M&A Science

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Scott Hile, Senior Director - Corporate Strategy & Development at Enviva (NYSE: EVA) With so many companies out there, how do you know who to approach as a potential M&A target? Having a solid origination process helps teams save time and money by enabling them to target the right entities.  In this episode of the M&A science podcast, Scott Hile, Senior Director, Corporate Strategy & Development at Enviva, talks about how to tie deal origination to strategy development.  Things you will learn in this episode: - How to funnel a target list - Importance of trust during outreach - Tools that can help source deals - How to do cold outreach - Effective messaging during first interactions with a target company To join our network of M&A practitioners and sign up for our newsletter, go to mascience.com.

Sreepathy Viswanathan, Chief Corporate Development Officer, HGS Healthcare  (HGS.NS) An M&A transaction can be an expensive mistake, and you can waste a lot of time and money if you pursue a transaction without a solid M&A strategy.  On the other hand, a solid strategy allows you to pick the right targets and pursue them proactively.  In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Sreepathy Viswanathan, Chief Corporate Development Officer, HGS Healthcare, who has 25 years of experience in Corp Dev, talks about how to build a great M&A strategy.  Things you will learn in this episode: - The Importance of M&A strategy - How to shape your M&A strategy - The difference between M&A strategy and corporate strategy - The integration’s role in strategy  - How relationships affect M&A deals To join our network of M&A practitioners and sign up for our newsletter, go to mascience.com.