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This Model Beats Private Equity Returns (30-50%+ IRR)

What if the key to building real wealth wasn’t in startups or VC, but in buying simple, cash-flowing businesses?

In this episode, we dive deep into the minds of Royce Yudkoff and Rick Ruback — the Harvard professors who quietly shaped the world of search funds and acquisition entrepreneurship. Their ETA class at HBS has launched hundreds of successful HoldCos and operators.

We explore the two paths of search (funded vs. self-funded), why the multiple matters more than growth, what red flags kill deals, and how great operators build empires by holding longer.

If you’ve ever thought about…

The skinny

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