Podcast · Business

The Found & Funded Podcast

by Carl Lundberg · English · Business

Found & Funded, the Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition podcast for searchers by search experts, where we explore the route to business ownership without having that million dollar idea.

New episodes: Every two weeks
Typical length: 42 min
Latest: 31 Aug 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

31 Aug 2026 · 1 hr

Episode 6: Backing the next generation of CEOs: Inside Orca Equity Partners

Send us Fan Mail In the Season 3 finale of the Found & Funded Podcast, Carl Lundberg is joined by Jo Cockburn and Sandy Farmer, co-founding partners of Orca Equity Partners. Orca is an entrepreneurial investment firm backing the next generation of CEO talent to acquire and grow established SMEs across the UK and Europe. Its approach spans traditional search funds, self-funded acquisitions, management buy-ins and roll-up strategies – all centred on bringing together high-quality entreprene...

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

S3 · E6 · 27 Aug 2026 · 1 min
Trailer: Episode 6 'Backing the next generation of CEOs: Inside Orca Equity Partners'
Send us Fan Mail What does the future of entrepreneurship through acquisition look like? For the Season 3 finale of Found & Funded, Carl Lundberg sits down with Jo Cockburn and Sandy Farmer, Co-Founding partners at Orca Equity Partners, to explore the opportunities shaping the next generation of business ownership. From the rise of search capital, to the qualities that separate good acquisition entrepreneurs from exceptional ones, this episode offers practical insights from two investors ...
S3 · E5 · 14 Aug 2026 · 48 min
Episode 5: Lessons from a leading search fund investor with Jan Simon
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Found & Funded Podcast, we’re joined by Jan Simon, an investor, academic, and all-round leading voice in the global search fund industry. To say Jan has a diverse background is something of an understatement. From time in elite military units to senior roles at global investment banks, and from trading emerging markets to shaping the next generation of entrepreneurs in the classroom, his career spans multiple disciplines, industries, and continents...
S3 · E5 · 12 Aug 2026 · 1 min
Trailer: Episode 5 'Lessons from a leading Search Funds Investor, Jan Simon'
Send us Fan Mail Jan Simon has spent his career leading, investing, teaching, and helping entrepreneurs succeed. In this episode of Found & Funded, he shares his perspective on: - What investors look for in search fund entrepreneurs - The biggest mistakes searchers make - Untapped opportunities in today's market - The realities of becoming a CEO for the first time If you're interested in search funds or entrepreneurship through acquisition, you won't want to miss this one. LinkedIn ...
S3 · E4 · 22 Jul 2026 · 56 min
Episode 4: Why I bought a healthcare marketing agency: Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition with Ben Marcilhacy
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Found & Funded Podcast, host Carl Lundberg is joined by Ben Marcilhacy, CEO of HMDG. Born and raised in France, Ben’s career has taken him from Google to Harvard’s MBA programme, tech startups, and now, entrepreneurship through acquisition. After initially looking at a buy-and-build strategy in the physiotherapy space, Ben shifted away from a roll-up model and towards acquiring a single business. That journey led him to HMDG, now one of the UK...
S3 · E4 · 21 Jul 2026 · 1 min
Trailer: Episode 4 'Why I bought a healthcare marketing agency: ETA with Ben Marchilhacy'
Send us Fan Mail What does it take to leave a career at Google, earn an MBA from Harvard, and acquire one of the UK’s largest healthcare marketing agencies? In our latest episode, Carl Lundberg sits down with Ben Marcilhacy, CEO of HMDG, to discuss his journey into entrepreneurship through acquisition and the lessons learned along the way. From abandoning a buy-and-build strategy to structuring a successful acquisition, Ben shares candid insights on: ✅ Making the leap into business ownership....
S3 · E3 · 2 Jul 2026 · 45 min
Episode 3: What investors really look for, with Ibrahim Rahim
Send us Fan Mail Season three episode three is here! This time, Carl is joined by Ibrahim Rahim, Managing Partner and co-founder of Moonbase Capital, a global investment firm backing search fund entrepreneurs to acquire and grow established businesses. Ibrahim shares his journey from growing up in Egypt and working in the family business, through to consulting at McKinsey, and ultimately founding Moonbase, after discovering the search funds model at Stanford. He brings an investors perspectiv...
