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January 7, 2022
Plan ahead to find deal success
By Adam Burroughs
Tri Star Energy's Wayne Acklen, Baker Donelson's Tonya Mitchem Grindon, Quorum Health's Alfred Lumsdaine and PNC Bank's Michael Johnson offer tips on financing your business to supercharge growth and how planning ahead can prepare buyers and sellers for just about any contingency.
December 16, 2021
Citymark Capital founder Daniel Walsh on launching the company
Daniel Walsh talks about launching Citymark Capital, building funds, creating value and the special place Austin holds in the company’s plans.
December 2, 2021
How Chris Molaro launched NeuroFlow
NeuroFlow co-founder Chris Molaro on changing the way mental health care is delivered, his most recent M&A deal, and the company’s future.
November 5, 2021
Addressing the structural barriers facing minority owned businesses
Della Clark, CEO of The Enterprise Center, talks about ways to create better access to capital for minority entrepreneurs and her newest project, an SBIC fund aimed at mature minority owned companies.
July 9, 2021
The benefits of crowdfunding
Jonathan Cohen, founder, CEO and president, 20/20 GeneSystems, shares best practices for effective crowdfunding as well as how to prepare pitches for different investor audiences.
June 18, 2021
Jonathan Herrick pursues growth at Benchmark
Jonathan Herrick, a St. Louis entrepreneur who’s now CEO of Benchmark, talks about its most recent acquisition of Contacts+, as well as what’s in store for 2021.
May 28, 2021
Paths to public: Mina Sooch on reverse merger vs IPO
Mina Sooch explains how the reverse merger process she took taking Ocuphire Pharma Inc. public compares to her prior IPO experiences.
May 21, 2021
Louis Foreman on how IP strategy creates value
Enventys Partners CEO Louis Foreman CEO on where startups struggle, and how they find success.
January 22, 2021
Carolyn Cassin on the good news/bad news of venture funding for women
Carolyn Cassin, BELLE Michigan Impact Fund founder and general partner talks about the challenges women entrepreneurs face and how her fund is designed to help.
January 22, 2021
Raise capital, gain market validation with crowdfunding, says Louis Foreman
Louis Foreman, CEO, Enventys Partners talks about product innovation, raising capital, recent patent activity trends and the commonalities among his 15 clients who appeared on the TV show Shark Tank.
December 17, 2020
Greg Skoda: Raising Capital to Survive in Uncertain Times
Greg Skoda, speaking at the Smart Business Dealmakers Conference in September, offered his take on companies’ pandemic capital situation, and how business owners and executives have responded.
June 12, 2020
ChromoCare’s Hugh Cathey: It’s time for careful, creative thinking
It's a challenging business environment right now, which calls for care and out-of-the-box thinking. Hugh Cathey discusses what he’s seeing in today’s market through the lens of both business owner and investor.
May 21, 2020
UBS’ Jerry Johnson sees deals and capital flowing, although with some renegotiation
UBS Managing Director and Market Head Jerry Johnson shares his view of the market and what's happening with capital flow in the M&A space.
April 17, 2020
Daniel J. Hayes talks tempering expectations in life sciences capital raises
Tips from CLA's Dan Hayes on how life sciences founders can navigate some of the critical business steps that help them take their science to market.
March 5, 2020
PeopleShare co-founder Ryan Clark on acquisitions, lessons learned
When PeopleShare, through organic growth, hit a comfortable revenue number, CEO Ryan Clark began to wonder how big the staffing firm could get. That’s when acquisition, and a private equity recapitalization, became real and viable options.
February 6, 2020
Richard Weaver on choosing the right recapitalization partner
AB Bernstein's Richard L.N. Weaver offers his perspective on what business owners should consider when pursuing recapitalization, including the importance of defining goals and choosing the right private equity partner.
January 22, 2020
Dave Enright breaks down the capital stack
Dave Enright has a lot of experience in the "wild, wild west" of buying — deals that are below $5 million EBIDTA. The senior vice president and commercial banker at S&T Bank digs into the financing behind buying companies in the lower middle market.
January 21, 2020
Martin Renkis: Be a 10-year thinker when raising funds
Founder Martin Renkis talks about raising capital for Smartvue and how long-term thinking ultimately landed put him in the best position to succeed — culminating in a sale to Johnson Controls in 2018.
January 17, 2020
Michael Mufson on determining value, finding investors in recapitalization
Recaps, a liquidity play, represent an estimated 75 percent of the private equity transactions taking place in the market today. Michael Mufson offers a closer look at recapitalization so owners can better understand the process.
January 9, 2020
Autobooks’ Steve Robert: Give Investors A Reason To Believe In Your Business
You can’t afford to be short-sighted, getting quick dollars and board members without thinking a few steps ahead, says Autobooks’ Steve Robert.
January 9, 2020
Capital-raising tips any business can learn from
Coolfire Solutions CEO Don Sharp talks about raising capital, nurturing investor relationships and what should be understood when faced with the decision of whether, or whether not, to take on outside capital.
December 12, 2019
Pre Brands’ Jason Pinter: Build An Investment Thesis That Works For You
Feedback is important as you’re building a business. But you’ve got to do what you think is best, says Pre Brands’ Jason Pinter.
December 3, 2019
How Maxine Clark Financed Build-A-Bear
Build-A-Bear Workshop founder Maxine Clark talks about how she raised the capital — both financial and intellectual — to grow the retail chain and eventually take it public.
October 31, 2019
U of M’s David Brophy: Michigan Needs To Retain More Talent, Secure More Investment Dollars
The Michigan Private Equity Conference is part of an effort to spur private equity investment and activity in the state.
October 31, 2019
Dr. Ellen Stang unlocks growth with a little PE help
Progeny Health, founded by Dr. Ellen Stang, has been profitable and debt-free since the beginning. But when her business hit a wall about eight years in, some friendly advice helped her unlock the company's growth.
October 24, 2019
Denise Devine’s tips and traps for capital-raising entrepreneurs
RTM Vital Signs' co-founder Denise Devine explores the stages of capital raising and what entrepreneurs should look for, and look out for, at each.
October 10, 2019
Fyllo’s Chad Bronstein: Pitch Investors With Confidence, Not Arrogance
Chad Bronstein shares tips on how he engaged investors and helped Fyllo raise $18 million in seed funding.
September 20, 2019
Hugh Cathey: Smart Fundraising Requires Monitoring Market
Serial entrepreneur Hugh Cathey, now on his ninth startup with genetic testing company ChromoCare, shares his best practices for raising capital.
September 13, 2019
VillageMD’s Tim Barry: Investors Want To Give You Money
The co-founder and CEO of the healthcare management services company talks about his strategy when raising capital and the importance of establishing an ongoing dialogue with potential investors.
September 13, 2019
John McInerney On Finding The Right Deal Partners
M&A veteran John McInerney talks about his experience selling Keystone Printed Specialties and what it taught him about the value of good advisors.
