Post-Acquisition Integration

Best practices for successfully integrating acquired companies and their founders into larger organizations, including the role of internal advocates and cultural alignment.

12 episodes

Decades of Financial Strategy Across 70 Companies and Still Going | Neal Miller, Ep 39

Decades of Financial Strategy Across 70 Companies and Still Going | Neal Miller, Ep 39

Neil Miller, a partner emeritus at Tech CXO with nearly 20 years of fractional CFO experience across 70+ companies, shares his career journey from public accounting through multiple CFO roles at public companies to pioneering fractional executive work. He discusses value creation stories including Cloud Sherpas (acquired by Accenture) and Boomtown (90M+ revenue exit), the current venture capital environment, and how AI tools are compressing startup development cycles while raising the bar for execution speed.

Innovation, Timing, and Leadership for Entrepreneurs and Intrapreneurs | Louis Gump, Ep 38

Innovation, Timing, and Leadership for Entrepreneurs and Intrapreneurs | Louis Gump, Ep 38

Louis Gump, fractional CEO/COO and author of Inside Innovator, discusses his career building mobile 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, cross-functional collaboration, and understanding when to adapt entrepreneurial instincts to corporate environments.

Decades of Financial Strategy, Still in the Game and Giving Back | Ted Stone, Ep 36

Decades of Financial Strategy, Still in the Game and Giving Back | Ted Stone, Ep 36

Ted Stone, a 72-year-old fractional CFO, discusses his decades-long career in financial leadership, including multiple private equity-backed M&A transactions, integration strategies, and current work helping companies navigate recapitalizations and ESOP transitions. He shares lessons from rolling up businesses, managing post-acquisition culture clashes, and why he continues working seven years past traditional retirement age.

Why Connecting People and Process Is Your Secret Weapon | Brantley Fry, Ep 34

Why Connecting People and Process Is Your Secret Weapon | Brantley Fry, Ep 34

Brantley Fry, partner at Tech CXO, shares her unconventional career path from environmental litigation to political operations to human capital management. She discusses her work on major environmental disasters (TVA coal ash spill, BP oil spill), serving as state director for a U.S. senator, and helping a health tech startup through acquisition. The conversation explores employment agreements, non-traditional hiring, and building culture through M&A transitions.

The Rise of Agentic Systems and AI-Driven Development | Jeff Haynie, Ep 27

The Rise of Agentic Systems and AI-Driven Development | Jeff Haynie, Ep 27

Jeff Haynie, serial entrepreneur and founder of Appcelerator (acquired after reaching 1M+ developers), discusses his journey from building cross-platform mobile frameworks in 2006 to launching Agentuity, a cloud platform for AI agents. He shares lessons from raising capital in Silicon Valley, navigating acquisitions, and why he believes agentic systems will require fundamentally different infrastructure than today's human-centric cloud.

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

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

Katherine O'Day, partner at Atlanta Ventures, discusses her journey from employee number nine at Pardot through two successful acquisitions (ExactTarget, then Salesforce) to becoming an early-stage investor and venture studio operator. She shares lessons on bootstrapping companies, building culture through core values, and why consistent execution over time—like training for an Ironman—matters more than short bursts of effort in entrepreneurship.

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

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

Rob Reesor shares his journey from early AI expert systems development at Intellicorp through pioneering e-commerce at Virtual Vineyards to executive technology leadership across multiple private equity-backed companies. He discusses the evolution of software development practices, the challenges of technical debt management, and the critical importance of trust-based leadership in building high-performing engineering teams.

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

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

Chris Caparon, co-founder and former CEO of Sephoria Software, shares his 20-year journey building an accounts receivable automation company from a garage startup to a successful exit to private equity. He discusses navigating multiple economic crises, evolving technology platforms, and the relentless customer focus that enabled his bootstrapped company to serve Fortune 500 clients across 110 countries.

Grit Becomes Growth: The Path from Pain to Transformation | Bart Foster, Ep 09

Grit Becomes Growth: The Path from Pain to Transformation | Bart Foster, Ep 09

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. He discusses the emotional trauma of losing his company, his intentional relocation to Boulder, and founding Business Outside—a consulting practice that uses nature-based experiences to help leaders build authentic connections and live more intentionally.

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

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

Christy Johnson, performance engineering lead at VIP Ventures, discusses her unconventional path from microfinance in Costa Rica to steel manufacturing to venture capital. She shares lessons from seven years as CEO of a portfolio company, the importance of culture in remote teams, and VIP's hands-on approach to helping founders through focused strategy, investor symposiums, and operational coaching.

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

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

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 to supporting portfolio companies, the firm's focus on high-net-worth investors, and strategies for navigating the current venture market. Flickinger emphasizes the importance of board governance, team-based competitive experience, and building sustainable businesses during economic downturns.

From Startup to Successful Exit: Lessons from a Healthcare Entrepreneur | Jan Heybroek, Ep 03

From Startup to Successful Exit: Lessons from a Healthcare Entrepreneur | Jan Heybroek, Ep 03

Jan Heybroek shares his 17-year journey building and selling a medical market research company to a medical education firm in 2021. He discusses the M&A process, post-acquisition integration challenges, healthcare industry trends including personalized medicine and AI diagnostics, and lessons learned about transparency, perseverance, and the value of fractional executive talent for scaling startups.

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