{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Building Successful Buy-and-Build Platforms: Alpine's Blueprint for Strategic M&A with Haley Van Cleve","description":"Haley Van Cleve, Partner at Alpine Investors Haley joins us to decode the art of building successful buy-and-build platforms from the ground up. In this episode, Haley walks through Alpine's proven methodology for transforming small $3M EBITDA businesses into $100M+ platforms through strategic M&A and operational excellence. Learn how Alpine's unique talent model, integration-first approach, and buyer-led M&A strategy has driven over 850 deals, including 170 in 2024 alone. Whether you're a corporate development professional or private equity investor, this conversation delivers actionable insights on platform identification, integration best practices, and scaling through acquisitions. Things you will learn: Alpine's team-market-business prioritization model for identifying $3M businesses with scaling potential Building 20-30 day system rollouts upfront to enable high-velocity acquisitions without operational breakdowns CEO-in-residence programs and profit interest pools that align management for long-term value creation Episode Chapters [00:02:30] Alpine's Evolution \u2013 From $400M Fund V to $4.5B today with 180+ team members across three offices [00:04:30] Platform Definition \u2013 Why Alpine takes a liberal view of platforms, starting with $3M EBITDA businesses in fragmented markets [00:07:30] Software vs. Services \u2013 Rule of 40 for software deals versus EBITDA-focused services acquisitions and different scaling approaches [00:13:30] Legal Tech Case Study \u2013 Building a $4M revenue time-billing business into a $30M+ platform through four strategic add-ons [00:16:00] Integration Excellence \u2013 People and systems integration within 20-30 days to maintain visibility during high-velocity M&A [00:22:00] Vision Alignment \u2013 Setting clear expectations upfront about system standardization and operational changes before LOI [00:25:00] Platform Challenges \u2013 Overhiring executive teams early and building integration capacity before closing deals [00:36:00] In-House M&A Teams \u2013 When and how to build dedicated M&A functions at portfolio companies for double-digit acquisition strategies [00:44:00] CEO-in-Residence Program \u2013 How Alpine hires executives before finding deals and pairs them with markets for 12+ month searches [00:49:00] When Deals Go Sideways \u2013 COVID impact on K-12 businesses and pivoting M&A strategies when market assumptions prove wrong Questions, comments, concerns?Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A. ","author_name":"M&A Science","author_url":"http:\/\/www.mascience.com","html":"