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Smart Business Dealmakers:
The Middle-Market M&A Podcast

2020 (Episodes 1-87) | 2021 (Episodes 88-137)
2022 (Episodes 138-199) | 2023 (Episodes (200-257) | 2024 (Episodes (258-283)

Ep. 285: The Business of Athletics
With University of Michigan's Warde Manuel

Warde Manuel, University of Michigan’s Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics, oversees an athletic department that sponsors 29 varsity teams with more than 950 student-athletes and around 400 staff members. To run it, the former collegiate athlete relies on more than just his 30 years of experience in athletic departments. Warde also leans on his MBA. In this episode of the Smart Business Dealmakers Podcast, Warde talks about hiring top talent, maintaining culture, funding in the age of NIL, and how much running an athletic department is like running a business.

Ep. 284: Navigating The Skies of Innovation
With Matt Liotta, coounder of Volato

Dive into serial entrepreneur Matt Liotta’s experience navigating mergers, acquisitions and public offerings with multiple companies. Liotta, the co-founder of Volato, a fractional jet company he took public through a SPAC, chats with Tom Singh of Merrill Lynch about the strategic decisions behind scaling Volato, as well as the lesson’s he’s learned about structuring deals, adapting business models, and maintaining innovation in a competitive market.