On this week’s episode of M&A Masters, we speak with Peter Lehrman. Peter serves lower middle market owners, acquirers, and advisors as CEO of Axial, the largest trusted online platform used for safely buying, selling, and financing private companies. Over the last 10 years, Axial has established a single well-known platform that business owners and deal professionals alike trust to discover and connect with new transaction partners.

Peter says, “The whole idea behind Axial was to develop a trusted platform on the internet where buyers and sellers of lower middle market businesses can find, connect with, and be found by one another at the right points in time, and on the right opportunities.”

We chat about the origins and philosophy of Axial as well as:

• The big differences between the lower middle market and the venture capital community
• The common practices of evolving out of the lower middle market
• 10,000+ PE-backed portfolio companies looking for an add-on target
• Navigating the overabundance of choices in the LMM
• Trends to watch in 2021— retail 2.0 and the rise of independent sponsors and individual buyers
• And more