In the final episode of season one of The Dealist, we go inside the transaction to explore the crucial roles M&A advisors and investment bankers play. From balancing risk and opportunity to guiding founders through one of the biggest decisions of their professional lives, this conversation reveals how these professionals create value throughout the deal process.

Host: Catherine Ford

Guests: • Arash Farin, CEO, Centerstone Capital • Jay Liebowitz, Managing director & co-founder, Centerstone Capital

Key discussion highlights • Balancing risk and reward to maximize opportunities while managing investor concerns • Breaking down commercial, operational and financial due diligence • Managing founders’ valuation expectations to reach fair deals • Using earnouts to bridge valuation gaps and close transactions • Exploring why deals are slowing down despite pressure for speed • Leveraging technology and AI while maintaining essential human trust • Career advice for those starting out in advisory

Subscribe to The Dealist

• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dealist/id1805660414
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zinlPsfd2xDuY10zdIBqJ
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/intralinks

Further reading

The Dynamics of Due Diligence, a report produced by SS&C Intralinks in association with Mergermarket and The M&A Research Centre (MARC) that explores the reasons behind the ever-expanding due diligence period in the past decade and reveals why those deals that have a “medium” duration in terms of timing are the most likely to succeed. Download here: https://www3.intralinks.com/the-dynamics-of-due-diligence-report?&utmcampaign=701pq00000ca6xu&utm_content=podcast-blog)

Discover how Intralinks DealCentre™ revolutionizes deal management with cutting-edge AI technology and smart solutions here: https://www.intralinks.com/products/dealcentre-ai?utm_source=podcast-platform&utm_medium=partner-referrals

GenAI has moved from buzz to real utility — and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is on the edge of its next big shift. In the Season 2 finale of The Dealist podcast, host Catherine Ford talks with Austin Corbett of Accenture and Jon Martin of SS&C Intralinks about the early signals of what’s coming, from the rise of agentic AI and smarter diligence workflows to the long-term potential for a digital twin that mirrors the entire deal process in near-real time.

Listen to learn:

• How next-gen technology is reshaping every stage of dealmaking
• What Accenture’s latest research reveals about AI’s role in the future of M&A
• How serial acquirers are investing in AI to accelerate value capture
• The ways AI will assist valuations, reduce wasted deal effort and support stronger decision-making
• How agentic AI could operate as an autonomous partner in the deal process
• Why a digital twin for M&A may be closer than many expect

*Subscribe to The Dealist **

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dealist/id1805660414
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zinlPsfd2xDuY10zdIBqJ
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/intralinks

Timestamps

0:45 Introductions 2:15 Early-stage AI trends 5:30 AI’s competitive edge 7:04 Next-gen tech is reshaping every stage of dealmaking 7:25 Accenture research: AI will revolutionize how deals are done 9:56 Serial acquirers are investing in AI 12:27 AI’s impact now and in the future of M&A 14:00 How AI will help valuations 16:45 Upskilling deal teams to future-proof 19:43 DealCentre AI showcase 20:23 Agentic AI — an autonomous deal team member 23:38 AI will reduce effort on deals that won’t ever close 26:30 The most strategic teams will use AI to win 26:52 We’ve just scratched the surface of what AI can do in M&A 28:28: A digital twin for M&A

In this insightful episode of The Dealist, we sit down with Peter Emmi, a partner at Reed Smith based in New York City and a legal expert with a deep technical background, including a 17-year career as an engineer, researcher and dealmaker on the legal team at IBM.

Peter discusses the role lawyers play during the due diligence process in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), particularly as it relates to rapidly evolving technologies.

Reflecting on the collaborative nature of successful transactions, he shares a guiding principle: "[M&A] is supposed to be a win-win, and that's the way we try to approach it."

Listen to hear Peter's insights on:

• The highs and lows of performing diligence
• Engaging directly with technical experts to unpeel the onion of a target’s operations
• Best practices for using AI
• The importance of emotional intelligence
• Plus, hear a diligence war story you won't believe

Subscribe to The Dealist

• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dealist/id1805660414
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zinlPsfd2xDuY10zdIBqJ
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/intralinks

Further reading

The Dynamics of Due Diligence, a report produced in association with Mergermarket and The M&A Research Centre (MARC) that explores the reasons behind the ever-expanding due diligence period in the past decade and reveals why those deals that have a “medium” duration in terms of timing are the most likely to succeed. Download here: https://www3.intralinks.com/the-dynamics-of-due-diligence-report?&utmcampaign=701pq00000ca6xu&utm_content=podcast-blog)

“The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on M&A Deals—Part I” by Peter Emmi published in The Journal of Robotics, Artificial Intelligence & Law (Volume 8, No. 2; March-April 2025): https://www.reedsmith.com/en/perspectives/2025/03/impact-of-artificial-intelligence-ma-deals-part-i.

Discover how Intralinks DealCentre™ revolutionizes deal management with cutting-edge AI technology and smart solutions here: https://www.intralinks.com/products/dealcentre-ai?utm_source=podcast-platform&utm_medium=partner-referrals

Explore our INsights blog for more expert analysis and dealmaking trends. https://intralinks.com/insights