Blog
E2E Deal Insights Blog offers insights into everything related to buying, selling, integrating, and separating a company.
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The 10 Biggest M&A Flops of the 21st Century (and What They Still Teach Us)
Not all mergers are made in heaven. We unpack 10 of the most talked about M&A flops of the 21st century—what they cost, why they looked smart at signing, how they unraveled, and the integration lessons leaders can actually use. Which failure mode do you see most in the wild—culture, tech, or “synergy math”?
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Carve‑Outs Done Right: Why Strategy Matters, What to Decide Early, and How to Keep Value Intact
Carve outs live or die on the “how,” not just the “why.” This deep dive explains the principles, early decisions, governance, and metrics that keep customers, talent, compliance—and value—intact from Day 1 to Day 2. What’s the one carve out choice you’ve seen that most changed the outcome?
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Beyond EBITDA: Why Capital and Liquidity Synergies Are the Smartest M&A Upside You’re Not Tracking
Capital and liquidity synergies are the most underappreciated drivers of M&A value—because you can’t deposit EBITDA, but you can bank cash. This piece explains what they are, how to quantify them, and how to build governance that actually captures the money. What’s the biggest capital or liquidity synergy you’ve realized in a deal, and how…
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Serial Acquirers: How SAP SE Buys (and Sells) Its Way into the Future
SAP SE has evolved from an ERP pioneer into a serial acquirer with a plan—adding process intelligence (Signavio), enterprise architecture (LeanIX), and in workflow adoption (WalkMe) to accelerate cloud transformations. Its deals skew cloud native, category leading, and integration friendly, with divestitures (like the Qualtrics sale) used to refocus the portfolio and free up capital.…
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Put Tomorrow in Charge Today: Why Your Future Functional Leaders Should Lead Integration Workstreams
Putting tomorrow’s leaders in charge of today’s integration workstreams accelerates decisions, reduces rework, and builds an operating model people will actually adopt. This piece lays out how to do it—even when the best leader sits in the target pre close—plus practical roles for veterans, governance guardrails, and a pre close playbook. Have you ever kept…
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When “Retail Meets Wall Street”: Capturing Synergies in a Bank–Investment Bank Merger (and How to Quantify Them)
Merging a retail bank with an investment bank can unlock cost, revenue, and capital synergies—if you engineer them with discipline. This article breaks down the most common synergy pools, shows how to calculate each (from FTP/NIM uplift to RWA efficiency and cross-sell), and offers a pragmatic PMI playbook to actually realize the value. What’s the…
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The 10 top M&A deal rainmakers of the 21st century
From Lazard’s Bruce Wasserstein to LionTree’s Aryeh Bourkoff and JPM’s Anu Aiyengar, here are 10 rainmakers who defined 21st century dealmaking—what they do, why they matter, and the mega deals that made their reputations. We break down the rainmaker skill stack and how the right person can change both price and counterparty on your next…
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Serial Acquirers 101 (and 401): Eli Lilly & Co.’s Playbook for Buying, Building, and (Sometimes) Letting Go
Eli Lilly & Co. has perfected the art of serial acquisitions—favoring focused, innovation heavy bolt ons over mega mergers to deepen leadership in metabolic disease, oncology, and immunology. The company uses biotech light integration, risk weighted deal structures, and its global CMC/regulatory engine to turn acquisitions into durable growth. If you were Lilly, would your…
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The Human Edge in Post‑Merger Integration: Why Field‑Tested Judgment Still Beats a Thousand Tokens
In post merger integration, generative AI is an accelerator, not an autopilot. It will make good teams great and bad habits faster. The organizations that capture full value will pair field tested human judgment with AI-augmented insight, putting accountability and empathy at the center. That’s not nostalgia; it’s operational realism. What do you think—where have…
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Counting the Wins: The Most Common Synergies in a Commercial Bank + Private Bank Merger—and How to Calculate Them
Merging a commercial bank with a private bank unlocks big value—if you know where to look and how to count it. This guide breaks down the most common cost, revenue, and capital/liquidity synergies, complete with formulas, examples, and a PMI playbook to actually realize them. Which synergy lever has been your biggest surprise (good or…
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10 Standout Vertical Mergers That Re‑shaped Global Retail & E‑commerce
Retail’s biggest edge isn’t more stores—it’s more stack. From Amazon–Kiva to Mercado Libre–Kangu, we unpack 10 vertical mergers that rewired speed, cost, and CX in global retail, plus the trends likely to drive the next wave. Which vertical capability would you acquire next: micro fulfillment, smart checkout, or returns orchestration—and why?
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Serial Acquirers: How Dell Technologies Uses M&A (and Divestitures) to Reinvent Itself
Dell Technologies transformed itself through serial acquisitions, highlighted by the $67 billion EMC deal, and later streamlined its portfolio with major divestitures like RSA, Boomi, and the VMware spin-off. In recent years, Dell has shifted toward targeted software acquisitions such as Cloudify and Moogsoft to strengthen multicloud and AI capabilities. Looking forward, Dell is likely to…
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