For entrepreneurs looking to take the next step toward business ownership, starting a company from scratch isn’t the only option. Entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA) offers another path, one that comes with its own opportunities, challenges, and important decisions.
On October 16 and 17, the NYU Stern Berkley Center for Entrepreneurship and NYU Stern Executive Education welcomed aspiring acquirers, experienced entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders for ETA@NYU Executive Intensive: A Proven Path to Ownership, a two-day program offering an inside look at what it takes to acquire, operate, and grow an existing business.
Throughout the intensive, participants learned directly from entrepreneurs who have navigated acquisitions firsthand, alongside investors and industry experts who help make those transactions possible. Their experiences offered a candid look at the process, from finding the right business and understanding its value to securing financing, negotiating a deal, and taking on the responsibilities of ownership.
The program featured an outstanding lineup of speakers, including Andrew Diaz, Jonathan Friedman, Brian Anderson, David Deutsch, Raj Kaji, Jordan Mauro, Scott McKenzie, Heather Endresen, Phips Smith, Von Bryant, and Charles Sheffield. Drawing on their backgrounds in business ownership, finance, investing, law, and advisory services, they shared practical guidance, firsthand experiences, and hard-earned lessons that brought the realities of entrepreneurship through acquisition into focus.
Equally important was the community that came together over the two days. With participants ranging from aspiring first-time acquirers to seasoned business operators and investors, the program sparked thoughtful questions, lively discussions, and valuable connections among people approaching business ownership from different perspectives.
The intensive was led by faculty co-directors NYU Stern Professor Jeffrey Carr and Stephen Garrow, a Stern alumnus and Berkley Center Entrepreneur-in-Residence, whose expertise and dedication were instrumental in developing and delivering the program.
The event marked an exciting step forward for ETA@NYU and its efforts to build a community around entrepreneurship through acquisition. And the conversation is far from over!
We’ll be sharing more from the intensive soon, including key insights, practical takeaways, and lessons from the entrepreneurs and experts who joined us. Interested in exploring ETA or learning about upcoming programs? Join the ETA@NYU email list to stay connected.
