The State of Venture Capital & Private Equity with In/Organic Podcast's Christian Hassold

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Christian Hasshold, host of the In/Organic Podcast and Managing Partner of Resilient Edge M&A Advisors.

Follow Christian on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hassold/

Follow the In/Organic podcast on Apple Podcasts at: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inorganic-podcast/id1710070954

Follow the In/Organic podcast on Spotify at: https://open.spotify.com/show/0oa6R4M37vtys5II6clEfF?si=7fdee69be69747f4

Christian answers these questions:

1. How do you distinguish between a “nice-to-have” tuck-in acquisition and a transformational, growth-enabling deal in the lower/middle markets?
2. In the lower-to-middle market, what characteristics make an agency or SAAS target attractive to PE buyers versus strategic acquirers? Are there red flags you consistently see?
3. What valuation levers tend to move the needle most for digital agencies and B2B SaaS in private equity? In what scenarios do earnouts or seller financing play a critical role in aligning incentives post-close?
4. What’s a must-have due diligence checklist for an M&A in this space (e.g., tech stack, client concentration, monetization models, recurring revenue quality)? Any surprises you often encounter?
5. After closing, what are your top three priorities to de-risk integration and accelerate value realization in a digital agency or B2B SaaS platform?
6. How do you evaluate and incorporate AI and data-driven product improvements in these companies to unlock scale? Are there specific bets you’d avoid in early-stage growth scenarios?
7. For CPG brands and their agencies, what practical lessons can you share from the M&A and growth playbook that help them become more attractive to PE-backed buyers or to strike better LP-aligned partnerships?

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