S3 · E3 · 1 Jul 2026 · 1 min
Trailer: Episode 3 'What investors really look for with Ibrahim Rahim'
Send us Fan Mail In episode three, Ibrahim Rahim, Managing Partner at Moonbase Capital, shares a journey that moves well beyond theory. From scaling a family business in Egypt, to advising at McKinsey, and ultimately backing search fund entrepreneurs globally - this is an episode grounded in reality, unpacking what it truly takes to grow and transform a business, including the hard lessons, the near misses, and the discipline required to build lasting value. If you are interested in acq...
S3 · E2 · 22 May 2026 · 43 min
Episode 2: How two HBS graduates built a healthcare holdco
Send us Fan Mail Season three episode two, 'How two HBS graduates built a healthcare holdco' with Claire Nesler and Yoni Wehbe is now live. In this episode, the Co-Founders of Kinetico Health sit down with Carl Lundberg to unpack: • Why they chose the roll-up model. • How they convinced sellers to take a chance on them. • The systems needed to manage integrations. • How they closed two acquisitions in a single day. • The long-term vision to build a 40-clinic platform. This is one of our...
S3 · E2 · 21 May 2026 · 1 min
Trailer: Episode 2 'How two HBS graduates built a healthcare holdco'
Send us Fan Mail "You're going to have to be ready to do 20, 30, 40 deals. You’re going to have to be ready to do 20, 30, 40 integrations." From business school graduates with entrepreneurial ambitions to operators running simultaneous acquisitions, our upcoming episode with the co-founders of Kinetico Health, Claire and Yoni, explores what it really takes to succeed in the search space — from convincing sellers and managing integrations to closing two deals in a single day. Tune ...
S3 · E1 · 23 Apr 2026 · 47 min
Season 3 Episode 1: From JP Morgan to business owner with Linh Van Deibel
Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to a brand new season of The Found & Funded Podcast. In this first episode of season 3, we welcome Linh Van Deibel, Director of Infrastructure Design Solutions, a B2B telecom services provider. From her roots in Vietnam to the high-stakes worlds of JP Morgan and private equity, Linh eventually moved into business operations, where she led five major acquisitions for a fintech scale-up - taking them from 50 to 1,500 employees. Now, as the co-founder of A...
S3 · E1 · 21 Apr 2026 · 1 min
Trailer: Episode 1 'From JP Morgan to business owner with Linh Van Deibel'
Send us Fan Mail “Search is a binary process — you either make it, or you don’t." In our upcoming episode with Linh Van Deibel of Acacia Partners Ltd, we dive into the raw, unfiltered reality of Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition: - No salary. - No safety net. - A year (or more) of uncertainty. - Deals falling apart — even at the 11th hour. And still… making the decision to keep going. From discovering ETA as a career path, to navigating bias and testing resilience, this is a story about be...
S2 · E6 · 25 Jul 2025 · 48 min
Episode 6 'Self-funded, self-doubt and self-belief: Darnell Irozuru's acquisition story'
Send us Fan Mail From finance to founder; trading career certainty for autonomy and long-term impact. In our season finale, Carl Lundberg is joined by Darnell Irozuru, CEO of Birch Faraday Capital and 2024 ETA Award winner, to unpack his ETA journey. Darnell’s instinct for entrepreneurship has been central to this story, starting with his own tutoring business straight out of university. Initially chasing FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early), he’s now focused on building a long-term hol...
S2 · E6 · 23 Jul 2025 · 1 min
Trailer: Episode 6 'Self-funded, self-doubt and self-belief: Darnell Irozuru's acquisition story’
Send us Fan Mail "I would not want to put my worst enemy through what I went through in that year, in terms of the highs and lows of getting that deal over the line." Faced with setbacks and challenges, Darnell Irozuru's first acquisition was anything but smooth. As someone who likes to hit the ground running, Darnell found himself doubting his decision to trade a sturdy 9-5 for entrepreneurship. Find out what drove Darnell to leave a stable finance career in pursuit of ownership and im...
S2 · E5 · 4 Jul 2025 · 45 min
Episode 5: Why I bought a white-collar business: Toby Henry's leap into ETA
