Ep.183: Alex (@aebridgeman) is joined by Mark Valdez (@_markvaldez).

My guest Mark Valdez is the founder and CEO of Eads Bridge Holdings, a holding company with a tech-enabled thesis, and now the owner of a behavioral health business, Stokes Counseling. Mark and I talk about what a tech-focused thesis looks like in practice and what it means to be a software-defined holding company, dynamics in the new acquisition, where tech makes the greatest impact, and building a holding company team. This is also Mark’s second appearance on the podcast, so head to episode 55 for more background on Mark and Eads Bridge. Please enjoy my second episode with Mark Valdez.

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Learn more about Alex and Think Like an Owner at https://tlaopodcast.com/

Links:

Mark on Twitter

Eads Bridge Holdings

The Eads Bridge Substack

Stokes Counseling

Timestamps

(00:04:18) Thoughts on Hedge Funds

(00:05:35) Pursuing a Holdco model

(00:07:57) The story of Eads Bridge

(00:14:44) Questions to find problems in processes

(00:16:17) Mark’s first acquisition

(00:19:20) Tools and products that are obvious add-ons to a new business that’s acquired

(00:22:32) Company growth perspectives for mental health companies

(00:25:09) Factors to monitor in a marketplace business

(00:27:49) Marketplace businesses Mark takes inspiration from

(00:29:54) Evaluating Founder fit

(00:34:08) Characteristics of well-run talent networks

(00:37:36) Key roles EBH fulfills for portfolio companies

(00:39:24) Being a software-defined Holdco

(00:41:55) Approaches to take with a long-term hold mentality

(00:44:20) Thoughts on investing in software subscription businesses

(00:45:44) Top of mind focuses for the rest of 2023