Sharon Van Zeeland, Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development at Rockwell Automation Sharon brings a unique engineer's perspective to the softest parts of M&A. In this episode, Sharon reveals how Rockwell developed a systematic scoring system for evaluating culture fit during due diligence—complete with numerical rankings across key dimensions like decision-making authority, adaptability, and mission alignment. She also shares unconventional tactics for getting deals across the finish line, from negotiating hunting rights to sponsoring 4th of July parades, and explains why marrying your diligence and integration teams early is the secret to accelerating post-deal value creation.

• How to build a numerical scoring system for culture assessment
• Why marrying your diligence and integration leaders from day one eliminates knowledge chasms, captures integration costs in your deal model, and helps you reach steady state faster than traditional handoffs
• Creative negotiation tactics beyond price and terms

____________________

This episode is brought to you by S&P Global.

Today's episode of M&A Science is brought to you by S&P Global Market Intelligence. If you're in corp dev or PE, you know the pain — good private company data is hard to come by. Everyone's still chasing clean, reliable, up-to-date data. I started out using CapIQ Pro for public comps, but didn't realize until recently how deep their private company coverage has gotten. Over 58 million private companies, global reach, and actually usable for real deal work. This isn't surface-level. You get real metrics — ownership, financials, funding rounds, even asset-level insights. So if you're still toggling between a dozen tools trying to piece together the picture, maybe it's time to stop guessing and start sourcing better.

Learn More Here: https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/solutions/products/private-company-data?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=MAScienceH225

__________________

Buyer-Led M&A™: The Framework is Now Available

Traditional M&A is broken. Buyers chase auctions. Sellers control the process. It's reactive, inefficient, and exhausting.

After 300+ episodes of M&A Science, I've taken insights from the world's top corp dev leaders and distilled them into a practical framework for taking control of your M&A pipeline—how to source deals directly, build relationships earlier, and stop being auction-chasers.

If you'd like to build a proactive M&A program that founders actually want to engage with, you can grab your copy. https://dealroom.net/resources/ebooks/buyer-led-m-a-tm-the-framework _________________ Everything You Need to Learn Modern M&A — In One Membership

Access proven templates, frameworks, and real operator insights — all designed to help you learn faster, make smarter decisions, and run Buyer-Led M&A with confidence. Sign up now with promo code "FOUNDER" for 50% off at checkout. https://www.mascience.com/membership __________________

[00:02:30] From Engineering to Corp Dev – How Sharon's electrical engineering background shaped her analytical approach to evaluating all deal variables, including the unexpected correlation between employee retention and new product introductions.

[00:05:30] Owning the Full Lifecycle – Why Rockwell expanded Sharon's role to include strategy, M&A, integration, and venture investing, creating an enterprise-wide view with quarterly reviews and closed-loop learning.

[00:08:30] The Cultural Wake-Up Call – The story of how Rockwell acquired a small software company and nearly derailed a customer's drug development timeline because they missed evaluating decision-making authority during diligence.

[00:12:00] Building a Culture Scoring System – How Rockwell uses a 50-item survey to create numerical rankings (0-5 scale) across cultural dimensions, then visualizes gaps and similarities in graphs that are "worth a thousand words."

[00:19:00] Integration Playbooks by Company Size – Why Rockwell developed separate playbooks for small, mid-size, and large acquisitions, and how they determine whether to leave companies alone, partially integrate, or fully absorb.

[00:27:00] Getting Deals Actionable – Sharon's unconventional negotiation stories: securing hunting land rights for a Texas seller, letting an owner keep his beloved company truck, and guaranteeing 4th of July parade sponsorships.

[00:38:30] Marrying Diligence and Integration – The shift from waiting until closing to starting integration planning before LOI, including how Rockwell pairs each integration leader with a corresponding person on the target side.

[00:46:00] Continuous Learning Through Retrospectives – How Rockwell conducts retrospectives after every deal phase—not immediately after closing, but six months to a year later when they can truly assess what worked.

[00:49:00] AI's Impact on M&A – Sharon's perspective on how AI is changing deal flow and diligence processes, plus a cautionary tale about AI hallucinations incorrectly identifying a public company as private.

[00:52:00] Data Beyond Financials – Why corp dev leaders should track employee retention rates, promotion rates, new product introduction velocity, and customer complaints as cultural success indicators.