Send us Fan Mail In our penultimate episode of the season, Carl Lundberg is joined by Toby Henry, CEO of Accelerator Solutions, to unpack the personal and professional driving force behind his ETA journey. After starting out in financial services and spending seven years in management consulting, Toby realised he wanted more from his career. Inspired by his entrepreneur parents, Toby shares what drew him to the search fund model, how he's balancing legacy and leadership, and why flexibility...
S2 · E5 · 3 Jul 2025 · 1 min
Trailer: Episode 5 'Why I bought a white-collar business: Toby Henry's leap into ETA'
Send us Fan Mail A sneak preview of what's to come in this week's episode. After starting out in financial services and spending seven years in management consulting, Toby realised he wanted more from his career. Inspired by his entrepreneur parents, Toby shares what drew him to the search fund model, how he's balancing legacy and leadership, and why flexibility, autonomy, and purpose continue to shape every decision he makes. LinkedIn Instagram Website
13 Jun 2025 · 53 min
Episode 4: Building a Holdco - The Value Creation Playbook
Send us Fan Mail Sergey Sushentsev, Co-Founder of Astra Holdings, shares how a failed succession plan sparked his journey into ETA. He unpacks his deal sourcing tactics, Astra’s 3-step value creation playbook - professionalise, incentivise, digitise - and why the HoldCo model is a game-changer for long-term growth. LinkedIn Instagram Website
S2 · E4 · 10 Jun 2025 · 1 min
Trailer: Episode 4 'Building a Holdco: The value creation playbook'
Send us Fan Mail New episode coming soon! Hear from Sergey Sushentsev, Co-Founder of Astra Holdings, as he shares the personal story behind his passion for succession planning, his approach to sourcing deals, and how Astra creates value through its three-part playbook: professionalise, incentivise, and digitise. Make sure you're subscribed for when episode four drops on 13 June. LinkedIn Instagram Website
S2 · E3 · 30 May 2025 · 42 min
Episode 3: Switching sides: Investor to search fund operator
Send us Fan Mail Episode three has landed. Traditional searcher, Allison Stuckless, sits down with Carl Lundberg to share her journey from investment banker at JP Morgan, to stand-up comedian in the UK and then into the world of search. Plus Allison puts Carl in the hot-seat with some of her questions on the economic trajectory of the UK, managing seller expectations as a searcher, and what it takes to get a deal over the line. LinkedIn Instagram Website
S2 · E3 · 28 May 2025 · 1 min
Trailer: Episode 3 'Switching sides - Investor to search fund operator’
Send us Fan Mail Our next guest to join Carl in the hot seat is traditional searcher, Allison Stuckless, Founder and Managing Partner of Vericor Capital. Allison shares her journey from investment banker at JP Morgan, to stand-up comedian in the UK and then into the world of search. Stay tuned for the full episode, coming on 30 May. LinkedIn Instagram Website
S2 · E2 · 16 May 2025 · 51 min
Episode 2: Rethinking deal origination - Insights from BizCrunch’s CEO
Send us Fan Mail 'Leave your job, become a self-funded searcher and start building relationships’ - Gareth Hawkins. In our brand new episode featuring Gareth Hawkins, CEO of BizCrunch, Carl and Gareth explore how data, technology, and a relationship-first approach are reshaping how searchers find and close deals. Whether you're an aspiring searcher, investor, or operator, this episode challenges you to think differently about how deals get done. Listen now on Apple, Spotify or wat...
S2 · E2 · 14 May 2025 · 1 min
Trailer: Episode 2 'Rethinking deal origination - Insights from BizCrunch’s CEO’
Send us Fan Mail Episode two coming soon... In this brand new episode, Carl sits down with Gareth Hawkins, to dive into how deal sourcing is evolving and why traditional methods may get left behind. From data-driven strategies to the future of search, this is a must-listen for anyone in the world of acquisitions, private equity, or search funds. Be sure to tune in on Friday 16 May. LinkedIn Instagram Website
S2 · E1 · 2 May 2025 · 46 min
Season 2 episode 1: 'A self-funded acquisition with no external equity'
Send us Fan Mail Episode one of this brand new season kicks off with Olivier Stapylton-Smith, Director of Serv-Ice Refrigeration. Listen along as Carl and Olivier deep dive into self-funded search, initial deal pipeline, the importance of having a good support system, and balancing being an entrepreneur with having a family. LinkedIn Instagram Website
S2 · E1 · 30 Apr 2025 · 1 min
Trailer: Season 2 Episode 1 'A self-funded acquisition with no external equity'
