Building Successful Buy-and-Build Platforms: Alpine's Blueprint for Strategic M&A with Haley Van Cleve
Release Date: 07/28/2025
Building Your M&A Reputation: Why Relationships Beat Transactions Every Time with Andrew Cohen
M&A Science
Andy Cohen, Vice President of Corporate Development at F5 Andy has built a career that proves M&A is fundamentally about relationships, not just transactions. With 30 years of experience and 60 deals closed across high-growth tech companies including Citrix, Acquia, and F5, Andy has cultivated the kind of reputation where every CEO he's worked with will take his call tomorrow. In this conversation, he reveals why zero-sum thinking kills deals, how to convince people to sell without convincing them to sell, and why walking away on principle matters more than closing at any cost. ...
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My Daughter Interviews Me About M&A | Holiday Special Episode with Shyla Patel
M&A Science
In this special father-daughter episode, My daughter interviews me on my new book on Buyer-Led M&A™. We break down the framework built from over 400 practitioner interviews—covering why traditional M&A is flawed, how to shift from reactive auction-chasing to proactive deal sourcing, and why integration planning must begin during diligence. Things you will learn: Why integration planning during diligence (not after) determines deal success How the five pillars of buyer-led M&A transform reactive processes into strategic engines Why proactive deal sourcing beats bank-led...
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How to Score Culture Fit in M&A with Sharon Van Zeeland
M&A Science
, Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development at Rockwell Automation brings a unique engineer's perspective to the softest parts of M&A. In this episode, Sharon reveals how Rockwell developed a systematic scoring system for evaluating culture fit during due diligence—complete with numerical rankings across key dimensions like decision-making authority, adaptability, and mission alignment. She also shares unconventional tactics for getting deals across the finish line, from negotiating hunting rights to sponsoring 4th of July parades, and explains why marrying your diligence...
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Making M&A Boring (And Why That’s a Good Thing) with Leon Brujis
M&A Science
, Partner and Co-Head of U.S. at 65 Equity Partners shares how his firm is redefining private equity through non-control investments in founder-led businesses. In this conversation, Leon breaks down why the best companies are never for sale, how immigrant adaptability translates to investing success, and why boring, disciplined deal-making consistently outperforms flashy transactions. He also walks through his framework for negotiating term sheets and building relationships that span years before cutting checks north of $200 million. Things You'll Learn Why non-control "partnership capital"...
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Integration Starts with Hiring, Not the Deal with Brandon Batt
M&A Science
– Chief People and Transformation Officer at Quadient joins us to discuss how successful M&A integration starts long before you sign an LOI. Brandon shares how Quadient built M&A capability across the organization through strategic hiring, created a transformation office that breaks down traditional silos, and executed portfolio transformation through dozens of acquisitions and divestitures. Learn why the secret to integration success isn't just about playbooks—it's about building M&A muscle into your team from day one. Things You'll Learn Why hiring for M&A experience...
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Strategic M&A Framework: IFS's Acquisition Playbook with Rachel Hindley
M&A Science
, Vice President of Corporate Development, IFS oversees transformative acquisitions for the global leader in industrial AI and enterprise software. In this episode, Rachel shares how IFS navigates the unique dynamics of having three major private equity backers—EQT, HG, and TA Associates—while executing strategic deals that enhance their portfolio. She breaks down IFS's four acquisition archetypes (product bolt-ons, customer migration, market entry, and new platforms), explains why integration and value creation must be separated, and reveals how the company is adapting its...
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Mastering Carve-Out Transactions with Keith Crawford
M&A Science
, Global Head of Corporate Development and M&A at State Street Corporation , Global Head of Corporate Development and M&A at State Street Corporation, brings over 20 years of expertise executing some of the most intricate custody business carve-outs in financial services. In this episode, Keith breaks down the realities of carve-out transactions—from proactive deal sourcing and dependency mapping to navigating TSAs and post-close integration. He shares hard-won lessons on avoiding common pitfalls like scope creep, third-party contract renegotiations, and employee retention challenges...
