Market & Deals
The weekly read on M&A activity in media and commerce: what the deals are, the strategy behind them, and what it means for buyers and sellers.
The deals making headlines. The decisions behind them.
A podcast on M&A in media and commerce.
With Ayelet Shipley and Christian Hassold
The show
What makes a deal make sense, and what could make it unravel.
Most dealmaking happens behind closed doors. Ayelet and Christian draw on their experience executing deals and operating businesses to examine what the press release can’t tell you: the strategic trade-offs, competing incentives, and decisions that determine whether a deal works.
Three episode formats
Dealmaker Interviews
Founders, operators, and acquirers talking through the decisions behind building, buying, and selling businesses, including life post close.
M&A Strategy
Ayelet and Christian tackle the questions they encounter in their own deals, from what makes a business valuable to what it takes to make a deal work.
Selected episodes
The conversations behind the deals.
The #1 Problem I See Killing M&A Deals in 2026
Watch on YouTube ↗
“Keep Entrepreneurs Entrepreneurial”: Luke Smith on Croud’s M&A Playbook
Watch on YouTube ↗
Inside Carrie Kerpen’s Exit: Earnouts, Post Close Reality & Lessons Learned
Watch on YouTube ↗
Proof Beats Potential: Inside Power Digital's Acquisition of pirawna Global Amazon Agency
Watch on YouTube ↗
Executing M&A with No Cash Up Front ft. Erik Huberman
Watch on YouTube ↗
Inside the Billion Dollar Salsify Deal: Where Was SAP?
Watch on YouTube ↗
“They Sold the Engine and Kept the Garage” Chris Erwin on the Accenture/Whalar Deal
Watch on YouTube ↗Explore selected episodes on YouTube.
Selected In/Organic Shorts
Christian Hassold
Stuck at $3M to $5M ARR
Ayelet Shipley
Microsoft/Yahoo: the numbers don’t define the outcome
Christian Hassold
Two ways to cheat gravity
The hosts
Two dealmakers. Two ways to read a deal.
Ayelet Shipley
Head of Corporate Development, Liquidity Studio
The Deal ArchitectConnects strategy, deal structure and human behavior: why a deal makes sense, where interests diverge, and what could make it unravel.
Christian Hassold
Managing Director, PALAZZO
The OperatorBrings the operator’s view: what they’re really acquiring, how it changes the business, and what it takes to deliver the promised value.
Listeners
The decision-makers who listen.
Founders across media and commerce
Leading agencies, ad tech, commerce and SaaS businesses with $5M–$100M in revenue, preparing for or considering an exit.
Investors and Dealmakers
Investment bankers, acquirers, investors and corporate development professionals
Primary audience in the U.S. and U.K.
Audience
YouTube as the primary platform.
56,191
YouTube views in the last 90 days.
All sources, including paid promotion.
- 3,118subscribers
- +748net subscribers added
in the last 90 days - 1,776watch hours
in the last 90 days
Oct 2025 to Oct 2026
- 288,751YouTube views, all sources, including paid promotion
- 6,303YouTube watch hours
- 2,592net YouTube subscribers added
- 13,095podcast LinkedIn page impressions, organic and sponsored
Partnership
Partnerships.
Collaboration that creates connection, not just placements.
For companies that want to reach the founders, acquirers and the advisors around a deal.
Podcast sponsorship
- 01
Mid-episode ad read
Your message, placed in the middle of the episode.
- 02
Opening and closing mentions
Your name at the beginning and end of the episode.
- 03
Founder interview
A conversation with your founder or executive on the show.
- 04
Podcast posts
Posts from the podcast during the engagement.
Scope, timing and price are agreed with each partner.
Partnership example
One quarter with Sifted.
Existing brand partnership.
- Mid-episode ad read
- Mentions at the beginning and end of the episode
- One founder interview across the quarter
- Multiple podcast posts across the engagement
Partner fit
Who should be in front of this audience.
Companies that want visibility and connection across our audience of dealmakers. That audience runs, advises and funds companies across media and commerce: agencies, ad tech, commerce and SaaS.
- Law firms
- Accounting, tax and diligence firms
- Private equity firms, holdcos and lenders
- Wealth and exit planning firms
- Marketing and advertising technology
- Business software and services
- Banking, payments and insurance
- Executive search and recruiting
Categories suggested by the hosts, based on the listener profile above.
Beyond the podcast
Leading the conversation of buying, building and selling.
Off the show, Ayelet and Christian speak on industry stages and guest on other podcasts.
Ayelet also hosts the Women in M&A dinners, with Liquidity Studio and Speed M&A.
Contact
Let’s talk.
October 2026