M&A Science

Learn how Woven by Toyota established a venture capital arm from the ground up. Topics include leadership in managing people, navigating cultural differences in M&A deals, and the challenges of acquisitions. Discover insights on successfully starting a VC arm and dealing with diverse decision-making cultures.

Learn how strategic alignment is crucial in M&A deals, with insights from Camilo Franco of Jamf. From relaying M&A plans to tools for alignment, this episode covers it all. Discover the impact of a steering committee, integration challenges, and technology tools for efficiency in M&A processes.

Learn about the importance of cultural due diligence in M&A transactions to avoid clashes that can lead to business failure. Discover the key factors like decision-making processes and leadership styles to look for during due diligence. Get insights on successful integration plans and collaboration between corporate and integration teams.

Learn about the importance of strategic alignment between M&A and corporate strategy from Baljit Singh, SVP at Nielsen Ventures. Topics include corporate vs M&A strategy, capital allocation, measuring business unit's success, deal structure, and taking a public company private. Discover real-life examples and how to deal with reluctant sellers in M&A.

In this podcast, Douglas Barnard shares strategies to overcome M&A challenges, including mindset preparation, negotiation tactics, trust building, valuation mastery, and obstacle identification. He discusses surprises in due diligence, using private investigator in deals, and navigating complex negotiation stages. The episode covers auction bidding strategies, honest brokerage, synergies in M&A, and expressing gratitude in deals.

Explore how business cycles impact M&A valuation, the importance of culture in deals, common valuation mistakes, and the significance of timing to pull off a successful deal. Learn from examples of failed and successful deals, and gain insights on adapting to uncertainties in M&A valuations.

Learn from Adam Harris, CEO of Cloudbeds, about the 6-step process for validating an acquisition plan. Topics discussed include surveying customers, industry trend analysis, partner vs build analysis, strategic rationale, company analysis, product demos, and pitching to the board.

Seema Nimmagadda, Head of M&A Integration for North America at Woven by Toyota.  A lot of times, M&A integration is considered only after closing the deal. It is often treated as an afterthought, and this approach is where many deal failures stem from. If we want to improve our M&A process and get better results from deals, we have to start updating our practices to the most efficient way of doing things.  In this episode of the M&A Science podcast, Seema Nimmagadda, Head of M&A Integration for North America at Woven by Toyota, discusses how to master M&A integration. Things you will learn in this episode: • The Ideal Integration Process • M&A Integration planning pre-LOI • Setting up an early version of the IMO • Detailing the M&A Integration Strategy • Aligning deal goals with integration strategy This episode is sponsored by FirmRoom. 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 Episode Bookmarks 00:00 Intro 04:00 Toyota’s Woven Business Unit 05:00 The Ideal Integration Process 06:53 The Importance of Integration Capabilities 08:52 Integration planning pre-LOI 11:50 Ensuring Adequate Resources and Capabilities during M&A Integrations 13:27 Avoiding early pitfalls for integration 14:40 Key integration milestones from LOI to Close 18:53 Aligning the IMO and Corporate Development 21:49 Adapting mature M&A teams to change 23:28 Setting up an early version of the IMO 25:04 Key people in forming an early IMO 26:16 Detailing the Integration Strategy 29:09 Balancing team autonomy in integration planning 31:56 Maintaining collaboration and progress in integration 34:24 Managing cross-functional dependencies 35:16 Tech stack diversity 36:41 M&A execution checkpoints 38:04 Information gathering challenges pre-close 39:08 Managing vendor dependencies and ensuring transparency 40:12 Balancing functional plans with the master integration strategy 42:04 Securing stakeholder buy-in 43:04 Risks of overlooking integration 44:03 Aligning deal goals with integration strategy 44:36 Identifying when an M&A integration is complete 46:25 Best practices for smooth post-close integrations 46:59 Craziest thing in M&A  

In this episode, experts discuss using M&A best practices for faster deals, target outreach, relationship-building strategies, challenges of private sellers, agile diligence, COVID impacts on deals, role of technology, and the future of tech in M&A.

Amy M. Weck, VP, M&A and integrations at The Liberty Company Insurance Brokers, LLC It's common to see due diligence and integration as separate stages, but combining them can make the M&A process much smoother and more effective. But how exactly can we weave these two critical phases together effectively?  In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Amy M. Weck, VP, M&A and integrations at The Liberty Company Insurance Brokers, offers practical strategies to align integration and diligence for optimal outcomes. Things you will learn in the episode: • Merging separate integration departments • How to connect diligence and integration • Fostering a ‘One Team’ Mindset • Maintaining Team Rhythm in High-Volume Acquisitions This episode is sponsored by FirmRoom. 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. Episode Bookmarks 00:00 Intro 04:26 Getting into M&A 06:12 Evolving into integration 07:55 Transitioning from deal team to integration team 09:26 Pre-LOI considerations in M&A 10:40 Merging Corp Dev and Integration Team 13:26 The impact of mindset during transition 15:26 Connecting the two functions 18:42 Keeping teams and workflows aligned 22:14 Biggest challenge in the transition 24:05 The challenge of change management 26:11 Managing new hires in key roles 27:29 Key advice for managing the end-to-end M&A process 34:37 Optimizing the M&A function for a roll-up 36:21 Practical Tips for Learning from Past Due Diligence 38:16 Maintaining Team Rhythm in High-Volume Acquisitions 40:05 Key Strategies to Avoid Failing in Your Integrations 42:02 Key Questions to Ask Before the LOI 43:17 Evaluating Cultural Fit and Red Flags 48:15 Ideal candidate for an M&A role 59:44 Advice to first-time M&A practitioners 1:01:02 Craziest thing in M&A