Questions, comments, concerns?Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.

Leon Brujis, Partner and Co-Head of U.S. at 65 Equity Partners

Leon Brujis shares how his firm is redefining private equity through non-control investments in founder-led businesses. In this conversation, Leon breaks down why the best companies are never for sale, how immigrant adaptability translates to investing success, and why boring, disciplined deal-making consistently outperforms flashy transactions. He also walks through his framework for negotiating term sheets and building relationships that span years before cutting checks north of $200 million.

• Why non-control "partnership capital" allows PE firms to capture the alpha of founder-led companies that outperform by 3x
• How to structure competitive fundraising processes that balance relationship-building with deal tension—without talking to 60 firms
• The five-point framework for negotiating term sheets: value, structure, governance, strategy alignment, and exit planning

____________________

This episode is brought to you by S&P Global.

Today's episode of M&A Science is brought to you by S&P Global Market Intelligence. If you're in corp dev or PE, you know the pain — good private company data is hard to come by. Everyone's still chasing clean, reliable, up-to-date data. I started out using CapIQ Pro for public comps, but didn't realize until recently how deep their private company coverage has gotten. Over 58 million private companies, global reach, and actually usable for real deal work. This isn't surface-level. You get real metrics — ownership, financials, funding rounds, even asset-level insights. So if you're still toggling between a dozen tools trying to piece together the picture, maybe it's time to stop guessing and start sourcing better.

Learn More Here: https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/solutions/products/private-company-data?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=MAScienceH225

__________________

Buyer-Led M&A™: The Framework is Now Available

Traditional M&A is broken. Buyers chase auctions. Sellers control the process. It's reactive, inefficient, and exhausting.

After 300+ episodes of M&A Science, I've taken insights from the world's top corp dev leaders and distilled them into a practical framework for taking control of your M&A pipeline—how to source deals directly, build relationships earlier, and stop being auction-chasers.

If you'd like to build a proactive M&A program that founders actually want to engage with, you can grab your copy. https://dealroom.net/resources/ebooks/buyer-led-m-a-tm-the-framework __________________

Access proven templates, frameworks, and real operator insights — all designed to help you learn faster, make smarter decisions, and run Buyer-Led M&A with confidence. Sign up now with promo code "FOUNDER" for 50% off at checkout. https://www.mascience.com/membership

__________________

Episode Chapters

[00:01:00] From Engineering to Wall Street – How Leon's immigrant journey led him from Lehman Brothers to 20+ years in private equity

[00:05:30] The Immigrant Advantage – Why cultural adaptability creates flexibility in deal-making and relationship management

[00:10:00] The 65 Equity Model – Non-control investments in founder-led businesses generating $20-100M EBITDA

[00:16:00] Pull vs. Push Value Creation – Why partnership capital relies on influence, not mandates

[00:24:00] Underwriting Relationships First – Spending 1-2 years building conviction before writing $200M+ checks

[00:33:00] Crisis of Comfort – Getting comfortable being uncomfortable as the key to growth in business and life

[00:43:00] Making M&A Boring – Why consistency and discipline beat motivation and excitement every time

[00:48:00] Term Sheet Negotiation Framework – The five buckets that matter: value, structure, governance, strategy, and exit

[00:56:30] Running a Competitive Process – How to balance broad outreach with targeted relationship-building

[01:01:00] The Craziest Thing in M&A – When deal fever overtakes discipline and creates the next crisis

__________________

Questions, comments, concerns?Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.

Brandon Batt – Chief People and Transformation Officer at Quadient

Brandon Batt joins us to discuss how successful M&A integration starts long before you sign an LOI. Brandon shares how Quadient built M&A capability across the organization through strategic hiring, created a transformation office that breaks down traditional silos, and executed portfolio transformation through dozens of acquisitions and divestitures. Learn why the secret to integration success isn't just about playbooks—it's about building M&A muscle into your team from day one.

• Why hiring for M&A experience across your organization creates the foundation for deal success, even in roles that seem unrelated to corporate development

• The transformation office model that eliminates the handoff problem

• Why cultural "add" beats cultural "fit"

____________________

Share Your M&A Experience for the Chance at $500 Giftcard

M&A moved fast in 2025. But what actually changed?

