Built to Hold

In Episode 6 of Built to Hold, Sylvain Perrier shares what the first 90 days after selling your company actually feel like — not the deal mechanics, but the identity shift from founder to operator, and why patience, humility, and clarity matter more than just trying to prove your value. Sylvain Perrier is a Group Leader at Vertus Group and host of the Built to Hold podcast. This episode draws on h...

In Episode 5 of Built to Hold, Sylvain Perrier sits down with Jeremy List to explore what AI is actually changing inside product organizations — moving past the hype to operator-level execution across discovery, roadmap prioritization, engineering velocity, QA, and release management, and why that matters for VMS founders focused on margins, durability, and long-term value creation.  Jeremy List i...

Episode 4 of Built to Hold with Sylvain Perrier features Nadia Hamilton, founder of one of our most recent acquisitions, Magnusmode.  A conversation about what happens when founders begin thinking beyond the next milestone and start asking what their business should look like five, ten, or even twenty years from now.  Nadia shares the story behind Magnusmode, which began with hand-drawn step-by-st...

In this special episode, the tables turn — Sylvain Perrier sits in the guest chair as producer Joe Albi takes over hosting duties. Together, they unpack the experiences that shaped Sylvain as a founder, operator, and now Group Leader at Vertus. From summers working in a pulp mill, to building Mercatus over 21 years, to joining the Constellation family — Sylvain shares the lessons that stick: the A...

In Episode 3 of Built to Hold, Sylvain Perrier sits down with Mark Fairhurst for a grounded discussion on what AI is changing for marketing teams, and what that means for owners of vertical market software businesses.  Mark Fairhurst is the founder of Undercurrents. AI , a strategic advisory practice that helps business and technology leaders see and act on the structural forces reshaping their ma...

In this episode of Built to Hold with Sylvain Perrier, Zach Plener of the Vertus Group joins the conversation to explore a moment many founders experience: when the business is strong, but the work starts to feel different. A thoughtful discussion on founder perspective, long-term ownership, and the quiet shift that often comes before any big decisions. Zach's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.co...

Built to Hold is a podcast about building businesses meant to last, and what long-term stewardship entails. This show is not about valuation, multiples, negotiations, or deal tactics.  It is about continuity and identity. Throughout this series, Vertus Group leader and host Sylvain Perrier unpacks the decisions, tradeoffs, and habits that make a business last.