Jerome Combes-Knoke, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development at Dotmatics (Insight Partners)
Strategic focus is a prerequisite to strong corporate performance. Yet, without proactive efforts to maintain focus, companies can “drift” and become weighed down by misaligned business units.
In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Jerome Combes-Knoke, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development at Dotmatics (a portfolio company of Insight Partners), shares his broad M&A experience and presents his approach to portfolio strategy and rebalancing through divestitures.
Things you will learn in this episode:
• Strategic focus on acquisitions, using Dotmatics’ approach.
• Portfolio rebalancing and its challenges
• Evaluating divestiture candidates
• Building internal alignment for divestitures
• Best practices for managing key risks
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Experience the M&A event of the year and gain actionable insights to scale your M&A practice. Register now for the Fall M&A Science Fair here.
This episode is sponsored by DealRoom.
Ready to take your M&A to the next level with software made to manage each stage of the deal process? See how DealRoom can facilitate your next deal at https://dealroom.net
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Episode Timestamps
00:00 Intro
05:17 Approaching deals in a software-oriented environment
10:11 Preserving brand integrity in M&A go-to-market strategies
12:43 Approaching valuation
15:16 Strategic pitch for acquisitions
20:41 Portfolio rebalancing and its challenges
25:25 When and how to rebalance a company’s portfolio
27:29 Getting buy-in and alignment from the board and key stakeholders
33:24 Key factors in considering divestitures
36:26 Executing a divestiture for portfolio rebalancing
39:09 Best practices in executing divestitures
43:12 Divestiture success metrics
46:29 Example of portfolio rebalancing and its challenges
53:20 Craziest thing in M&A
Court Carruthers, President and CEO at TricorBraun
Cultural integration is the often overlooked key to long-term M&A success. It's about creating a shared identity, values, and purpose that unites employees from different backgrounds. When done right, it can transform a merger from a transactional event into a strategic partnership.
In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Court Carruthers, President and CEO at TricorBraun, shares his insights on how to successfully integrate two cultures and build a stronger, unified organization.
Things you will learn in the episode:
• The importance of cultural integration in M&A
• The role of culture in M&A and business strategy
• Approaching cultural diligence
• Identifying culture fit in an auction
• Best practices for M&A integration
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This episode is sponsored by DealRoom.
Ready to take your M&A to the next level with software made to manage each stage of the deal process? See how DealRoom can facilitate your next deal at https://dealroom.net
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Episode Timestamps
00:00 Intro
03:53 The importance of cultural integration in M&A
05:18 Academic research on cultural integration in M&A
07:32 The role of culture in M&A and business strategy
09:04 A unique M&A strategy focused on family businesses
10:23 Integration strategies for acquired businesses
14:04 Building relationships and structuring deals for long-term success
16:36 Approaching cultural diligence
18:16 Identifying culture fit in an auction
21:46 Assessing cultural fit in M&A
24:20 Walking away from a deal due to cultural differences
26:34 Red flags in cultural fit between LOI and closing
33:05 Building an organization for successful acquisitions
35:19 The importance of seamless handoffs
38:13 Keeping stakeholders comfortable during transitions
40:57 The biggest challenge in dealing with culture
43:02 Best practices for M&A integration
46:25 Working with private equity partners for long-term growth
48:54 Good vs. bad partnerships with PE Firms
50:34 Advice for corporate development practitioners
54:48 Why culture in M&A is important
55:32 Craziest thing in M&A
Thomas Le, Vice President, Corporate Development at Ziff Davis, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZD)
The M&A landscape is constantly evolving, making it difficult to predict future trends and identify new opportunities. How can companies maintain a competitive advantage? In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Thomas Le, Vice President of Corporate Development at Ziff Davis, Inc., shares his VC-backed strategies for unlocking new M&A strategies.
Things you will learn in this episode:
• Strategic networking for building a pipeline
• The Reverse Coverage method for building a pipeline
• How to craft effective cold outreach emails
• Integrating the Mosaic theory into M&A strategy
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This episode of the M&A Science Podcast is brought to you by Insight.
In today’s rapidly evolving business world, staying ahead means embracing change and leveraging technology to not just meet but exceed your strategic goals. That’s where Insight comes in.
Insight is a comprehensive solutions integrator that helps organizations transform technology, operations, and service delivery to future-proof the business and innovate.
With a client-focused approach to delivery, they combine the power of people and technology to turn the biggest challenges into opportunities.
Learn more at insight.com/leave-legacy.
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This episode is also sponsored by DealRoom.
Ready to take your M&A to the next level with software made to manage each stage of the deal process? See how DealRoom can facilitate your next deal at https://dealroom.net
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Episode Timestamps
00:00 Intro
05:40 Venture capital experience in M&A
13:18 Strategic networking for building a pipeline
18:31 Making an effective initial outreach
19:21 How to craft effective cold outreach emails
23:24 Assessing product market fit
29:01 Strategic thinking and culture fit
32:41 Unlocking new M&A strategies
36:02 Leveraging bankers in M&A deals
38:07 Applying the Mosaic theory to M&A due diligence
47:31 Embedding M&A into corporate culture
48:50 Transitioning from public equities and venture capital to M&A
1:07:04 Craziest thing in M&A
Karen Williams, Vice President of Corporate Development at Progress
Achieving exponential growth through M&A requires more than signing agreements. It’s about balancing cultures, systems, and people. In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Karen Williams, Vice President of Corporate Development at Progress, provides a roadmap for a balanced M&A integration.
Things you will also learn from this episode:
• Side effects of a forceful integration
• Information crucial to Integration planning
• Measuring integration success
• Biggest challenges when executing an integration
• What is vendor rationalization?
******************
This episode of the M&A Science Podcast is brought to you by Insight.
In today’s rapidly evolving business world, staying ahead means embracing change and leveraging technology to not just meet but exceed your strategic goals. That’s where Insight comes in.
Insight is a comprehensive solutions integrator that helps organizations transform technology, operations, and service delivery to future-proof the business and innovate.
With a client-focused approach to delivery, they combine the power of people and technology to turn the biggest challenges into opportunities.
Learn more at insight.com/leave-legacy.
*******************
This episode is also sponsored by DealRoom.
Ready to take your M&A to the next level with software made to manage each stage of the deal process? See how DealRoom can facilitate your next deal at https://dealroom.net
******************
Episode Timestamps
00:00 Intro
08:07 Importance of balanced integration
09:41 Side effects of a forceful integration
13:16 When to involve the integration lead
17:12 Information crucial to Integration planning
20:06 Integration lead’s role during diligence
21:35 Balancing integration execution
26:27 Working with the seller
29:22 Realization versus timeline
32:42 What makes integration successful
35:42 Tips for effective communication
41:49 Creating and refining M&A Playbooks
43:18 Ensuring a positive employee experience
52:32 Measuring integration success
55:26 Biggest challenges when executing an integration
58:09 What is vendor rationalization
1:01:21 Craziest thing in M&A