We're collecting real insights from practitioners—not consultants on the sidelines—to understand how corp dev teams, PE firms, and advisors are adapting.

Takes 10 min. Get early access to results + chance at $500 gift card.

Share your experience: https://hubs.ly/Q03Rr89G0

____________________

This episode is brought to you by S&P Global.

Today's episode of M&A Science is brought to you by S&P Global Market Intelligence. If you're in corp dev or PE, you know the pain — good private company data is hard to come by. Everyone's still chasing clean, reliable, up-to-date data. I started out using CapIQ Pro for public comps, but didn't realize until recently how deep their private company coverage has gotten. Over 58 million private companies, global reach, and actually usable for real deal work. This isn't surface-level. You get real metrics — ownership, financials, funding rounds, even asset-level insights. So if you're still toggling between a dozen tools trying to piece together the picture, maybe it's time to stop guessing and start sourcing better.

Learn More Here: https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/solutions/products/private-company-data?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=MAScienceH225

__________________

[00:02:30] Building a Transformation Office – How Quadient structured M&A, HR, legal, and sustainability under one umbrella to drive seamless execution

[00:05:00] Portfolio Simplification Through M&A – Starting transformation with strategic divestitures before adding new capabilities through acquisitions

[00:10:00] The Pre-LOI Integration Planning Model – Why strategic operations teams get involved in due diligence from the beginning, not after the deal is signed

[00:16:00] Human Connection as M&A Secret Sauce – Building trust with founders and management teams before discussing price and terms

[00:21:00] Hiring for M&A Muscle – Why M&A readiness starts with recruiting people who have transaction experience across key business functions

[00:28:00] Evolving M&A Maturity – Getting more formal about talent assessment and playbooks while giving teams autonomy to move fast

[00:33:00] Founder-Led Business Challenges – Learning to structure deals and set expectations upfront when acquiring companies led by first-time sellers

[00:42:00] Collaboration Without Hierarchy – How "collaborate like crazy" became a cultural principle that breaks down silos in M&A execution

[00:47:00] Deal Story: Meeting in London During COVID – Why some deals still require getting on a plane, even during a pandemic

[00:51:00] AI in M&A and the Human Element – Balancing technology efficiency with the human intuition that uncovers critical deal insights

__________________

Questions, comments, concerns?Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.

Rachel oversees transformative acquisitions for the global leader in industrial AI and enterprise software. In this episode, Rachel shares how IFS navigates the unique dynamics of having three major private equity backers—EQT, HG, and TA Associates—while executing strategic deals that enhance their portfolio. She breaks down IFS's four acquisition archetypes (product bolt-ons, customer migration, market entry, and new platforms), explains why integration and value creation must be separated, and reveals how the company is adapting its strategy for early-stage AI acquisitions. M&A professionals will learn how to build repeatable frameworks, maintain cultural continuity during integration, and balance stakeholder priorities in complex deal environments.

Things you will learn:

• How to structure M&A around four distinct acquisition archetypes

• Why separating systems integration from value creation

• How to balance multiple PE stakeholder priorities

____________________

Share Your M&A Experience for the Chance at $500 Giftcard

M&A moved fast in 2025. But what actually changed?

We're collecting real insights from practitioners—not consultants on the sidelines—to understand how corp dev teams, PE firms, and advisors are adapting.

Takes 10 min. Get early access to results + chance at $500 gift card.

Share your experience: https://hubs.ly/Q03Rr89G0

____________________ Today's episode of the M&A Science Podcast is brought to you by Grata!

Grata is the leading private market dealmaking platform. With its best-in-class AI workflows and investment-grade data, Grata helps investors, advisors, and strategic acquirers effortlessly discover, research, and connect with potential targets — all in one sleek, user-friendly interface. Visit grata.com to learn more.

__________________

This episode is brought to you by S&P Global.

Today's episode of M&A Science is brought to you by S&P Global Market Intelligence. If you're in corp dev or PE, you know the pain — good private company data is hard to come by. Everyone's still chasing clean, reliable, up-to-date data. I started out using CapIQ Pro for public comps, but didn't realize until recently how deep their private company coverage has gotten. Over 58 million private companies, global reach, and actually usable for real deal work. This isn't surface-level. You get real metrics — ownership, financials, funding rounds, even asset-level insights. So if you're still toggling between a dozen tools trying to piece together the picture, maybe it's time to stop guessing and start sourcing better.

