Carlo Schmid

Lineage: The ETA Podcast

Business EN ↓ 6 episodes

The ETA Podcast is your go-to resource for Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition in Europe. Hosted by the team at Lineage Partners, each episode features candid conversations with searchers, operators, and investors navigating the search fund and EtA landscape. From deal sourcing to the 100-day plan, from hiring your first employee to opening a subsidiary in a new country to compliance management, we cover what it really takes to find, acquire, and grow a great business.

Author

Carlo Schmid

Episodes

Lineage: Ep. 6 - Sebastian Schuon (Schub) - Making AI Work Inside Legacy Businesses 23.06.2026 37:53

Making AI and Software Work Inside Legacy Businesses | Sebastian Schuon on Lineage Most ETA operators inherit a business that runs on outdated software, manual processes, and a team that has never worked any other way. The instinct is to digitise fast. The reality is that most software projects fail not because the technology is wrong, but because the people part is mishandled. Sebastian Schuon is...

Lineage: Ep. 5 - Benny Hahn (Zep) - Building the Go-to-Market From Scratch 03.06.2026 46:38

Most ETA operators eventually face the same situation: the business they acquire has a solid product and paying customers, but no real commercial engine behind it. No marketing, no structured sales, no outbound, no content. Benny Hahn is answering that situation inside ZEP, a 20-year-old German time tracking and project management software company he acquired through a traditional search fund in 2...

Lineage: Ep. 4 - Jonathan Weiss (Bego) - Building a Subsidiary to Enter a New Market 19.05.2026 40:32

Most operators eventually face the same question: the business works here, but can it work somewhere else? A new geography, a new customer segment, a new channel. Jonathan Weiss is answering that question inside BEGO, a German dental manufacturer founded in 1890 with operations in over 100 countries. In this episode, Jonathan shares how he transformed and built BEGO USA as a subsidiary into a grow...

Lineage: Ep. 3 - Jochen Engert (Flix) - M&A & Post-Merger Integration 05.05.2026 50:57

Most first-time CEOs underestimate how much trust, intuition, and emotional intelligence shape successful acquisitions and what it takes to successfully integrate an outside business into your own. Jochen Engert co-founded FlixBus in Munich in 2013. Within two years, he and his co-founders merged with their fiercest rival, MeinFernbus, creating a dominant national network almost overnight. In 2016...

Lineage: Ep. 2 - Julian Beckh (Behälter KG) - The First 100 Days 22.04.2026 35:38

Navigating the First 100 Days After Business Acquisition The first 100 days after acquiring a business will define the next five years of running it. In this episode, Julian Beckh, self-funded searcher and nine-year operator of Behälter KG Bremen, shares what actually works when you walk into a business you didn't build, with a team that didn't choose you. From his mental shift out of deal-mode on...

Lineage: Ep. 1 - Thomas Bühler (Valmaris) - Search Fund Pitfalls 07.04.2026 39:55

Search Fund Pitfalls – What First-Time CEOs Should Look Out For Are you looking to acquire a business, start a search fund, or step into the CEO role for the first time? In this episode, Thomas Bühler, one of the most experienced search fund and ETA investors, shares his perspective on the realities of search funds and the critical first year after an acquisition. We discuss why many searchers nev...