Strategy Drives M&A, Not the Other Way Around

Podcast: M&A Science · Kison Patel

Opublikowano: 2026-10-29

Most corp dev teams let the banker inbox set the agenda. Michael Guptan, who has led or contributed to 120+ transactions worth over $100B across Dell, Walmart, DXC, and now The Trade Desk (NASDAQ: TTD), says that's backward. Strategy drives M&A. His approach starts long before a deal. Define where the company needs to be in three to five years, find the gaps, then build relationships with likely targets 12 to 18 months before any deal talk, so culture is clear before the LOI. Michael and Kison cover: The red flags that signal a culture mismatch...