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Integration-Led M&A: Cisco's Approach to Deal Success Part 2 with Johanna Jaakola and Tesia Hostetler
M&A Science
– Integration Lead, Corporate Development Integration Team, Cisco – Leader, Acquisition Integration Practice, Cisco , Integration Lead on Cisco's Corporate Development Integration Team, and , Leader of Cisco's Acquisition Integration Practice, continue their deep dive into Cisco's integration-led M&A framework. In Part 2, they reveal how integration planning shapes diligence, how value drivers guide surgical execution, and what it takes to coordinate a 180-person M&A community. From day one employee experience to go-to-market complexity and the Splunk mega-deal, this episode...
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Integration-Led Diligence: Cisco's M&A Approach with Johanna Jaakola & Tesia Hostetle
M&A Science
– Integration Lead, Corporate Development Integration Team, Cisco – Leader, Acquisition Integration Practice, Cisco , Integration Lead on Cisco's Corporate Development Integration Team, and , Leader of Cisco's Acquisition Integration Practice, share how one of the world's most prolific acquirers structures deals for success. This episode breaks down Cisco's integration-led diligence model, where integration leads orchestrate due diligence from the deal thesis stage, ensuring strategic alignment and execution readiness before ink hits paper. Learn how Cisco's structured approach to...
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When Integration Beats Roll-Ups with Tim Hall
M&A Science
- Managing Partner and Founder, brings 29 years of private equity experience to this conversation about what actually works in buy-and-build strategies. After launching Brenton Point in 2024 following a 20-year run at CI Capital Partners, where he completed 200+ acquisitions across 12 platforms, Tim breaks down the independent sponsor model and why integration—not just aggregation—is the real value driver. He walks through building platforms from scratch, the executive-first strategy for fragmented markets, and how standardized integration playbooks turn acquired companies into...
info_outlineHaley Van Cleve, Partner at Alpine Investors
Haley joins us to decode the art of building successful buy-and-build platforms from the ground up. In this episode, Haley walks through Alpine's proven methodology for transforming small $3M EBITDA businesses into $100M+ platforms through strategic M&A and operational excellence. Learn how Alpine's unique talent model, integration-first approach, and buyer-led M&A strategy has driven over 850 deals, including 170 in 2024 alone. Whether you're a corporate development professional or private equity investor, this conversation delivers actionable insights on platform identification, integration best practices, and scaling through acquisitions.
Things you will learn:
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Alpine's team-market-business prioritization model for identifying $3M businesses with scaling potential
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Building 20-30 day system rollouts upfront to enable high-velocity acquisitions without operational breakdowns
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CEO-in-residence programs and profit interest pools that align management for long-term value creation
Episode Chapters
[00:02:30] Alpine's Evolution – From $400M Fund V to $4.5B today with 180+ team members across three offices
[00:04:30] Platform Definition – Why Alpine takes a liberal view of platforms, starting with $3M EBITDA businesses in fragmented markets
[00:07:30] Software vs. Services – Rule of 40 for software deals versus EBITDA-focused services acquisitions and different scaling approaches
[00:13:30] Legal Tech Case Study – Building a $4M revenue time-billing business into a $30M+ platform through four strategic add-ons
[00:16:00] Integration Excellence – People and systems integration within 20-30 days to maintain visibility during high-velocity M&A
[00:22:00] Vision Alignment – Setting clear expectations upfront about system standardization and operational changes before LOI
[00:25:00] Platform Challenges – Overhiring executive teams early and building integration capacity before closing deals
[00:36:00] In-House M&A Teams – When and how to build dedicated M&A functions at portfolio companies for double-digit acquisition strategies
[00:44:00] CEO-in-Residence Program – How Alpine hires executives before finding deals and pairs them with markets for 12+ month searches
[00:49:00] When Deals Go Sideways – COVID impact on K-12 businesses and pivoting M&A strategies when market assumptions prove wrong
Questions, comments, concerns?
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