Smart Business Dealmakers: The Middle-Market M&A Podcast

Social media, believe it or not, can have an effective role in the world of venture capital. At the Houston Smart Business Dealmakers Conference, Carrie Colbert of Curate Capital, Aquila Mendez-Valdez of Haute in Texas and Darek Woodward of ROI Ventures talked with Smart Business's Dustin Klein about how to craft a captivating online brand that attracts investors, builds a thriving community of future deal flow, and uses influencers to skyrocket the value of your investments.

Name Image and Likeness rules have changed the game in college athletics. With more money needed to attract and retain the country's top talent, private equity and other firms are looking to bridge the financial gap and capitalize on the evolving landscape. At the 2024 Minneapolis Smart Business Dealmakers Conference, panelists Blake Baratz of IFA, Katie Harms of Space Options, Cale Johnston of Roy Inc. and Gabriel Szerda of AB CarVal discuss the business future of college sports with moderator Steve Kozachok of Taft, offering insights into the trends and complexities driving this dynamic market.

Colorado is emerging as a national hub for biotech, life sciences, and healthtech. At the 2024 Denver Smart Business Dealmakers Conference, panelists Elyse Blazevich of Colorado BioScience Association and Colorado BioScience Institute, Kimberly Muller of CU Innovations and CU Healthcare Innovation Fund, Afshin Safavi of Colorado Health & Tech Centers, and Blake Unterreiner of Agilent Technologies explored the flow of capital into the state, the success of innovative businesses, and the groundbreaking technologies spun out of universities. Moderated by Dustin Klein of Smart Business, they showcase the forces propelling Colorado to the forefront of the industry and what's expected in the coming years.

At the 2024 Chicago Smart Business Dealmakers Conference, midday keynote speakers Andrew Berlin of Shield.AI, Berlin Packaging, Chicago Cubs and South Bend Cubs, along with Rob Sine of Blueprint Sports, talked with Smart Business Network's Dustin Klein about how strategic opportunities in asset diversification and the current economic climate are reshaping the landscape for athletes, institutions and franchises.

A recent Federal Trade Commission rule aimed to prohibit employers from attempting to enter into non-competes with all workers. Though that rule might never take effect, state-level trends governing the use of non-competes leave plenty for businesses and dealmakers to navigate. Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld partners Matt Brinker and Alex Nassar break down the trends and offer advice on how M&A professionals can prepare and structure deals in the current environment.

With a presence in 36 cities and 20 states, zTrip has become the largest taxi fleet operator in the U.S. largely through acquisition-driven growth. With a remarkably refined deal strategy and new insights from a passed-over SPAC opportunity, the company is now competing with the country's most recognizable ridesharing companies. Founder and CEO Bill George talks about the genesis of the business, its acquisition process and the secret sauce that's helping the company continue on its extraordinary trajectory.

While we're still arguably in a period rife with challenges, there seems to be a more positive sentiment forming — not enough that everyone in the M&A environment is happy, but maybe enough to signal that the deal market is ready to turn the page. At the inaugural D.C. Capital Region Smart Business Dealmakers Conference, Debbie Ricci of Guidehouse, Don Bassell formerly of ARKO, Alex Shahidi of Riveron and Chris O'Geen of Wells Fargo, on a panel moderated by Riveron's Robert Berdanier, explore today's market conditions and what it all means for executives looking to get deals done.

In some ways, when looking out into the deal environment, it seems as if uncertainty will be the only certainty. With the instability a constant challenge, both buyers and sellers are trying to determine how best to prepare for the unexpected, which is all that can be expected. Brady Ware Advisory Group Practice Leader Jon DeMoss and Shareholder Eric Carter offer their take on the current market and how dealmakers can capitalize on opportunities despite the obstacles.

Why would anyone do business in Columbus? Well, if you ask the panel of experts who kicked off this year's Columbus Smart Business Dealmakers Conference, there's a lot of reasons. Industry leaders Dr. Linda Lehmkuhl of MedVet, Aaron Weir of CollisionRight, Kim Zavislak of KPMG, Katie Bishop of J.P. Morgan Private Bank and moderator Leslie Johnson of Ice Miller discuss the opportunities they see in Central Ohio and how they are attacking the challenges of expanding in a city on the rise.

The past few years have been dynamic for M&A. Rising interest rates, inflation and a host of other issues have brought uncertainty across numerous sectors. But still, deals are getting done. Kicking off the 2024 Philadelphia Smart Business Dealmakers Conference, Bank of America's Jim Dever and Fritz Franz, Archetype Solutions' Chetan Bagga, PeopleShare's Ryan Clark and SeventySix Capital's Chad Stender share their experiences operating in this market and discuss what it takes to get M&A deals done in today's environment.