Podcast · 205 episodes
M&A Science
by Kison Patel · English
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
Latest episodes
The Man Who Taught Kison Patel to See M&A OpportunitiesStory of real estate developer Jerry Sedici and how his early life and deal instincts shaped his ability to spot and negotiate opportunities in Chicago and Los Angeles.24 Sep 2026 · 54 min
Why PE Rollups Fail the People Who Built the BusinessBill Johnson argues that PE rollups fail because they prioritize financial engineering over people, culture, and sustainable integration.17 Sep 2026 · 48 min
Why M&A Integration Fails Without Leadership EnablementM&A people integration fails when leadership enablement is treated as an afterthought; success depends on early alignment, honest retention conversations, and relationship-based trust (not just…10 Sep 2026 · 54 min
All episodes
The Man Who Taught Kison Patel to See M&A OpportunitiesStory of real estate developer Jerry Sedici and how his early life and deal instincts shaped his ability to spot and negotiate opportunities in Chicago and Los Angeles.24 Sep 2026 · 54 min · 14 chapters
Why PE Rollups Fail the People Who Built the BusinessBill Johnson argues that PE rollups fail because they prioritize financial engineering over people, culture, and sustainable integration.17 Sep 2026 · 48 min · 24 chapters
Why M&A Integration Fails Without Leadership EnablementM&A people integration fails when leadership enablement is treated as an afterthought; success depends on early alignment, honest retention conversations, and relationship-based trust (not just…10 Sep 2026 · 54 min · 22 chapters
The Seller's Power Shift: How to Defend Valuation After the LOISell-side experience from LOI to close, focusing on “valuation power shift” when diligence reveals problems; also how to defend valuation and structure terms when a buyer reprices.3 Sep 2026 · 57 min · 21 chapters
The Discount Is the Wrong Question in Private Equity SecondariesPrivate equity secondaries as a liquidity “system” (not just a discount), including LP interest sales, GP-led deals, and continuation vehicles; why secondary data is opaque and why retail investors…27 Aug 2026 · 55 min · 21 chapters
How to Finance Acquisitions Without Giving Up EquityHow Bill Stone (SS&C) evaluates and finances acquisitions while preserving founder/owner equity, plus deal execution lessons from three major public takeovers.20 Aug 2026 · 58 min · 25 chapters
Where AI Actually Helps and Fails in M&A Legal WorkPractical uses and limits of AI in M&A legal work—where it streamlines drafting, diligence, and playbooks, and where human judgment is still required (quality control, prioritization, legal/ethical…13 Aug 2026 · 47 min · 22 chapters
The Back-Office Surprises Nobody Warned You About When Going GlobalCross-border M&A integration “back-office surprises” for SMB acquirers going global, focused on full ERP/HR absorption, language readiness, bank/account cutovers, benefits harmonization, and…6 Aug 2026 · 53 min · 26 chapters
How to Structure an Acquihire Deal in the AI Talent RaceHow “acquihire” deals are being structured in today’s AI talent race when acquirers care primarily about people (not the acquired product), including deal structures, tax tradeoffs, diligence,…29 Jul 2026 · 1 h · 27 chapters
What Buyers Want from Bankers and FoundersBuyer-led M&A and what buyers need from bankers/founders—especially how to “land the pitch” for inbound opportunities, avoid mismatched incentives, and build trust.23 Jul 2026 · 51 min · 19 chapters
220 Deals. One Playbook. How to Scale M&A Without Losing ControlHow serial buy-side M&A programs scale to high deal volume without losing control—using alignment, a lifecycle playbook, the right team, real-time tracking, disciplined communication, and…16 Jul 2026 · 48 min · 18 chapters
How to Build a Deal Model That Beats PE on PriceHow Progress builds synergy and deal models to outbid private equity on price by underwriting only execution they can deliver, using buyer-led M&A discipline, and avoiding “retrade” after LOI.9 Jul 2026 · 53 min · 27 chapters
The People You Lose in M&A: Key Talent Retention Before CloseKey talent retention before close in M&A, arguing it’s a process/culture problem more than a “people” problem; includes how to build retention plans early (before LOI) and integrate with unified…2 Jul 2026 · 59 min · 22 chapters
How to Buy Companies That Aren't Profitable YetHow corporate development teams buy venture-backed companies valued on future potential when growth stalls and AI is compressing defensibility; includes deal negotiation tactics for closing bid-ask…25 Jun 2026 · 55 min · 25 chapters
When Deals Get Weird: Stories You Don't See in the CIM“When Deals Get Weird” on M&A Science/DealMax Field Notes—how deal outcomes hinge on messy, human, and process failures (stale pipeline data, missing data, unexpected events, misaligned terms, and…18 Jun 2026 · 1 h 1 min · 33 chapters
The Real Work Behind the Close: When Judgment Beats the Checklist“The Real Work Behind the Close” at DealMax—why checklists/process aren’t enough, and what actually derails or wins deals (emotions, operational risk, global compliance, and integration).11 Jun 2026 · 57 min · 24 chapters
The Nordic Compounder Playbook: How Jörgen Wigh Runs 85 Companies With 22 HQ Staff and No IntegrationPart 2 of a conversation on “Nordic compounder” programmatic M&A—how Jörgen Wigh runs serial acquisitions with minimal HQ staff and no integration, using governance, culture, and long-term ownership.4 Jun 2026 · 40 min · 15 chapters
The Nordic Compounder Playbook: How Lagercrantz Bought 90 Companies and Never Sold OnePart 1 of a two-part series on Lagerkrantz’s “Nordic compounder” deal model—buy-and-hold forever programmatic M&A with 85 autonomous B2B tech/industrial companies, no integration-driven…28 May 2026 · 43 min · 15 chapters
M&A Integration Technology: What Actually WorksM&A integration technology—what actually drives value vs what creates noise—plus how to align stakeholders, manage culture, and decide when to use tools/AI.21 May 2026 · 51 min · 18 chapters
Partner Before You Buy: The Pre-Acquisition Strategy Corp Dev Teams Skip“Partner before you buy” as a pre-acquisition strategy for corporate development, especially when targets aren’t ready to sell (e.g., PE holding periods) or aren’t ready to be acquired yet.14 May 2026 · 53 min · 17 chapters
How M&A Turns a Chemical Company Into a Tech BusinessBuyer-led M&A in chemicals—how to use deal thesis, valuation discipline, and integration planning to transform a legacy chemical company into a technology-enabled “chemicals as a service” business,…7 May 2026 · 54 min · 26 chapters
CPG Exit Strategy: How to Build a Consumer Brand Strategics Will Acquire | Keith Levy Part 2Keith Levy (Sonoma Brands) discusses building consumer/CPG brands for acquisition, operating-partner involvement across portfolio life cycles, early “landmines” that kill deals pre-LOI, capital…30 Apr 2026 · 58 min · 29 chapters
CPG Due Diligence: The Operator Framework Behind a $1B Exit | Keith Levy Part 1Keith Levy (Sonoma Brands operating partner) explains his “operator framework” for CPG due diligence and what he looks for beyond finance—founder leadership, product-market fit, go-to-market, and…23 Apr 2026 · 54 min · 21 chapters
400 Acquisitions and a Failed Process: What Happens When You Don't IntegrateBuilding a roll-up integration “engine” from day one in insurance brokerage acquisitions; why failed processes happen when integration isn’t real (especially around data, technology, and proof of…16 Apr 2026 · 58 min · 27 chapters