moderated by Professor Richard Perlman (W’68), Co-founder and Executive Chairman of ExamWorks Group, Inc, and Professor of MGMT 2130 – Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition.
While most people’s definition of entrepreneurship only involves starting a venture from scratch, the strategy of buying an existing business, known widely as Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA), is an accessible, potentially lucrative, and often overlooked path for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Professor Perlman was joined by Max François-Poncet and Jason Vahn (both C’11, WG’19), Managing Partners and Co-Founders of Fidelity Memorial Group. The pair shared their pathway to ETA and their experiences purchasing their first business. Specifically, they discussed how they acquired businesses that had already found product market fit, allowing them to flip the startup model on its head and become CEOs of revenue-generating businesses on day one. The conversation provided valuable concepts to inspire newcomers to explore acquisitions as an entrepreneurship pathway and tactical insights for those already exploring the space.