an owner sells their business. Before talking to an actual buyer, potential sellers need to prepare their business in order to maximize value. This is part 1 of a 2-part episode on the M&A Science Podcast, during which Frederic Lebourg, CEO & Managing Director at Redlands Farm Holding, Inc., discusses how to prepare a company for acquisition. Liked today's episode? Unlock over 60 courses taught by top-tier M&A practitioners by joining the M&A Science Academy. Use code “academy20%” on the sign-up page for a 20% discount, available on either monthly or annual plans. https://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 FirmRoom, the fastest virtual data room used to get deals done. Leave the pay-per-page world behind by going to https://firmroom.com/

Oct 31, 2022 • 43min
Reverse Auction in M&A
Atul Tiwary, Vice President of Corporate Development at Barracuda (NYSE: CUDA) The M&A auction process creates competition among potential buyers and drives prices up. In most cases, proactive acquirers tend to avoid these types of transactions, but buyers can also initiate and create their own auction process. In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Atul Tiwary, Vice President of Corporate Development at Barracuda, talks about the reverse auction process in M&A. Liked today's episode? Unlock over 60 courses taught by top-tier M&A practitioners by joining the M&A Science Academy. Use code “academy20%” on the sign-up page for a 20% discount, available on either monthly or annual plans. https://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 FirmRoom, the fastest virtual data room used to get deals done. Leave the pay-per-page world behind by going to https://firmroom.com/

Oct 28, 2022 • 51min
How to Properly Lay Off People During an Acquisition
Evelyn De la Cruz, Head of North America Administrative Operations at Spencer Stuart 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 go about layoffs properly to minimize damage to the individuals and the company's reputation In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Evelyn De la Cruz, Head of North America Administrative Operations at Spencer Stuart, discusses how to properly lay off people during an acquisition. Liked today's episode? Unlock over 60 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 30% discount, available on either monthly or annual plans. https://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 FirmRoom, the fastest virtual data room used to get deals done. Leave the pay-per-page world behind by going to https://firmroom.com/

Oct 26, 2022 • 47min
Dissecting GTM for Successful Integration
Dustin Delewski, Director of M&A Integration Management at Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH) Go-to-market integration is more than just combining the sales and marketing teams. Many nuances often get overlooked, especially in the back office. To increase integration success, there has to be a detailed understanding of the go-to-market system. In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Dustin Delewski, Director of M&A Integration Management at Cardinal Health, gives a comprehensive view of how to dissect a GTM for successful integration. Liked today's episode? Unlock over 60 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 30% discount, available on either monthly or annual plans. https://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 FirmRoom, the fastest virtual data room used to get deals done. Leave the pay-per-page world behind by going to https://firmroom.com/

Oct 20, 2022 • 46min
How to Approach Deal Targets
Andrew Whitcomb, Sr. Director, Strategy, Corporate Development, M&A at Builders FirstSource NYSE: BLDR Proactive M&A is not easy. Proactive M&A requires keeping tabs on multiple companies, reaching out to them directly, and convincing owners to sell their businesses to strangers. Yet, the ability to tackle all of these actions are what make a great corporate development team. In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Andrew Whitcomb, Sr. Director, Strategy, Corporate Development, M&A at Builders FirstSource, shares how to approach deal targets. Liked today's episode? Unlock over 60 courses taught by top-tier M&A practitioners by joining the M&A Science Academy. Use code “academy20%” on the sign-up page for a 20% discount, available on either monthly or annual plans. https://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 FirmRoom, the fastest virtual data room used to get deals done. Leave the pay-per-page world behind by going to https://firmroom.com/

Oct 17, 2022 • 48min
Introducing M&A to a Larger Company
Jeff Hennig, Vice President, Corporate Development at AMD (NASDAQ) Dan Menge, Head of M&A Integration at AMD (NASDAQ) When two companies merge together, there will be overlaps that result in winding down functions. But what happens when there are two functions that perfectly complement each other? In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Jeff Hennig, Vice President, Corporate Development at AMD, and Dan Menge, Head of M&A Integration at AMD, will talk about how AMD acquired Xilinx and how to introduce M&A to a large company Liked today's episode? Unlock over 60 courses taught by top-tier M&A practitioners by joining the M&A Science Academy. Use code “academy20%” on the sign-up page for a 20% discount, available on either monthly or annual plans. https://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 FirmRoom, the fastest virtual data room used to get deals done. Leave the pay-per-page world behind by going to https://firmroom.com/