The Found & Funded Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Season three episode three is here! This time, Carl is joined by Ibrahim Rahim, Managing Partner and co-founder of Moonbase Capital, a global investment firm backing search fund entrepreneurs to acquire and grow established businesses. Ibrahim shares his journey from growing up in Egypt and working in the family business, through to consulting at McKinsey, and ultimately founding...

Send us Fan Mail In episode three, Ibrahim Rahim, Managing Partner at Moonbase Capital, shares a journey that moves well beyond theory.  From scaling a family business in Egypt, to advising at McKinsey, and ultimately backing search fund entrepreneurs globally - this is an episode grounded in reality, unpacking what it truly takes to grow and transform a business, including the hard lessons, the n...

Send us Fan Mail Season three episode two, 'How two HBS graduates built a healthcare holdco' with Claire Nesler and Yoni Wehbe is now live.  In this episode, the Co-Founders of Kinetico Health sit down with Carl Lundberg to unpack: • Why they chose the roll-up model. • How they convinced sellers to take a chance on them. • The systems needed to manage integrations. • How they closed two...

Send us Fan Mail "You're going to have to be ready to do 20, 30, 40 deals. You’re going to have to be ready to do 20, 30, 40 integrations."  From business school graduates with entrepreneurial ambitions to operators running simultaneous acquisitions, our upcoming episode with the co-founders of Kinetico Health, Claire and Yoni, explores what it really takes to succeed in the search...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to a brand new season of The Found & Funded Podcast. In this first episode of season 3, we welcome Linh Van Deibel, Director of Infrastructure Design Solutions, a B2B telecom services provider.  From her roots in Vietnam to the high-stakes worlds of JP Morgan and private equity, Linh eventually moved into business operations, where she led five major acquisitions...

Send us Fan Mail “Search is a binary process — you either make it, or you don’t." In our upcoming episode with Linh Van Deibel of Acacia Partners Ltd , we dive into the raw, unfiltered reality of Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition: - No salary. - No safety net. - A year (or more) of uncertainty. - Deals falling apart — even at the 11th hour. And still… making the decision to keep going. Fro...

Send us Fan Mail From finance to founder; trading career certainty for autonomy and long-term impact. In our season finale, Carl Lundberg is joined by Darnell Irozuru, CEO of Birch Faraday Capital and 2024 ETA Award winner, to unpack his ETA journey. Darnell’s instinct for entrepreneurship has been central to this story, starting with his own tutoring business straight out of university. Initially...

Send us Fan Mail "I would not want to put my worst enemy through what I went through in that year, in terms of the highs and lows of getting that deal over the line." Faced with setbacks and challenges, Darnell Irozuru's first acquisition was anything but smooth. As someone who likes to hit the ground running, Darnell found himself doubting his decision to trade a sturdy 9-5 for ent...

Send us Fan Mail In our penultimate episode of the season, Carl Lundberg is joined by Toby Henry, CEO of Accelerator Solutions, to unpack the personal and professional driving force behind his ETA journey. After starting out in financial services and spending seven years in management consulting, Toby realised he wanted more from his career. Inspired by his entrepreneur parents, Toby shares what d...

Send us Fan Mail A sneak preview of what's to come in this week's episode. After starting out in financial services and spending seven years in management consulting, Toby realised he wanted more from his career. Inspired by his entrepreneur parents, Toby shares what drew him to the search fund model, how he's balancing legacy and leadership, and why flexibility, autonomy, and purpo...

Send us Fan Mail Sergey Sushentsev, Co-Founder of Astra Holdings, shares how a failed succession plan sparked his journey into ETA. He unpacks his deal sourcing tactics, Astra’s 3-step value creation playbook - professionalise, incentivise, digitise - and why the HoldCo model is a game-changer for long-term growth. LinkedIn Instagram Website

Send us Fan Mail New episode coming soon!  Hear from Sergey Sushentsev, Co-Founder of Astra Holdings, as he shares the personal story behind his passion for succession planning, his approach to sourcing deals, and how Astra creates value through its three-part playbook: professionalise, incentivise, and digitise. Make sure you're subscribed for when episode four drops on 13 June. LinkedIn Ins...

