Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition

Many great entrepreneurs come at innovation through acquiring a company instead of founding one. Join the Blank Center with fellow Babson students and alumni for an evening discussion about Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition where we will explore Search Funds -- the deal sourcing and financing process as well as general advice on how to evaluate and find acquisition opportunities. Our experts will approach this topic from the searcher, business broker, and experienced entrepreneur perspectives. If you have considered entrepreneurship, and haven’t found your Next Big Idea, or if you are curious about alternatives to starting a business from scratch, this event is for you. There will be plenty of opportunities for networking and building connections.

The session is moderated by Babson professor and former VC Angelo Santinell. An expert in this space and seasoned practitioner, Angelo teaches the “Buying a Small Business” Course and Entrepreneurial Finance for Babson MBAs. He is also the Faculty Director for the Entrepreneurs Bootcamp program at Babson Executive Education.

Speakers include Chris Fuller, Principal, Search Fund Accelerator; Thomas Malloy, Managing Director, Stage Harbor Group, LLC; Amanda McCarthy '09, Managing Director, Pearson Coast Capital; and Patrick McCarthy '09 MS'09, Operating Principal, Pearson Coast Capital.

Chris Fuller
Chris Fuller joined Search Fund Accelerator as a Principal in 2017. Prior to joining SFA, Chris was a Principal at Checketts Partners Investment Fund, a New York City-based growth equity firm that focused on investing in sports, media and entertainment companies. Previously, Chris worked at Credit Suisse in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group with a focus on industrial, aerospace / defense and technology transactions.

Chris holds a MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA, cum laude, from Harvard University where I rowed on the varsity crew team.

Thomas Malloy '04
Thomas Malloy is Managing Director at Stage Harbor Group, LLC established in 2008 and is also Founder of the Equire.co marketplace platform. Thomas has over 15 years of experience in investment management and financial services, holding positions including Director at UBS Investment Bank and Vice President at MKP Capital Management. Thomas is also the Program Manager for the “Entrepreneurship through Acquisition” Search Fund course at Harvard Business School. He is passionate about helping motivated individuals partake in entrepreneurship through the acquisition of smaller firms. Thomas resides in New York City, He received his MBA from IE Business School in Madrid and B.S. degree in Finance & Entrepreneurship from Babson College.

Amanda McCarthy '09
As Managing Director for Pearson Coast Capital, Amanda is responsible for finding, negotiating, and closing an acquisition on behalf of the partnership in addition to leading the PCC team of analysts. In conjunction with Pearson Coast Capital’s investment, she will join the acquired company’s current management team to ensure a smooth transition and continued success.

Prior to Pearson Coast Capital and while pursuing a full-time MBA at IESE Business School, Amanda consulted local startups in Spain and 15+ other countries across four continents alongside launching her own e-commerce marketplace for independent artisans. While her career began in technology as a Software Engineer at Fidelity Investments, she later joined a boutique investment management firm in downtown Boston where she had the opportunity to wear several hats within operations, technology, and research. Before deciding to pursue a full-time MBA, she returned to Fidelity in a product marketing role as part of the web data governance team, being the liaison between the product and technology teams responsible for the mutual fund customer experience on Fidelity.com. Outside of work, she enjoys cooking, road cycling, travel, and spending time with her husband, Pat, and their 5-year-old yorkie, Bruin.

Amanda holds a Bilingual MBA from IESE Business School as well as a BA in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Babson College.

Patrick McCarthy '09 MS'09
As Operating Principal for Pearson Coast Capital, Patrick is responsible for finding, negotiating, and closing an acquisition on behalf of the partnership. In conjunction with Pearson Coast Capital’s investment, he will join the acquired company’s current management team and be responsible for overseeing daily operations.

Prior to founding Pearson Coast Capital, Patrick assisted with the inorganic growth strategy of a portfolio company by sourcing and evaluating opportunities as an investor for Summit Partners, a Boston-based growth equity firm. Also while at Summit, he was responsible for all aspects of the general partner funds and assisted with the reporting to the limited partners. Beginning his career at PwC, Patrick worked as a healthcare tax consultant and as an associate for alternative investment tax compliance. Outside of work, he enjoys coaching youth hockey among other hobbies.

Patrick holds an MBA from IESE Business School as well as a Masters in Professional Accounting and a BA in Business Administration from Babson College. While at Babson, he was a member of the school’s DIII varsity hockey team and spent his weekends working as a personal assistant for the Cerebral Palsy of Massachusetts. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).