Learn More Here: https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/solutions/products/private-company-data?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=MAScienceH225

__________________

[00:02:30] From Tax to Corp Dev – Rachel's unconventional path from PwC tax structuring to leading M&A at a global software company.

[00:05:00] Managing Three PE Backers – How IFS leverages deep support from EQT, HG, and TA Associates while navigating different investment horizons and exit expectations.

[00:12:30] Four Acquisition Archetypes – Breaking down IFS's strategic framework: product bolt-ons, customer migration, market entry, and new platform deals.

[00:18:00] The AI Acquisition Challenge – Why IFS acquired The Loops despite it being smaller and earlier-stage than typical targets, and what it means for their agentic platform.

[00:26:00] The Standalone Strategy – How IFS kept Poka as a standalone business to preserve culture and agility while still achieving cross-sell synergies.

[00:31:00] In-House Commercial Diligence – Why IFS brings dozens of people into due diligence and keeps most work in-house rather than outsourcing to consultants.

[00:37:30] Integration vs. Value Creation – The critical distinction between systems integration and value creation that determines whether deals hit their business case projections.

[00:43:00] Cultural Retention Tactics – From MacBooks to Slack, the small decisions that make or break retention of key talent in acquired companies.

[00:52:30] Building Trust Before the Deal – Why bilateral deals trump auction processes and how face-to-face relationship building accelerates transaction timelines.

[00:59:00] Corporate Venture 2.0 – How fast-moving AI markets are pushing IFS to consider series financing and call options instead of traditional full acquisitions.

__________________

Questions, comments, concerns?Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.

Keith Crawford, Global Head of Corporate Development and M&A at State Street Corporation, brings over 20 years of expertise executing some of the most intricate custody business carve-outs in financial services. In this episode, Keith breaks down the realities of carve-out transactions—from proactive deal sourcing and dependency mapping to navigating TSAs and post-close integration. He shares hard-won lessons on avoiding common pitfalls like scope creep, third-party contract renegotiations, and employee retention challenges that can derail even the most promising deals.

Things You'll Learn

• Why carve-out transactions demand bespoke approaches: No two deals are alike—discover how to identify the 20% of unknowns that templates can't capture and build flexibility into your diligence process.

• How to source carve-out opportunities proactively: Learn State Street's strategy for targeting custody business carve-outs, including the "why us" narrative and who to approach (hint: not the business unit leader).

• The integration secrets that prevent deal failure: From embedding integration experts early in diligence to managing employee retention and TSA timelines, Keith reveals how to align synergy assumptions with operational reality.

____________________

Share Your M&A Experience for the Chance at $500 Giftcard

M&A moved fast in 2025. But what actually changed?

We're collecting real insights from practitioners—not consultants on the sidelines—to understand how corp dev teams, PE firms, and advisors are adapting.

Takes 10 min. Get early access to results + chance at $500 gift card.

Share your experience: https://hubs.ly/Q03Rr89G0

____________________

This episode is brought to you by S&P Global.

Today's episode of M&A Science is brought to you by S&P Global Market Intelligence. If you're in corp dev or PE, you know the pain — good private company data is hard to come by. Everyone's still chasing clean, reliable, up-to-date data. I started out using CapIQ Pro for public comps, but didn't realize until recently how deep their private company coverage has gotten. Over 58 million private companies, global reach, and actually usable for real deal work. This isn't surface-level. You get real metrics — ownership, financials, funding rounds, even asset-level insights. So if you're still toggling between a dozen tools trying to piece together the picture, maybe it's time to stop guessing and start sourcing better.

