The 8 Best M&A News Podcasts (2026)

Guus Greve spent years as head of M&A at Shell, so when he sits down with guests to talk about dealmaking, the questions come from someone who has actually run massive transactions. The show has about 21 episodes so far, which makes it a smaller catalog, but the quality per episode is genuinely high. Rated 5.0 on Apple Podcasts with 11 reviews, which says something about the audience it attracts. Episodes run about 28 to 35 minutes and focus on the human side of deals as much as the financial mechanics. Recent conversations have covered deal integration, relationship management during transactions, and even the resilience of dealmakers themselves. The guest list is impressive. You get people from Morgan Stanley discussing joint ventures, startup founders talking about scaling in Africa, and integration specialists explaining why most post-merger value gets lost. The show is sponsored by Pilko, a due diligence advisory firm, which keeps the content grounded in practical deal concerns. If you are a corporate development professional or an M&A advisor looking for thoughtful, well-structured conversations about what actually makes transactions succeed or fail, this one is worth your time.

John Warrillow wrote the book Built to Sell, which is essentially required reading for anyone thinking about making their company attractive to acquirers. The podcast extends that idea across 534 episodes, making it one of the largest libraries of business exit stories anywhere. Each week, John interviews an entrepreneur who recently sold their company and walks through the whole experience. Why did they sell? What did they do right? Where did they mess up? Episodes run about 50 minutes to an hour, and the conversations are remarkably candid. Recent episodes have explored topics like the anatomy of a failed deal from an acquirer perspective, whether certain businesses are worth more dead or alive, and how to slash earnout periods without giving up value. Rated 4.8 from 208 reviews on Apple Podcasts, which is impressive at that volume. The show has a particular talent for making complex deal structures accessible to people who have never been through a sale before. John asks sharp follow-up questions and does not let guests gloss over the hard parts. If you are building a company with the intention of eventually selling it, or if you just find business exit stories fascinating, this is one of the best resources available. The sheer number of case studies means you will almost certainly find someone whose situation mirrors yours.

Corey Kupfer has been a dealmaker and negotiation expert for decades, and DealQuest is his weekly deep-dive into what he calls deal-driven growth. The show has 391 episodes and covers the full spectrum of how companies grow through transactions, from mergers and acquisitions to joint ventures, licensing deals, and strategic partnerships. Episodes run 40 to 55 minutes, and the guest roster includes PE partners, tax planners, international deal advisors, and founders who have navigated their own exits. Recent episodes have covered maximizing sale value, tax-smart exit planning, and how one startup went from launch to PE exit in three years. The show has a 4.9 rating from 43 reviews. Corey has a particular skill for connecting deal mechanics to business strategy in a way that feels practical rather than academic. He is also not afraid to get into the weeds on debt decisions, cross-border deal complexities, and capital raising, which gives the show more range than typical exit-focused podcasts. If you are a business owner or executive thinking about growth through acquisitions or looking at an eventual sale, DealQuest gives you both the strategic framework and the tactical details. The weekly schedule means you get a steady flow of new perspectives on how deals get structured and closed.

Domenic Rinaldi runs Sun Acquisitions, a Chicago-based M&A firm, and he has been involved in over 300 transactions across various industries. That level of hands-on experience shows up in every episode of M&A Unplugged. The show ran for 108 episodes with a 5.0 rating from 85 reviews on Apple Podcasts, which is a strong endorsement from listeners. Episodes typically run 25 to 38 minutes and feature interviews with actual buyers, sellers, and professional transaction advisors. The format puts real stories at the center. You hear from people who have gone through the acquisition process and can talk honestly about what worked and what they wish they had known earlier. Topics have included making the most of M&A exclusivity periods, how to approach business valuation as a buyer or seller, understanding bank financing for deals, and why employee integration is a critical but often overlooked part of post-acquisition success. The show has wrapped its first season, but the back catalog remains one of the best collections of practical M&A advice out there. Domenic keeps the conversation grounded in reality rather than theory, which makes it especially useful for small and mid-market business owners navigating their first transaction.

