M&A Science
Kison Patel
M&A Science, hosted by Kison Patel (Founder & CEO of DealRoom), is your go-to podcast for mastering the art of mergers and acquisitions. Each week, Kison and his expert guests from leading brands like Xerox, FastLap, and Cisco dig deep into real-world M&A strategies, offering actionable insights to optimize your M&A practice.
Whether you're an experienced practitioner or new to the field, M&A Science provides practical advice on key topics like sourcing, due diligence, integration, divestitures, and more. With over 300 episodes, this podcast is the premier thought leadership resource designed to streamline your deal-making process.
Start listening today and visit mascience.com/podcast to access over 300 episodes. Brought to you by DealRoom, the leading M&A optimization platform used by the best M&A teams around the world
Whether you're an experienced practitioner or new to the field, M&A Science provides practical advice on key topics like sourcing, due diligence, integration, divestitures, and more. With over 300 episodes, this podcast is the premier thought leadership resource designed to streamline your deal-making process.
Start listening today and visit mascience.com/podcast to access over 300 episodes. Brought to you by DealRoom, the leading M&A optimization platform used by the best M&A teams around the world
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jan 26, 2026 • 1h 4min
How Experienced Buyers Actually Make M&A Work with Carlos Cesta
Carlos Cesta, M&A advisor and partner at Makanta with ~30 years buy-side experience across Verizon, Dentsu, Presidio, and NP Digital. He explains why strategy must state what not to pursue. He describes the deal spiral where structure, diligence, and integration reshape each other. He shows why integration planning starts before LOI and how earnouts can be designed to manage risk.
Jan 19, 2026 • 1h 15min
A Founder's Guide to Lean M&A Strategy with Christian Hassold
Christian Hassold, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development at Wpromote x Giant Spoon, is a seasoned founder turned corporate leader specializing in culture-focused M&A. He shares insights on why culture is the ultimate deal-breaker in acquisitions. Christian emphasizes the importance of interviewing employees before investors to uncover red flags and introduces his 5-pillar lean M&A framework. He recounts a fascinating rescue acquisition story and discusses how to distinguish between fixable cultural issues and fundamental misalignment, advocating for a people-first approach over financial engineering.
Jan 12, 2026 • 34min
How Integration Debt, Cultural Friction, and Communication Failures Kill M&A Deals with Donara Jaghinyan
Donara Jaghinyan, a transformation and integration leader, discusses the complexities of post-merger integration. She dives into 'integration debt' and how neglected tasks can hinder success. Featuring practical change management strategies, she emphasizes clear communication to alleviate employee uncertainty. Donara also shares her experiences with cultural challenges in cross-border deals, including navigating gender dynamics and building trust across diverse regions. Her insights reveal the operational realities that can make or break an M&A deal.
5 snips
Jan 5, 2026 • 45min
Why Integrations Break: TSAs, Carve-Outs, and the Hidden Dependencies That Derail M&A Deals with Donara Jaghinyan
Donara Jaghinyan, a transformation and integration leader with extensive experience in healthcare and SaaS, unveils the common pitfalls of integrations. She reveals why treating Transition Service Agreements (TSAs) as projects with strict deadlines is crucial to prevent cost overruns. Donara discusses the often-overlooked complexities of carve-outs and the critical role of Integration Management Offices in identifying hidden dependencies. Her insights shed light on optimizing day-one readiness and establishing effective governance structures for successful integrations.
52 snips
Dec 22, 2025 • 1h 8min
Building Your M&A Reputation: Why Relationships Beat Transactions Every Time with Andrew Cohen
In this conversation, Andy Cohen, Vice President of Corporate Development at F5, shares insights from his 30 years in M&A, emphasizing that success is built on relationships. He highlights the importance of shifting from zero-sum thinking to a 'win-enough' mindset for sustainable deals. Andy discusses the value of proactive sourcing and understanding founders' motivations, as well as the need for cultural fit in integration strategies. His focus on reputation and trust underlines that sometimes walking away is key to preserving long-term relationships.
Dec 15, 2025 • 1h 7min
My Daughter Interviews Me About M&A | Holiday Special Episode with Shyla Patel
In this entertaining holiday special, Shyla Patel, a high school student and daughter of the host, interviews her father about his new book on Buyer-Led M&A. They discuss the flaws in traditional M&A, emphasizing the critical importance of early integration planning for successful deals. Shyla learns about the five pillars of buyer-led M&A, which transform reactive processes into strategic engines. Their engaging conversation even unveils how proactive deal sourcing consistently outperforms bank-led auctions.
Dec 8, 2025 • 60min
How to Score Culture Fit in M&A with Sharon Van Zeeland
Sharon Van Zeeland, Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development at Rockwell Automation, brings an engineering twist to M&A culture assessments. She shares how Rockwell uses a 0-5 scoring system to evaluate cultural fit, revealing surprising gaps and similarities that aid integration planning. Sharon discusses creative negotiation tactics like hunting rights and sponsorship deals, emphasizing the importance of merging diligence and integration teams early to facilitate smooth transitions. She also highlights the rising role of AI in due diligence and the need for human oversight.
Dec 1, 2025 • 1h 8min
Making M&A Boring (And Why That's a Good Thing) with Leon Brujis
Leon Brujis, Partner and Co-Head of U.S. at 65 Equity Partners, shares insights from over 20 years in private equity. He discusses why the best companies resist being sold and the benefits of non-control investments in founder-led businesses. Leon emphasizes that disciplined, 'boring' investing consistently outperforms flashy deals, and he details a five-point framework for negotiating term sheets. He also highlights the importance of building relationships with founders and how cultural adaptability influences successful deal-making.
23 snips
Nov 24, 2025 • 58min
Integration Starts with Hiring, Not the Deal with Brandon Batt
Brandon Batt, Chief People and Transformation Officer at Quadient, discusses the critical role of strategic hiring in M&A integration. He emphasizes that building M&A expertise across different roles lays the groundwork for success, even in unrelated fields. Batt introduces the concept of a transformation office to eliminate silos, and shares insights on why cultural 'add' is more beneficial than cultural 'fit.' Discover how fostering an adaptable team can transform the integration process, making it a core strength from the start.
21 snips
Nov 17, 2025 • 1h 2min
Strategic M&A Framework: IFS's Acquisition Playbook with Rachel Hindley
Rachel Hindley, Vice President of Corporate Development at IFS, leads strategic acquisitions in enterprise software and industrial AI. She dives into IFS's unique approach to M&A, working with three private equity firms, and outlines four acquisition archetypes: product bolt-ons, customer migration, market entry, and new platforms. Rachel also emphasizes the critical separation of integration from value creation and discusses adapting M&A strategies for fast-paced AI markets, all while maintaining cultural integrity during transitions.