Learn More Here: https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/solutions/products/private-company-data?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=MAScienceH225 _______________

Episode Chapters:

[00:03:30] From Accountant to M&A Leader – Keith's journey from audit to becoming a dealmaking general contractor [00:06:00] The General Contractor Mindset – Why successful M&A requires orchestrating expert teams across tax, operations, IT, and risk [00:06:30] The 80/20 Rule of Carve-Outs – Why templates work for most deals but the 20% whitespace requires bespoke analysis [00:10:00] Third-Party Contract Landmines – How change-of-control provisions can blow up your valuation assumptions [00:16:00] Building Strategic Alignment Early – Embedding integration experts into diligence to bridge deal models with operational reality [00:23:00] Proactive Deal Sourcing Strategy – State Street's approach to targeting custody business carve-outs with a clear "why us" narrative [00:35:00] Leveraging Banker Networks Strategically – How mid-tier investment banks often have better contacts for carve-out opportunities [00:48:00] Culture Preservation in Integration – Lessons from the Charles River acquisition on maintaining employee morale and retention [00:52:30] Major Deal Breakers – The two red flags that cause State Street to walk away from carve-out transactions [00:55:00] The Craziest M&A Moment – A hospital room negotiation that almost derailed a major international carve-out

____________________ Questions, comments, concerns?Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.

Tesia Hostetler – Leader, Acquisition Integration Practice, Cisco Johanna Jaakola, Integration Lead on Cisco's Corporate Development Integration Team, and Tesia Hostetler, Leader of Cisco's Acquisition Integration Practice, continue their deep dive into Cisco's integration-led M&A framework. In Part 2, they reveal how integration planning shapes diligence, how value drivers guide surgical execution, and what it takes to coordinate a 180-person M&A community. From day one employee experience to go-to-market complexity and the Splunk mega-deal, this episode delivers practical frameworks for M&A professionals looking to accelerate value creation while protecting what matters most.

Things you will learn:

• Learn how Cisco tests integration strategy during diligence and adjusts execution plans based on findings without losing sight of deal thesis

• Discover how Cisco structures functional integration leaders, maintains alignment through recurring touchpoints, and tracks everything in a centralized M&A hub

• Understand how to validate customer stories, align partner ecosystems, and make surgical decisions about when to integrate sales motions versus protecting existing revenue engines

_____________________

M&A Doesn't Have to Be So Painful 💔

Get Optimized with DealRoom DealRoom helps corporate development teams take control—streamlining diligence, syncing integration, and eliminating the back-and-forth.

👉 Learn how you can run a repeatable, buyer-led process at DealRoom.net

____________________

This episode is brought to you by S&P Global.

Today's episode of M&A Science is brought to you by S&P Global Market Intelligence. If you're in corp dev or PE, you know the pain — good private company data is hard to come by. Everyone's still chasing clean, reliable, up-to-date data. I started out using CapIQ Pro for public comps, but didn't realize until recently how deep their private company coverage has gotten. Over 58 million private companies, global reach, and actually usable for real deal work. This isn't surface-level. You get real metrics — ownership, financials, funding rounds, even asset-level insights. So if you're still toggling between a dozen tools trying to piece together the picture, maybe it's time to stop guessing and start sourcing better.

Learn More Here: https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/solutions/products/private-company-data?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=MAScienceH225 _______________ Questions, comments, concerns?Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.

Johanna Jaakola – Integration Lead, Corporate Development Integration Team, Cisco

Tesia Hostetler – Leader, Acquisition Integration Practice, Cisco Johanna Jaakola, Integration Lead on Cisco's Corporate Development Integration Team, and Tesia Hostetler, Leader of Cisco's Acquisition Integration Practice, share how one of the world's most prolific acquirers structures deals for success. This episode breaks down Cisco's integration-led diligence model, where integration leads orchestrate due diligence from the deal thesis stage, ensuring strategic alignment and execution readiness before ink hits paper. Learn how Cisco's structured approach to integration strategy, two-stage approvals, and tight feedback loops between strategy and execution have transformed their M&A outcomes—with insights from their $28 billion Splunk acquisition.

• Why integration leads should orchestrate diligence
• How creating an integration thesis alongside your deal thesis ensures every diligence question tests strategic assumptions and drives execution clarity
• How Cisco's dual approval process (one to negotiate LOI, another for final purchase agreement) creates natural checkpoints to validate strategy before committing capital

____________________

Only 3 Days Left to Register for the Buyer-Led M&A™ Summit. This is the #1 virtual event built for dealmakers who want to eliminate chaos and take control from sourcing through integration. 📅 October 30, 2025 🕚 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM ET 💻 Free & Virtual Network with leaders who've built scalable, repeatable strategies that keep deals on track - Register now.

