ETA Insider Podcast

Eric Roza is executive-in-residence with General Catalyst (one of the country’s leading venture capital firms) and serves as Chairman of TrueCoach (the leading SaaS platform for personal trainers). He recently stepped down as the general manager of Oracle Data Cloud, a post he assumed following his sale of Datalogix to Oracle for $1.25B in 2015, delivering a 35x return to Series A investors in 5 years. In this keynote conversation moderated by Chicago Booth alum Alex Hodgkin, Eric reflects on his career trajectory that led him from Asurion to Datalogix, and the eventual sale to Oracle. Eric discusses his post-Oracle life and current role as an active investor, and offers his advice for those embarking on ETA careers.

This episode of the ETA podcast features Nick Somers, MBA ’88, managing partner of Somers Investment Partners. After getting his start in investment banking, Nick transitioned to private equity in quite an entrepreneurial way. He reflects on lessons learned in building out teams and capabilities, his approach to investing and evaluating companies, and exciting trends ahead in the ETA landscape.

This edition of the ETA podcast features Booth alum Shamus Hines, CEO of Applied Data Corporation (ADC), a fresh item management software company. Featured on the podcast in 2016 while in the thick of his search, Shamus returns to update on his search, diligence, acquisition, and his transition to CEO. Shamus discusses the unexpected challenges and surprises he encountered, how he approached composing ADC’s board, and what the future holds.

This episode of the ETA podcast features Ryan Jones, CEO of Dynamic Growth Dental Support, a dental support organization that was formed to provide the business resources and support dentists need to focus on quality dental care. Having launched his business five years out of business school, Ryan speaks to the importance of pairing with the right investors and how his focused approach and strong thesis helped him navigate the increasing competition in the search fund landscape, ultimately leading him to the business he is now running. Now over 18 months into his CEO role, Ryan discusses his growth strategy, the opportunity for buy and build, and financing acquisitions.

Chicago Booth alums Erick Laseca and Giovanni Barbat discuss their partnered search experience and the important characteristics of their team that led them to the acquisition of American Vision Group, a leading eyecare services platform. In addition to addressing the challenges of consolidating three disparate companies at time of acquisition, Erick and Giovanni discuss healthcare rollups and their strategic plan behind vertical integration.

Booth alum Nathan Dey, discusses how his investment banking experience led him to take the entrepreneurial leap and pursue ETA, eventually stepping into the CEO role of a 50 year old logistics company. In an industry undergoing a huge digital transformation, Nathan discusses how his company is building on its rich history, positioning themselves to be an innovative leader in the shipping and logistics space, and transforming into a tech-forward global supply chain software company.

Booth alum Gabe Barkley, CEO of MHW, reflects on his early entrepreneurial aspirations that led him from a post-college position at a wine shop to the role of CEO of a leading alcoholic beverage service platform. Gabe discusses why he decided to pursue an incubated search, and how he found MHW and formed a valuable partnership with the owner as the incoming CEO.

Booth alum Charles Mullenger, CEO of Ethos Evacuation Strategies d/b/a MedSled, discusses the correlations between leading a team in a military environment and leading in a corporate environment, and what aspects of his military background that have translated to the business. Charles also shares how his Midwestern roots played a role in this search, his advice for young CEOs, and important factors to keep in mind when looking for the right business.

Chicago Booth alum Michael Curry, CEO of Krueger Gilbert Health Physics and Apex Physics Partners takes us through his entrepreneurial journey from bootstrapping a custom clothing company in the early 2000’s to a successful partner-led search. Now an operator in the health physics landscape, Michael reflects on the importance of servant leadership throughout his ETA journey.

Steve Swinney, CEO of Kodiak Building Partners, speaks to the importance of finding balance between the pace of acquisitions and maintaining an operational focus to build a great business – all while mastering the cyclicality of the construction industry. Additionally, Steve shares lessons learned on the importance of managing a united culture through his over 21 acquisitions.