Most CEOs think value equals revenue and EBITDA.

Buyers think differently.

In this episode of This Is M&A, Lindsey Wendler, Managing Director at 414 Capital, breaks down what buyers actually score you on, what you need to have in order before going to market, and what quietly kills deals before they close.

Lindsey advises lower middle market companies on M&A, capital raises, and restructures across industries from roofing and landscaping to staffing and legal services. She is a Certified M&A Advisor and Certified Business Appraiser, Vice Chair of the AM&AA, and incoming President of that organization. She has been on both sides of the table — as an advisor and as a founder who started a business abroad and raised capital in Geneva, Switzerland.

In this episode, you will learn:

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The cash runs thin. Debt piles up. The market turns against you. This is distress.

In this episode of This Is M&A, Phil Cassel, Managing Director at Cassel Salpeter & Co., breaks down the early warning signs most founders miss, the playbook for protecting value under pressure, and why moving fast is the single most important thing you can do when things start to go wrong.

Phil started his career at Alvarez & Marsal in the Turnaround and Restructuring Group, worked in private equity at Rialto Capital, and joined his father in building Cassel Salpeter & Co. into a 15-person boutique investment bank based in Miami. He has guided companies through distressed M&A, bankruptcy proceedings, and healthy transactions across healthcare, manufacturing, technology, consumer products, and more.

In this episode, you will learn:

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#thisismapodcast #mna #distressedma #restructuring #privateequity #founders #exitplanning #turnaround

James Marciano has built four companies, sold several, invested in a dozen more, and now helps founders exit. He has sat at every seat at the table — founder, angel, LP, banker — and he came out of retirement because he saw that most investment banks only close 35% of their deals.

Last year, Tuck Advisors closed 100% of theirs.

In this episode of This Is M&A, James breaks down what it actually felt like to build in the chaos of the early internet, what founders today are getting wrong with capital, and the tactical moves that matter most when it is time to sell.

In this episode, you will learn:

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01:00 - The Man Who Closed 100% Of His Deals Last Year

#thisismapodcast #mna #founders #startups #exitplanning #venturecapital #entrepreneurship

Education is undergoing a fundamental shift driven by policy, capital flows and AI.

Trace Urdan, Managing Director at Tyton Partners, joins This Is M&A to break down what is really happening beneath the surface and how buyers, founders and investors should be thinking about the sector today.

With nearly 20 years of experience covering the global knowledge market across equity research and investment banking, Trace explains how regulation, consolidation and technology are reshaping outcomes in ways most dealmakers overlook.

In this episode, you will learn:

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00:00 Intro

#thisismapodcast #mna #privateequity #education #edtech #founders #valuation

Most M&A deals do not fail at signing. 

Rachel Smith, Vice President of Nota Consulting, joins This Is M&A to break down the human side of post-merger integration and why culture is revenue.

Rachel has led integration efforts on multi-billion-dollar transactions, including execution on a $3.1B acquisition that delivered nearly $100M in cost savings. In this episode, she shares what actually drives post-close value creation and where leadership teams go wrong.

You’ll learn:

If you are a CEO, private equity leader, or corporate development executive navigating M&A integration, carve-outs, or enterprise transformation, this conversation is for you.

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👀 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/L3utNE2wGTY

#thisismandapodcast #mergersandacquisitions #postmergerintegration #carveout #privateequity #leadership #dealexecution

00:00 Intro

Every founder eventually faces it:

Matt Plooster, CEO & Co-Founder of Bridgepoint Investment Banking, joins This Is M&A to break down how founders should think about control, liquidity and timing.

With over $41B in completed transactions and experience at Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank, Matt shares how to:

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Bridgepoint Investment Banking advises middle market companies on capital raising and M&A across healthcare, industrials, consumer, transportation, and technology sectors.

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#thisismapodcast #mna #founders #capitalraising #privateequity

Founder-owned exits are rarely clean breaks. In this episode, Nick Cipiti of CriticalPoint reveals the psychology behind partial exits and how buyers can structure deals where the founder wants to stay involved.

Nick is a Managing Director at CriticalPoint with over a decade of experience in middle-market M&A. He specializes in founder-led transactions, carve-outs, and private equity deals where structure and alignment matter as much as valuation.

With personal stories and tactical insight, Nick breaks down:

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Cross-border deals are tough and only a few teams get them right.

Feng Han has executed 100+ transactions in over 13 countries across healthcare, life sciences, and MedTech. In this episode, he reveals the red flags sellers miss, why strategic fit matters more than you think, and how international acquirers are behaving in 2026.

With decades of experience at Henry Schein, Fosun, and Pagoda Capital, Feng now leads Laurel Hollow Capital as Managing Partner.

Founders and dealmakers will walk away with practical tools for avoiding value erosion in international M&A.

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Selling your company is not as straightforward as it seems.

In this episode of This Is M&A, Hitesh Nathani, Managing Director at CriticalPoint, reveals the myths that quietly destroy value, and what every founder, operator, and acquirer needs to understand before and after the LOI.

With 19+ years of experience across valuation, private capital, and operating strategy, Hitesh exposes what really happens when private equity gets involved and why most companies fail to realize the value they expect. Founders, operators, and investors will walk away with a clearer view of what it takes to sell well, avoid post-close chaos, and command attention from serious buyers.

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Can you scale from zero to $1.2B in under 2 years?

Alan Gessel is a serial founder, investor, and the current CEO of Graystone Corporate. His resume spans C-suite roles at global firms like Aramark and Sodexo, and his leadership has taken teams from five to 4,500 employees. With over 30 years across buy-side, sell-side, and capital raises, Alan blends operator instinct with strategic depth.

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