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Grow By Buying
A MergeWorks Podcast

Grow By Buying

Investors and acquirers tell you what they actually look for when buying companies. Real deals. Real numbers. Real playbooks. Hosted by the Founding Partners of MergeWorks.

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New episodes every Wednesday.
EPISODE 001
The buyer's playbook, straight from the investors.
Hosted by the Founding Partners
of MergeWorks
The Show

The buyer's playbook, from the people who write the checks.

Every episode is one conversation with an investor or acquirer who actually buys companies. Private equity partners. Search funders. Holding companies. Family offices. Serial operators. We ask them the questions most business owners only figure out AFTER they've already sold: what did you actually look for, what did you pay, what killed the deals you walked away from, what would you do again. No thought-leadership fluff. No pitches. Just the buyer's playbook.

GROW

Scaling by buying

You already run a company and want to grow faster by acquiring adjacent businesses. Hear how investors target, capital-stack, and manage the first 90 days after close so you can copy their playbook.

BUY

Buying your first business

You want to own a company but aren't sure where to start. Hear how real acquirers source deals, structure financing, and avoid the LOI mistakes that burn first-time buyers.

EXIT

Preparing to sell

You're one to three years from a sale. Hear investors say the quiet part loud: what actually moves valuation, which add-backs get accepted, and how the Section 1202 timing moves work in 2026.

Episodes

New episodes every Wednesday.

Every episode ships as full audio on Spotify and Apple, full video on YouTube, and three short-form clips on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok.

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Drop your email below and we'll send you each new episode the day it drops. No newsletter, no drip sequence, just the episode.

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Who we interview.

We primarily interview investors and acquirers with a repeatable playbook, and business owners who bought, sold, or scaled with a concrete story worth telling. Not thought leadership. Not opinion. A deal, a number, a decision. If any of the below is true for you, apply.

  • You're an active investor or acquirer with a repeatable playbook (private equity, search fund, holding company, family office, or operator with 3+ closes)
  • You bought a business (any size) and can walk us through the sourcing, the deal structure, and the first year
  • You sold a business (any outcome) and can share the valuation, the buyer type, and what you'd do differently
  • You're actively rolling up a category or acquiring adjacencies to scale your own company
  • You have an M&A framework or tax strategy that most business owners hear about too late

You don't need to be a big name. You need to have done the work and be willing to share numbers.

Skip the bio. Just tell us the deal or the lesson.

Get alerts when new episodes drop.

New episodes every Wednesday. Get email alerts the day each one drops, or subscribe on your platform of choice.

The Hosts

The Founding Partners of MergeWorks.

Grow By Buying is hosted by the three Founding Partners of MergeWorks: Trisha Gulati, Dulyavit "Chien" Laothongdee, and Supaluck "Maple" Laothongdee. Together we run a 6-pillar Q of S valuation framework, an AI-powered deal sourcing engine, and a portfolio of operating companies we're actively scaling. Learn more at mergeworks.org.

Meet the Senior Operating Partner
Trisha Gulati, Senior Operating Partner at MergeWorks

Trisha Gulati

Senior Operating Partner, MergeWorks

Trisha is a technologist and strategist with a strong foundation in Computer Science and Statistics and 5+ years of experience in technology, data, and process automation. She specializes in designing automated systems, workflow optimization, and AI-driven business solutions that streamline operations and unlock growth.

  • 5+ years of experience in tech and automation
  • Background in Computer Science and Statistics with data-driven decision making
  • Specialized in process automation, scalable systems, and AI-driven workflows
Meet the Founding Partner
DL

Dulyavit "Chien" Laothongdee

Founding Partner, MergeWorks

Chien is a Founding Partner of MergeWorks, focused on portfolio operations, international expansion, and the firm's operating companies.

  • Founding Partner, MergeWorks
  • Portfolio operations and international expansion
  • Leads the firm's operating companies and M&A execution
Meet the Founding Partner
SL

Supaluck "Maple" Laothongdee

Founding Partner, MergeWorks

Maple is a Founding Partner of MergeWorks, focused on finance, capital structuring, and the firm's acquisitions and portfolio companies.

  • Founding Partner, MergeWorks
  • Finance and capital structuring
  • Acquisitions and portfolio