Mark Strauch is a founding partner and president of the private equity firm Alpine Investors, known for its unique CEO training program.

With a background in Industrial Engineering from Lehigh University and subsequent business studies focused on finance, his career spans operational roles at companies like Electronic Arts, entrepreneurial ventures such as the early cloud concept Desktop.com, and significant leadership challenges, including orchestrating a complex turnaround as CEO of Business Engine.

Mark provides a detailed look into Alpine's operational methodology. He explains the origins and mechanics of the firm's fascinating CEO-in-Residence and CEO-in-Training programs, illustrating how this focus on securing leadership talent prior to acquisition shapes their investment strategy, sourcing advantage, and approach to scaling portfolio companies, exemplified through the creation of the company Ascend. He also discusses the firm's distinct culture, its strategic focus on talent and add-on acquisitions, and offers his views on market dynamics, including exit strategies and the role of AI.

Please enjoy my conversation with Mark Strauch.

Alpine Investors:  https://alpineinvestors.com

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Joe Reilly is the head of Circulus Group, a family office network, and the host of The Inheritance Podcast.

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