In this episode of the Class E podcast, we talk with Furman alum Mark Kaiser ’79 about his varied career. Kaiser is an expert in deploying M&A, innovation, and corporate venturing to drive meaningful growth. He has been involved in the acquisition of over 100 companies and designed and supported over 40 Fortune 500 corporate venture capital funds, innovation centers, and incubators including the $250M Cigna Ventures, $150M Tyson Ventures, Nestlé New Business Ventures, General Mills’ 301INC, and the Venturing and Emerging Brands (VEB) unit at The Coca-Cola Company.

He is a senior advisor to the global consulting firm Bain & Company and an advisor to FOCUS Investment Bank, a middle-market investment banking firm. In this conversation, we talk about how learning to code while at Furman gave him thought processes he uses today to approach market problems and help his customers speak the right language.

Host: Mary Sturgill

Producer: Rachel Page