Skip to Content

June 2, 2023

AGCO's Eric Hansotia On The Ag Giant's M&A Strategy

By Adam Burroughs

AGCO Corporation is the largest pure-play farm machinery company in the world, competing against industry giants. Headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, this year they'll do about $14.5 billion in sales

May 26, 2023

Recognizing The 2023 Dealmakers of the Year Award Winners

Hundreds of millions of dollars have been channeled to the 2023 Smart Business Dealmakers Dealmaker of the Year Awards honorees. But raising funds is not all this year's class of entrepreneurs have

May 26, 2023

The Inaugural Cleveland Dealmakers Hall of Fame Class Sets The Stage

Welcome the inaugural class for the Cleveland Dealmakers Hall of Fame! This group of dealmakers has made an often-groundbreaking impact on their organizations, industries and the Northeast Ohio region

May 19, 2023

Biju Kulathakal On Launching Halo, Fundraising

Halo Investing is a platform for structured notes or, as the company's Co-Founder and CEO Biju Kulathakal puts it, defined outcome investing. "It's a financial product that's a $3 trillion market

May 19, 2023

Whether buying or selling, alignment is key

Investors have had a lot to process recently — COVID bumps in their portfolio companies, whether positive or negative; supply chain issues; inflation impacting working capital, to name a few. While

May 19, 2023

Whether buying, selling or raising capital, timing is everything

When it comes to capital opportunities, timing, says Foro Capital Markets Managing Director, CFO and Chief Compliance Officer Mike Marr, can be everything. In December of ‘21, the company raised some

April 21, 2023

How Redback's Famous IPO Almost Wasn't

Dennis Barsema on his experience with Redback, the issue that almost prevented him from taking the company public, and how his path eventually led him to teaching future entrepreneurs.

April 14, 2023

Deal Pulse: Best of times, worst of times

The domestic M&A market is in a state of great disparity. Valuations from buyers receded to pre-pandemic levels while sellers continue to expect the lofty valuations seen in the latter portion of 2020

April 14, 2023

The Deal Environment In Turbulent Times

Accel International Holdings' Tony Oh, Boston Celtics Co-Owner Rob Hale, and Citizens' David Dunstan and Jerry Sargent on what CEOs are saying about today’s climate for dealmaking and their experiences on the front lines.

April 14, 2023

How to get a FAIR deal

MATH Venture Partners' Mert Iseri and Mark Achler, along with UBS's James Jack and Ryan Wood, on the valuable personal lessons they've learned over several successful exits.

April 6, 2023

Suzanne Yoon On Launching Kinzie Capital Partners

Kinzie Capital Partners Founder and Managing Partner Suzanne Yoon on launching the firm.

March 31, 2023

The Importance Of Knowledgeable CFOs In Deals

TalentLaunch's Matt Lyon and Resilience Capital Partners' Bassem Mansour on post-acquisition integration and how the CFO role plays a part in making sure the deal pays off.

March 31, 2023

Sylvester Hester On Partnership And Job Creation When Launching LM Manufacturing

LM Manufacturing President and CEO Sylvester Hester on launching the business, how the opportunity came about and the importance of being a job creator in Detroit

March 24, 2023

FHN Facilitates Service for Underbanked Consumers

Jennifer Tescher on her company’s investments strategies and goals for assisting their partners during harsh economic times.

March 10, 2023

Cleveland Deal Pulse: The Role of the Rollover

MelCap Partners David Shibley looks at trends and deals in the Northeast Ohio M&A market over the month of February.

March 10, 2023

Pittsburgh Deal Pulse: The Role of the Rollover

MelCap Partners David Shibley looks at trends and deals in the Greater Pittsburgh M&A market over the month of February.

March 10, 2023

No "Risky Bets" When Investing In CEOs

The Edgewater Funds Senior Partner David Tolmie on what he looks for in an executive, investment red flags, preparing for exits and negotiating deal terms.

March 3, 2023

How Ascent Solution Managed A Change In Business Model And Ownership

Ascent Solutions' Chairman and CEO JD Harris on the firm's ownership transition as well as the switch that was made in its business model.

March 3, 2023

The Three-Phase Set Up of Society Brands' Success

Society Brands CEO Michael Sirpilla on financing business growth.

February 24, 2023

Borrowing Against IP

Mark Fox, managing partner at Ghost Tree Partners, and Joseph Rossi, AVP, Aon Intellectual Property Solutions at Aon, on methods for lending against a company's IP.

February 24, 2023

VendEngine Revs Up Revenue Prior to Sale

Silas Deane on his company, VendEngine, Inc.,which created a way to improve the process of gifting money to inmates and later sold the company for $83 million.

February 24, 2023

Is The Sky Falling In 2023?

3 Rivers Capital's Rob Carskadden, Continuim Equity Partners' George Pilafas, Metz Lewis Brodman Must O'Keefe's John Lewis and SDI Companies' Scott Kiger offer their predictions on what changes occurring in 2023 will be the most impactful.

February 24, 2023

Lifting Lucy Creates Opportunities for BIWOC

Tranice Watts created Lifting Lucy when she was in her early twenties, working in an industry not known for much diversity. Watts, the first Black woman to co-own and operate a craft brewery in the state of Maryland, was on a subcommittee of the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC). She noticed an area where people could do proposals for diversity, equity and inclusion. Lifting Lucy has since grown into a network of businesses, organizations, and philanthropists serious about disrupting the barriers of entry and major hindrances toward the progress for Black, Indigenous, and other Women of Color (BIWOC) in the brewing industry.

February 17, 2023

Digital Health Frenzy Propelled SteadyMD

Guy Friedman is a Co-Founder and serves as Chief Executive Officer and President at SteadyMD, a B2B telehealth infrastructure provider that enables telehealth patient experiences in all 50 states. He spoke on the Dealmakers Podcast about how he built SteadyMD as a direct-to-consumer offering, but quickly realized it’s value to other businesses.

February 3, 2023

ChromoCare's Hugh Cathey On Lessons That Shaped His Career

In a more personal interview, Hugh Cathey, CEO of ChromoCare, a genetics testing firm, spoke on Smart Business SmartTalk about his successes and missteps, who and what helped shape his career, what motivates him and more.

January 27, 2023

Tough Decisions In Family-Led Businesses

Herschend Family Entertainment started in 1960 in Branson, Missouri by Jacob Herschend's grandparents. They leased a cave and made it available for tours. As it increased in popularity, they built

January 20, 2023

The Dos and Don’ts in Today’s M&A Landscape

Chuck Morton, Partner, Venable LLP, has been recognized for decades as one of best middle-market deal lawyers in the United States. During his time as an M&A attorney, he’s seen business leaders make some excellent choices and some not-so-brilliant decisions. He sat down for a discussion on the Smart Business Dealmakers Podcast to elaborate.

January 20, 2023

Jared Paquette Examines His Firm With The Eyes Of An Investor

After 20 years working in private equity, Jared Paquette recently struck out on his own, launching Conanicut Capital, a PE firm focused on the lower middle-market. "I went to a great lower-middle-market firm for about 10 years. And what I found in going to the lower middle market is you get much closer to the founders and the owners of businesses," he says. "Some of the best deals that I've been a part of are ones in which you're really working as the first institutional pool of capital."

January 6, 2023

Rocco DiLillo On His M&A Legacy

Rocco DiLillo on the many businesses he's built, bought and sold, and offers advice to entrepreneurs looking to experience similar successes.

December 16, 2022

Entrepreneur Focus: Jennifer Tescher

Financial Health Network President and CEO Jennifer Tescher on her company, its mission and the challenges it faces.