Send us Fan Mail Episode three has landed.  Traditional searcher, Allison Stuckless, sits down with Carl Lundberg to share her journey from investment banker at JP Morgan, to stand-up comedian in the UK and then into the world of search.  Plus Allison puts Carl in the hot-seat with some of her questions on the economic trajectory of the UK, managing seller expectations as a searcher, and what it t...

Send us Fan Mail Our next guest to join Carl in the hot seat is traditional searcher, Allison Stuckless, Founder and Managing Partner of Vericor Capital.  Allison shares her journey from investment banker at JP Morgan, to stand-up comedian in the UK and then into the world of search.  Stay tuned for the full episode, coming on 30 May.  LinkedIn Instagram Website

Send us Fan Mail 'Leave your job, become a self-funded searcher and start building relationships’ - Gareth Hawkins.  In our brand new episode featuring Gareth Hawkins, CEO of BizCrunch, Carl and Gareth explore how data, technology, and a relationship-first approach are reshaping how searchers find and close deals.  Whether you're an aspiring searcher, investor, or operator, this episode...

Send us Fan Mail Episode two coming soon... In this brand new episode, Carl sits down with Gareth Hawkins, to dive into how deal sourcing is evolving and why traditional methods may get left behind. From data-driven strategies to the future of search, this is a must-listen for anyone in the world of acquisitions, private equity, or search funds.  Be sure to tune in on Friday 16 May. LinkedIn Insta...

Send us Fan Mail Episode one of this brand new season kicks off with Olivier Stapylton-Smith, Director of Serv-Ice Refrigeration.  Listen along as Carl and Olivier deep dive into self-funded search, initial deal pipeline, the importance of having a good support system, and balancing being an entrepreneur with having a family.  LinkedIn Instagram Website

Send us Fan Mail An official first look at what's to come in episode one of season two... 👀 'A self-funded acquisition with no external equity' with Olivier Stapylton-Smith, Director of Serv-Ice Refrigeration, will be dropping on 2 May 2025. In the season two premiere, we learn more about Olivier’s self-funded search journey and explore why he chose the acquisition path after launc...

Send us Fan Mail "Ask for money, get advice. Ask for advice, get money." - Alex Glasner on seeking investment.  Bringing you a never seen before bonus clip from episode five 'The self-funded path to success - Harvard Business School to CEO'.  In this extended cut, Alex shares how he found himself with an over subscribed cap table and his best advice for those who are looking to...

Send us Fan Mail The final episode of the season is here!  Deal making, industry expertise and sourcing the right company - these are all skills this week's guest looks for as an investor in the ETA space.  Joyce Mackenzie Liu, CFO and CEO of Pegafund, joins Carl behind the mic for episode six to explore how venture capital and private equity intersects with the world of entrepreneurship thro...

Send us Fan Mail Joyce Mackenzie Liu is in the hot seat this week, as she and Carl explore how venture capital and private equity intersects with the world of entrepreneurship through acquisition.  Comparing the differences and similarities to the search fund model, what Joyce looks for as an investor when considering backing an entrepreneur, and leveraging cashflow to accelerate growth - this is...

Send us Fan Mail Alex Glasner acquired Workpays with an over subscribed cap table and a solid infrastructure in place.  From Harvard Business School to CEO; Carl sits down with the self-funded searcher, to reveal why he undertook a search, how he approached investors and picked his cap table, what he was looking for in a business and the most valuable advice he has received along the way.  Find ou...

Send us Fan Mail Here's a preview of what's to come.  Featuring self-funded searcher, Alex Glasner, episode five explores Alex's passion for entrepreneurialism and his path to success.  From working for Parliament, to becoming Managing Director of his first search acquisition, Workpays, and his strategic approach to the self-funded search process - you won't want to miss this o...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, featuring alongside Carl, is renowned search fund mogul, Bramley Johnson.  This episode is part two of our mini series on fundraising and investment and Carl asks the questions we've all been curious about; What are your best tips for getting a deal closed? Can you share any advice for aspiring searchers? What are the key considerations for searchers looking...

Send us Fan Mail Get ready for episode four... 🍿 Featuring search funds legend, Bramley Johnson, this episode is all about #investment and #fundraising.  Carl asks the questions we've all been curious about; What are your best tips for getting a deal closed? Can you share any advice for aspiring searchers? What are the key considerations for searchers looking for investment? Be sure to tune...