David C Barnett has started, bought, sold, and closed businesses himself, and he has written three bestselling books on the topic. That personal experience gives his podcast a credibility that shows with corporate backgrounds sometimes lack. With 500 episodes and a 5.0 rating from 44 reviews, the show has built one of the largest libraries of small business M&A content available. David covers buying, selling, financing, and managing small and medium-sized businesses, often going solo for 25 to 45 minute episodes but also bringing on guests when the topic calls for it. Recent episodes have covered stacking micro-acquisitions to reach seven figures, why seller discretionary earnings can mislead buyers, and lessons from PE acquisition due diligence gone wrong. The show also does live episodes where David responds to real situations from listeners, which adds a layer of practical immediacy you do not get elsewhere. His weekly publishing schedule keeps the content current. If you are involved in small business transactions, whether as a first-time buyer trying to understand valuation or as an owner preparing to sell, David talks to you like a knowledgeable friend who has seen enough deals to know where things typically go sideways.

Ron Skelton built How2Exit around a simple premise: buying an existing business is often smarter than building from scratch. The show has nearly 300 episodes covering the full lifecycle of small business acquisitions, specifically companies valued under 20 million dollars. Episodes publish twice a week and typically run 53 minutes to just over an hour. Ron brings on a wide range of guests including turnaround specialists, exit planners, and serial acquirers. Recent conversations have explored why most leadership failures in acquisitions are people problems rather than financial ones, strategic M&A combined with turnaround risks, and even unconventional topics like how breathwork helps one investor stay calm during high-stakes deals. The show has a 4.8 rating from 9 reviews. What keeps listeners coming back is the practical depth. Ron does not shy away from messy real-world situations. He talks with people about deals that almost fell apart and businesses that needed significant work after acquisition. The semiweekly schedule means you get a consistent stream of new content, and the archive is a genuine education in small business deal-making. If you are considering acquiring a small business or building a portfolio through acquisitions, How2Exit gives you the operational perspective that finance-focused shows tend to miss.

Colonnade Advisors focuses on middle market M&A in financial and business services, and their podcast reflects that specialization. Gina Cocking and Jeff Guylay co-host, bringing their experience as investment bankers who work with companies valued between 20 million and 500 million dollars. The show has 30 episodes with a 5.0 rating from 34 reviews, which is a strong signal given the niche audience. Episodes run 26 to 41 minutes and get into the specific tactics and technical aspects of middle market dealmaking. Recent topics include why you should hire an advisor for your sale, questions sellers should ask potential buyers, and strategic exit planning for equipment leasing and finance companies. The industry-specific episodes are particularly useful because they go beyond general M&A advice and address the unique dynamics of financial services transactions. The hosts have a comfortable dynamic and explain concepts clearly without talking down to the audience. If you own or manage a company in the 20 to 500 million dollar range and are thinking about a transaction, or if you advise companies in that space, this podcast speaks directly to your situation. The episodes are dense with actionable information and there is very little filler.

Barnaby Cook created The Exit Plan to fill a gap that most M&A podcasts miss entirely: the creative industry. The show has 70 episodes focused specifically on buying and selling creative agencies and production companies. Episodes run 23 to 51 minutes and feature interviews with people who have been on both sides of agency transactions. Rated 5.0 on Apple Podcasts from 2 reviews. Recent episodes have covered the mental health impact of selling an agency, navigating the current agency M&A market, tax planning strategies that saved clients over half a million dollars, and the story of a PR firm founder who sold, bought back, and sold again. That last one is the kind of narrative you will not hear on a generalist business podcast. The show understands that creative businesses have unique valuation challenges. Client relationships, talent retention, brand equity, and project pipelines all factor into deal structures differently than they would for a SaaS company or a manufacturing firm. Barnaby asks the right questions because he understands the industry. If you own or operate a creative agency, production company, or marketing firm and have started thinking about what an exit looks like, this is the most relevant podcast you will find. The guests have lived through the specific challenges you are likely to face.