Send us Fan Mail An official first look at what's to come in episode one of season two... 👀 'A self-funded acquisition with no external equity' with Olivier Stapylton-Smith, Director of Serv-Ice Refrigeration, will be dropping on 2 May 2025. In the season two premiere, we learn more about Olivier’s self-funded search journey and explore why he chose the acquisition path after launching his own company. Make sure you are subscribed so you don’t miss an episode. LinkedIn Instagram Website
S1 · E5 · 1 Apr 2025 · 6 min
Bonus clip: Episode 5 'The self-funded path to success - Harvard Business School to CEO'
Send us Fan Mail "Ask for money, get advice. Ask for advice, get money." - Alex Glasner on seeking investment. Bringing you a never seen before bonus clip from episode five 'The self-funded path to success - Harvard Business School to CEO'. In this extended cut, Alex shares how he found himself with an over subscribed cap table and his best advice for those who are looking to be a more confident negotiator. LinkedIn Instagram Website
S1 · E6 · 24 Jan 2025 · 46 min
Episode 6: 'How ETA is attracting venture capital and private equity investors'
Send us Fan Mail The final episode of the season is here! Deal making, industry expertise and sourcing the right company - these are all skills this week's guest looks for as an investor in the ETA space. Joyce Mackenzie Liu, CFO and CEO of Pegafund, joins Carl behind the mic for episode six to explore how venture capital and private equity intersects with the world of entrepreneurship through acquisition, as well as how to leverage cashflow to accelerate growth. LinkedIn Instagra...
S1 · E6 · 23 Jan 2025 · 1 min
Trailer: Episode 6 'How ETA is attracting venture capital and private equity investors'
Send us Fan Mail Joyce Mackenzie Liu is in the hot seat this week, as she and Carl explore how venture capital and private equity intersects with the world of entrepreneurship through acquisition. Comparing the differences and similarities to the search fund model, what Joyce looks for as an investor when considering backing an entrepreneur, and leveraging cashflow to accelerate growth - this is a discussion you won't want to miss! Episode six, 'How ETA is attracting venture capital and...
S1 · E5 · 10 Jan 2025 · 49 min
Episode 5 'The Self-Funded Path to Success: Harvard Business School to CEO'
Send us Fan Mail Alex Glasner acquired Workpays with an over subscribed cap table and a solid infrastructure in place. From Harvard Business School to CEO; Carl sits down with the self-funded searcher, to reveal why he undertook a search, how he approached investors and picked his cap table, what he was looking for in a business and the most valuable advice he has received along the way. Find out his secrets to success in episode five! LinkedIn Instagram Website
S1 · E5 · 8 Jan 2025 · 1 min
Trailer: Episode 5 'The Self-Funded Path to Success: Harvard Business School to CEO’
Send us Fan Mail Here's a preview of what's to come. Featuring self-funded searcher, Alex Glasner, episode five explores Alex's passion for entrepreneurialism and his path to success. From working for Parliament, to becoming Managing Director of his first search acquisition, Workpays, and his strategic approach to the self-funded search process - you won't want to miss this one. Coming on 10 January... Subscribe to our YouTube to be notified LinkedIn Instagram Website
S1 · E4 · 20 Dec 2024 · 48 min
Episode 4: 'Secrets for raising your search fund: What investors look for'
Send us Fan Mail In this episode, featuring alongside Carl, is renowned search fund mogul, Bramley Johnson. This episode is part two of our mini series on fundraising and investment and Carl asks the questions we've all been curious about; What are your best tips for getting a deal closed? Can you share any advice for aspiring searchers? What are the key considerations for searchers looking for investment? Watch or stream episode four 'Secrets for raising your search fund: What investor...

About The Found & Funded Podcast

Found & Funded, the Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition podcast for searchers by search experts, where we explore the route to business ownership without having that million dollar idea.

The Found & Funded Podcast is a English business podcast from Carl Lundberg. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Carl Lundberg
Language: English
Category: Business
New episodes: Every two weeks
Typical length: 42 min
Latest episode: 31 Aug 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1778471971

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