Keith Levy, Operating Partner at Sonoma Brands Every company must have a strong capital allocation strategy to maximize its potential. Without it, the company may end up missing opportunities and spending money on things that won't help it grow or become more profitable.  In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Keith Levy, Operating Partner at Sonoma Brands, shares his experience on successful and unsuccessful capital allocation strategies.  Things you will learn in this episode: • Strategy vs IRR • Venture capital vs recapitalization strategy • Minority vs majority recapitalization • Evaluating exit strategy This episode is sponsored by the DealRoom Ready to take your M&A to the next level with software made to manage each stage of the deal process? See how DealRoom can facilitate your next deal at https://dealroom.net ****************** Episode Bookmarks 00:00 Intro 11:27 Focusing on organic growth 16:37 Post-merger integration execution 25:01 Strategy vs IRR 26:59 Handling projections 28:07 Integration with Mars 36:20 Role of an operating partner 42:07 Big company vs Small company in M&A 43:39 Venture capital vs recapitalization strategy 48:44 Cashing out from an owner’s perspective 50:42 Minority vs majority recapitalization 54:03 Impact of valuations and interest rates on investment decisions 59:07 Timing on investments 1:01:25 Evaluating exit strategy 1:03:46 Advice for practitioners 1:05:41 Craziest thing in M&A