____________________

M&A Doesn't Have to Be So Painful 💔🥀

Get Optimized with DealRoom DealRoom helps corporate development teams take control—streamlining diligence, syncing integration, and eliminating the back-and-forth.

👉 Learn how you can run a repeatable, buyer-led process

____________________

[00:02:00] Cisco's Integration Leadership Team

[00:06:00] Role Clarity – Integration Lead vs. Integration Practice Leader

[00:10:00] How Cisco evolved from integration showing up late to embedding integration thinking at the earliest deal thesis conversations.

[00:15:00] Testing Assumptions Through Diligence

[00:22:00] How Cisco reorganized corporate development to eliminate silos between deal strategy and integration execution, creating tighter feedback loops.

[00:29:00] Two-Stage Approvals – Protecting Value with Structured Gates [00:33:00] Integration Leads Diligence – The Air Traffic Controller Model

Questions, comments, concerns?Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.

Tim brings 29 years of private equity experience to this conversation about what actually works in buy-and-build strategies. After launching Brenton Point in 2024 following a 20-year run at CI Capital Partners, where he completed 200+ acquisitions across 12 platforms, Tim breaks down the independent sponsor model and why integration—not just aggregation—is the real value driver. He walks through building platforms from scratch, the executive-first strategy for fragmented markets, and how standardized integration playbooks turn acquired companies into cohesive, high-performing businesses.

Things You'll Learn

• Why independent sponsors can outperform traditional PE funds through concentrated investments, longer hold periods, and direct alignment with management teams earning 15% equity upside versus the typical 10%

• The difference between roll-ups and consolidation and why integration excellence separates winning platforms from aggregated disasters

• How to build platforms from scratch

____________________

The Buyer-Led M&A™ Summit is back.The virtual event built for dealmakers who want to eliminate chaos and take control from sourcing through integration. 📅 October 30, 2025 🕚 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM ET 💻 Free & Virtual Learn from leaders who've built scalable, repeatable strategies that keep deals on track - Register now.

____________________ Today's episode of the M&A Science Podcast is brought to you by Grata!

Grata is the leading private market dealmaking platform. With its best-in-class AI workflows and investment-grade data, Grata helps investors, advisors, and strategic acquirers effortlessly discover, research, and connect with potential targets — all in one sleek, user-friendly interface. Visit grata.com to learn more.

__________________

[00:02:00] The GE Capital Training Ground – How Tim's early experience with expert networks shaped his approach to surrounding deals with industry advisors who invest alongside him

[00:04:30] Starting companies with zero revenue by hiring CEOs first, then building deal pipelines in fragmented industries like funeral services

[00:06:00] Why deal-by-deal capital raising enables longer hold periods, eliminates fund-driven decisions, and captures more value creation in the back half

[00:11:30] Finding and Aligning Operators – Sourcing executives through recruiting firms willing to co-invest, and structuring 15% management equity pools for maximum alignment

[00:22:00] Using buy-side search firms to validate thesis and create deal flow before platform acquisition, touching 2,000+ companies to close 200 deals

[00:27:00] Why acquiring is easy but integrating is hard, and how culture assessment, facility tours, and team retention determine success

[00:49:00] Hub, Spoke, and Route Strategy – Three acquisition types for platform building: regional hubs with management depth, spoke deals for synergies, and route buys for pure customer acquisition

[00:52:00] The 150-Point Integration Playbook

[00:58:30] One-Page Strategic Plans – Keeping teams aligned on priorities from monthly goals to five-year vision with a single dense but powerful reference document

[01:04:00] The Herd Mentality Warning – How quickly industries go from undiscovered to overcrowded, and why being the 30th platform in a space means you're already too late

Questions, comments, concerns?Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.

Stefan Williams, Vice President of Corporate Development and Snowflake Ventures at Snowflake, leads the company's acquisition strategy, corporate venture capital, and startup accelerator programs. In this episode, Stefan takes us inside Snowflake's disciplined, culture-first approach to M&A—from building the corporate development function from scratch to executing 20+ acquisitions while maintaining breakneck organic growth. He shares hard-won lessons on integration accountability, why relationships matter more than auctions, and how to balance proactive deal-making with the realities of a fast-moving AI landscape.

