Episode 9: ‘Stop blaming investors!’ – Unicorn CEO bites back
Matthew Scullion is not your typical CEO.He’s the co-founder of Manchester-based Matillion, which joined the ranks of UK unicorns in 2021 when a Series E fundraise took its valuation to $1.5bn.
He tells The Dealmaker Uncut podcast how he doesn’t obsess about being a unicorn and says companies should stop blaming investors if they can’t raise funds.
Scullion also talks about:
The game-changing pivot to making their own software
The rise of artificial intelligence
Why US founders don’t talk about exit – unlike their UK counterparts
His fear about leaving anything on the table
After the break, Jonathan answers listener questions.
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Episode 8: Meet the self-service entrepreneur
Dean Ward has created a global business on the back of the surge in demand for touch screen kiosks.
Ward is the co-founder of Liverpool-based Evoke Creative, which can count McDonald’s, JD Sports and Google among its clients.
The game-changing moment for Evoke came in 2015 when it secured a multi-million order from McDonalds that led to 5,000 kiosks – despite only having 15 staff!
What made their story even more incredible was the company’s growth was bootstrapped until 2018 when it received the first of two investments from BGF.
In the podcast, Ward talks about choosing the right investor and the highs and lows of scaling a global business, which included opening a base in the US.
In the second half of the show, Jonathan answers listener questions.
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Episode 7: Meet the sustainable dealmaker
Beth Houghton started her working life travelling the world as a SAP consultant but gave it up for the world of deals.
Today’s she heads up Palatine Private Equity’s Impact Investing Fund and is one of the leading names in all things ESG.
She’s proved that doing the right thing for the environment doesn’t have to bad for business.
One of her most noticeable successes was Anthesis, a sustainability consultancy which Carlyle Group bought for a 6x return on their original investment.
In the week of International Women’s Day, Beth also opens up about what it’s like to be trailblazing female dealmaker.
In the second half of the show, Jonathan answers listener questions.
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Episode 6: Return of the Lawman: Meet the man shaking up the legal sector
Andrew Leaitherland is the founder and CEO of tech-enabled law firm arch.law but he’s best known from his time as the CEO of DWF.
Under his leadership, DWF Group grew from 450 people to over 4,300 across 33 offices world-wide and turnover from under £30m to more than £330m.
When he oversaw the 2019 IPO, DWF become the UK’s largest listed law firm – but within a year he’d left in a boardroom shake-up at the start of Covid.
He returned to launch arch.law in 2021 and has doubled revenue every year since and grown staff numbers to 135 in three countries.
In a far-reaching interview Leaitherland tells The Dealmaker Uncut Podcast about his 26 career acquisitions; his decision to go for a listing on the main market; his shock exit from DWF; his return – and why he couldn’t be happier.
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Episode 5: Honey and money: Meet the beekeeper growing a unicorn
Graham Donoghue is the CEO of the holiday giant you probably haven’t heard of.
Forge Holiday Group is on the cusp of achieving unicorn status but gets a fraction of the attention of its rivals Airbnb and Booking.com.
Today the company manages 33,000 properties; handles 700,000 annual bookings; has 1,800 staff; and transacts more than £500m a year.
Donoghue is a part-time beekeeper and became CEO of Sykes Cottages in 2016 – a year after the company raised £54m from Living Bridge.
In 2019 Vitruvian Partners took a majority stake in the business for a reputed £400m and Forge Holiday Group’s valuation means it’s close to becoming a unicorn.
Donoghue is a self-confessed ‘data junkie’ and describes Forge Holiday Group as a technology business masquerading as a holiday company.
In a far-reaching interview, Donoghue talks about his near obsession with AI; his early career at MoneySuperMarket.com; and why he doesn’t share the media’s obsession with becoming a unicorn.
The Dealmaker Uncut podcast gets inside the heart of the deal.
In every episode, award-winning dealmaker Jonathan Boyers, Head of Alvarez & Marsal Corporate Finance, and journalist Chris Maguire, Executive Editor of BusinessCloud, are joined by a special guest from the world of business.
The podcast discusses everything from growth; investment; M&A; surviving a crisis; becoming a unicorn; international markets; leadership; life after exit; and a lot more beside.
In the second half of the show, Jonathan leans on his 30+ years of working in corporate finance to answer your questions.
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