Post-Acquisition Integration

Ep38—Louis Gump-Innovation, Timing, and Leadership: Whether You're an Entrepreneur or Intrapreneur

Lewis Gump, a fractional CEO/COO and author of 'Gorilla Marketing Tactic,' discusses his career building mobile and digital businesses at CNN and The Weather Channel, the critical differences between entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs, and how founders can successfully transition into larger organizations post-acquisition. He emphasizes that innovation requires leadership commitment, cultural fit, and the ability to build bridges across diverse teams.

Ep36—Ted Stone: Decades of Financial Strategy — Still in the Game and Giving Back

Ted Stone, a 72-year-old career CFO, discusses his transition to fractional CFO work serving multiple clients across diverse industries. He shares detailed stories from three major private equity deals—Velocity Express (a last-mile delivery rollup), an office telephone company spin-out, and Solucent (a healthcare data integration)—while exploring current trends including the silver tsunami of retiring business owners, ESOP structures, and the value of executive peer networks like Executive Forum.

Ep 34 - Brantley Fry: Why Connecting People and Process Is Your Secret Weapon

Brantley Fry, partner at Tech CXO's human capital management practice, shares her unconventional career path from environmental lawyer to political state director to HR strategist. She discusses her work on major environmental cases including the TVA coal ash spill and BP oil spill, her role as state director for Senator Doug Jones, and her current focus on helping high-growth companies optimize people operations. The conversation explores M&A communication strategies, non-traditional hiring approaches, and Birmingham's emerging biotech ecosystem.

Ep27 Jeff Haynie—The Rise of Agentic Systems and AI-Driven Dev

Jeff Haynie, serial entrepreneur and founder of Appcelerator (Titanium), discusses his journey from pioneering JavaScript mobile development in 2006 to launching Agentuity, an AI agent cloud platform. He shares insights on Silicon Valley's unique ecosystem, the evolution of software development, and his belief that AI agents will fundamentally transform cloud infrastructure from human-centric to agent-optimized systems.

Ep 19 Kathryn O'Day —Triathlons, Startups, and Success: A Playbook for Entrepreneurs

Ep 11 - Rob Reesor: Insights, Tips, Tricks and Wisdom from a Tech Veteran

Rob Reesor shares his four-decade technology career journey from early AI expert systems at Intellicorp through pioneering e-commerce at Virtual Vineyards to executive leadership roles across multiple private equity-backed companies. He discusses the evolution of software development, the challenges of technical debt management, building trust with non-technical stakeholders, and navigating acquisitions while emphasizing transparency and team empowerment.

Ep 10 - Chris Caparon: Hard-Won Lessons from a Long and Successful Tech Journey

Chris Caparon shares his 20-year journey building Sephoria Software, an accounts receivable automation company that grew from a garage startup in 2001 to serving Fortune 500 companies across 110 countries before its private equity exit. He discusses navigating multiple economic crises, evolving technology platforms, and the critical importance of customer-centric product development and maintaining strong founder relationships throughout the company lifecycle.

Ep 09 - Bart Foster: Grit Becomes Growth, the Path from Pain to Transformation

Bart Foster shares his journey from corporate executive to founder of SoloHealth, a health screening kiosk company that scaled to 4,000 Walmart locations before he was forced out by his board. After moving to Boulder, Colorado, he founded Business Outside, which uses nature-based experiences to help corporate teams build authentic connections and develop intentional leadership approaches.

Ep 07 - Christy Johnson - Cultivating Resilience Through Adaptation, Partnership and Growth

Christy Johnson, performance engineering lead at VIP Ventures, shares her unconventional path from international microfinance to steel manufacturing to venture capital. She discusses her seven-year tenure as interim-then-permanent CEO of a portfolio company, the firm's hands-on 'performance engineering' approach to supporting founders, and how COVID-19 transformed her company into a successful fully-remote operation.

Ep 04 - Mark Flickinger: From Rowing to Venture Capital - Lessons in Teamwork and Growth

Mark Flickinger, partner at BIP Ventures, discusses his journey from mechanical engineering and competitive rowing to venture capital. He explains BIP's platform-heavy approach with 50 employees supporting both investors and portfolio companies, their focus on high net worth LPs, and strategies for helping founders navigate the current market environment. Flickinger emphasizes the importance of solving real problems, building strong boards, and maintaining discipline during economic uncertainty.

Ep 03 - Jan Heybroek - From Startup to Successful Exit - Lessons from a Healthcare Entrepreneur

Jan Heybroek, partner at TechCXO's exec ops practice, shares his 17-year journey building and selling a medical market research company to a medical education firm in 2021. He discusses M&A negotiation tactics, the importance of transparency during due diligence, post-acquisition integration challenges, and healthcare industry trends including AI's role in diagnostics and the shift toward personalized medicine.