Things You'll Learn

• Start small and build M&A muscle – Why Snowflake began with sub-50 person acquisitions to prove integration capabilities before scaling to larger, more complex deals

• Integration accountability drives success – The critical importance of assigning DRIs (Directly Responsible Individuals) with clear timelines at 30, 60, 90, and 180 days post-close

• Buyer-led beats reactive – How investing time in proactive CEO relationships and strategic alignment dramatically improves deal outcomes versus responding to banker processes

___________________

The Buyer-Led M&A™ Summit is back.The virtual event built for dealmakers who want to eliminate chaos and take control from sourcing through integration. 📅 October 30, 2025 🕚 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM ET 💻 Free & Virtual Learn from leaders who've built scalable, repeatable strategies that keep deals on track - Register now.

____________________

Join us for the 3rd M&A Science Fair IN PERSON

Get pure, off-the-record collaboration between corporate development, private equity, and integration leaders. Instead of passive listening, you'll be sharing real frameworks, trading ideas, and testing what actually works in modern deal execution. Everything's practitioner-led, and every topic is surfaced by the attendees themselves.

October 16th — NYC 8AM-7:30PM Request an invite here: https://luma.com/khkuh6yw

____________________

[00:02:30] From Banking to Building – Stefan's journey from investment banking to building corporate development teams at ServiceNow and Snowflake

[00:04:30] How the "amp it up" mentality shapes every aspect of operations, including M&A strategy

[00:07:00] Why high-growth companies must begin with digestible acquisitions to develop integration capabilities

[00:10:00] Week One Playbook – How to build a corporate development function from scratch by interviewing product leaders and aligning on strategy

[00:14:00] Managing internal relationships across product, engineering, and go-to-market to maintain strategic clarity

[00:21:00] Strategic Ventures, Not Financial Bets

[00:27:00] Integration DRIs and the Marriage Analogy

[00:37:30] Managing Three Concurrent Deals

[00:42:00] Why nearly all 20 Snowflake acquisitions involved prior relationships and how buyer-led strategy wins

[00:48:30] Navigating the AI Explosion – Staying current in a landscape where companies scale from zero to $100M in years, not decades

Questions, comments, concerns?Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.

Hilary Shirazi, Head of Corporate Development at Notion, brings over a decade of M&A experience from LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Zendesk to discuss building corporate development strategy at high-growth tech companies. She shares her proven deal thesis methodology, the "Four T's" framework for categorizing acquisitions, and why integration without an IMO might be the better approach for agile teams.

Things you will learn:

• The Deal Thesis Framework – How to crystallize strategy before identifying targets using Hilary's proven document template

• The Four T's of M&A – Talent, Tech, Traction, and Terrain categories that determine your acquisition approach and integration strategy

• Integration Without IMO – Why embedding integration throughout the process beats traditional handoff models for most deals

___________________

The Buyer-Led M&A™ Summit is back.The virtual event built for dealmakers who want to eliminate chaos and take control from sourcing through integration. 📅 October 30, 2025 🕚 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM ET 💻 Free & Virtual Learn from leaders who've built scalable, repeatable strategies that keep deals on track - Register now.

____________________

Join us for the 3rd M&A Science Fair IN PERSON

Get pure, off-the-record collaboration between corporate development, private equity, and integration leaders. Instead of passive listening, you'll be sharing real frameworks, trading ideas, and testing what actually works in modern deal execution. Everything's practitioner-led, and every topic is surfaced by the attendees themselves.

October 16th — NYC 8AM-7:30PM Request an invite here: https://luma.com/khkuh6yw

____________________

[00:02:00] Hilary's career evolution and why in-house M&A beats advisory work

[00:05:00] Building M&A Best Practices – Why starting at a mature organization teaches critical fundamentals before going solo

[00:08:30] Getting to know executives' M&A fears and biases before sourcing deals

[00:11:00] The Deal Thesis Methodology – Creating strategy documents before naming targets to avoid "solution shopping"

[00:16:00] Deal Sponsor Selection

[00:20:00] Front-Loading Vision Alignment

[00:30:00] The Four T's Framework – Categorizing acquisitions as Talent, Tech, Traction, or Terrain deals

[00:35:00] Integration Without IMO – Why Corp Dev should own integration instead of handing off to separate teams

[00:42:00] Using Notion for M&A

[00:51:00] AI in Corporate Development Questions, comments, concerns?Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.