Mergers and Acquisions
A growing collection of professional certifications in M&A Strategy, Valuation, Due Diligence, and Deal Structuring—bridging finance, law, and corporate strategy in high-stakes transactions.
Self-Reflection: The Art of the (Almost) Deal
“You don’t just buy a company—you buy a future. And futures are built on assumptions, risks, and trust.”
This Mergers & Acquisitions Portfolio is more than credentials—it’s battle-tested ambition.
It begins with formal training from the New York Institute of Finance, but its soul was forged at age 21, leading a £3.5M acquisition attempt in precision engineering for Oil & Gas.
I’ve always lived by one rule: buy low, sell high. Shoes. Vape liquid. Gadgets. Whatever moved.
Then I discovered Dan Peña—the QLA prophet screaming, “Just fcking do it!”*
His gospel? M&A is the fastest path to quantum wealth.
I didn’t want to wait 30 years to build. I wanted to acquire.
No Ivy League. No trust fund. Just online rigor via the National Registry of CPE Sponsors.
I absorbed the full M&A playbook:
- Valuation: DCF, multiples, precedent deals
- Risk layers: financial, operational, legal, cultural
- Structuring: cash vs. stock, earn-outs, anti-embarrassment clauses
- Regulatory gauntlet: antitrust, CFIUS, SEC
- Synergies: the 1+1=3 myth—and how to make it real
I didn’t just learn the what. I learned the why behind every clause.
The War Room: Age 21, £3.5M on the Line
I built the NXD dream team:
- Chairman (ex-industry titan)
- CFO (numbers ninja)
- COO (operations beast)
- 3 PhDs in precision gearing, advanced materials, and production systems
We had:
- LOI signed
- Due diligence 80% complete
- Synergies mapped
- Funding sources lined up
- My shoes polished, shirt ironed, Windsor knot perfect
At 21, I was in the room where it happens. I led the charge.
We didn’t close.
The seller wanted £3.5M in a black leather duffle bag—cash today, no earn-out, no performance clause. Fair valuation? £2.5M max. Greed replaced logic.
So I made the call. I walked. Unchained.
The Lessons That Stuck
- Knowledge without capital is theory.
- A great team beats a great idea.
- Due diligence is where deals die—or are reborn.
- You don’t need permission. You need preparation.
That near-miss wasn’t failure. It was my Harvard.
Every course, every model, every simulation…
is prep for the next room.
Why M&A?
Because empires aren’t built—they’re acquired.
And next time?
I close.