The Search Fund Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Waldemar Pilch spent two decades pricing derivatives at Morgan Stanley, Citi and Standard Chartered, seven of those years out of Singapore, before moving back to Poland to run his aunt's lighting business. He grew it from 50 to 100 million euros, sold it one month before COVID, then launched a search fund and bought Formeds, a Polish vitamins and supplements company, six mont...

Send us Fan Mail Jason Hew went from reviewing 1,000 startups a year at Woolworths' venture arm to searching for a business with SMEVentures and buying two instrument transformer manufacturers, one in Sydney and one in Christchurch, in a single transaction. It was only the second search fund acquisition New Zealand had seen. This episode covers his operator-fit framework for knowing when a bu...

Send us Fan Mail Graham Weihmiller's journey from Six Sigma black belt to acquiring Griswold Home Care during the Great Recession exemplifies resilience and strategic leadership. He shares his evolution through franchising, scaling Griswold from 100 to 250 locations, and later steering BNI—a global networking organization with 350,000+ members across 77 countries—through one of business histo...

Send us Fan Mail This episode charts the unique path of Adam Johnson, CEO of the critical UK infrastructure company, Water Direct. Adam recounts his journey from an entrepreneurial Texas upbringing to the fast-paced world of Silicon Valley tech sales at startups like WePay and Voxbone, experiences that forged a distinct perspective on adaptability and storytelling. He shares how a Texas blizzard b...

Send us Fan Mail George Berczely's journey from corporate executive to search fund entrepreneur is a testament to adaptability and personal growth. He shares his candid experiences navigating the search process, acquiring SEYSES, and the challenges of integrating into a new role and industry. This episode highlights the personal transformation that comes with embracing entrepreneurship and th...

Send us Fan Mail In this inspiring episode of "The Search Fund Podcast," we delve into Alexander Schuil's remarkable journey from an early interest in entrepreneurship to achieving a significant exit through a search fund. Alexander shares his beginnings, from diverse early work experiences to pivotal educational moments that shaped his path. He discusses the strategic acquisitions...

Send us Fan Mail

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, two-time search fund entrepreneur, 20-year search fund investor, Stanford GSB professor, and now author David Dodson joins us to discuss his new book The Manager's Handbook , which derives lessons from his life and experiences with search funds.  From his humble Colorado upbringing to unconventional early jobs to success as a CEO and investor, Dodson's j...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we hear from Sandy Paige, who is the self-proclaimed oldest person to launch a search fund. While I'm not sure that's true anymore, I think it might have been true when he launched a traditional search fund in 2017, focused exclusively on Northern California, at age 48. Most investors actually declined to back his search, possibly due to his unique profil...

Send us Fan Mail Jake Cervilla wanted to be a business owner since age 12. Now he is owner and CEO of Interland Design. In this episode, Jake remembers the business owners he looked up to throughout his career before making an acquisition only months before the COVID lockdown. Reflecting on entrepreneurial dreams, he says that being a business owner is harder than he expected, but that he wouldn&a...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Tiago recounts a conventional corporate journey turned unconventional. He and his partner acquired two businesses about a year apart, marking the first acquisitions in Portugal's budding search fund market. Now helming TECLENA and JUNCOR as co-CEO, Tiago shares the thinking that spurred him into the search fund space, and how his robust partnership has enable...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Guido recounts the journey he's been on to realise his entrepreneurship dream and eventually become CEO of Farmoderm. Guido shares the struggles he’s faced and doggedly overcome in raising a search fund in Italy where no one had even heard of one. Even as he juggled key family milestones, fielded several major roadblocks post-acquisition, and powered through,...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Manny recounts his journey from engineering to entrepreneurship, a path that landed him in the CEO seat of Contract Sweeping Services. Manny acquired two companies from the same owner, right at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. He discusses how he recognized and realized synergies across both companies and how he has driven value creation post-acquisition. We a...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Mia recounts her unique transition, from engineer by training to management consultant to self-made entrepreneur. From running an African art exhibit as an undergrad to simultaneously launching both her consultancy practice and a beauty startup, Mia's certainly no stranger to the entrepreneurial world. One year into her acquisition of Vital Care Industries, M...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, KT recounts his entrepreneurial journey, from management consultant to CEO of a leading multi-brand Thai company. Faced with challenges from long-established competitors along the way, and his commitments to a three-generation-old family business in Malaysia, KT discusses the importance of a strong, effective search partnership and his strategies for value creatio...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Sumit Aneja recounts his entrepreneurial journey from luxury shaving start-up founder at Yale to search fund entrepreneur in Canada. Sumit outlines his unique experience acquiring a tech company, raising capital amidst competing searchers, and dealing with the pressures of closing, all while juggling key family milestones, culminating in his migration to Montreal...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Martin recounts his entrepreneurial journey from management consultant to launching a search fund in Mexico. Martin highlights the importance of tapping into the search fund ecosystem, dealing with the pressures of closing, and strategies for value creation while discussing what it’s like to follow your passion, culminating in his decision to venture away from the...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Corbin Butcher recounts his unique journey from German Literature graduate to launching the first search fund in the Czech Republic with his wife, outlining his transformation from US marine to pioneering search fund entrepreneur. Corbin highlights the importance of operating experience and a good partner while discussing what it’s like to blaze a trail in a new c...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Daniel Muzquiz recounts the 20-year journey that has taken him from oil rigs in Texas to launching three successful search funds, outlining his transformation from mechanical engineer to serial search fund entrepreneur.  Daniel highlights the importance of a good partner and acquisition framework while discussing his three successful acquisitions, culminating in h...