A thoughtful discussion on founder perspective, long-term ownership, and the quiet shift that often comes before any big decisions.

Zach's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-plener-cpa-37360594/

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From summers working in a pulp mill, to building Mercatus over 21 years, to joining the Constellation family — Sylvain shares the lessons that stick: the AB team problem, the risk ratio framework, why curiosity is a leadership superpower, and what it really takes to earn the CEO seat.

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This show is not about valuation, multiples, negotiations, or deal tactics. 

It is about continuity and identity.

Throughout this series, Vertus Group leader and host Sylvain Perrier unpacks the decisions, tradeoffs, and habits that make a business last. 

Jeremy List is the founder of Ervian, a product leader with deep experience building and modernizing software organizations. His expertise is rooted in a strong UX foundation, having started his career in user experience and design before moving into product management roles, including time at eBay. Over the past year he has rebuilt his own process around AI — validating product concepts in minutes instead of months and running an "army of agents" structured like a company. Having worked alongside engineering teams for years, Jeremy knows what good product, design, and code look like, which makes him uniquely positioned to talk about when to trust AI and when to do the work yourself. His grounded perspective on durable advantage — clear vision, deep domain expertise, customer relationships, and reach — makes him the right person for this conversation. 

Jeremy's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremylist/   

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Mark Fairhurst is the founder of Undercurrents.AI, a strategic advisory practice that helps business and technology leaders see and act on the structural forces reshaping their markets.

With over 20 years of B2B SaaS go-to-market experience across enterprise software, retail technology, insurtech, and compliance, Mark brings a transferable methodology honed by working across verticals where the competitive dynamics differ, but the strategic discipline doesn't. Most recently, as Chief Growth Marketing Officer at Mercatus, he led go-to-market for one of grocery retail's most established eCommerce platforms. Trained in AI business transformation and digital marketing strategy at Kellogg, and in AI-driven go-to-market through Pavilion, Mark now works with leaders who need more than an AI strategy deck — they need the operational clarity, context architecture, and commercial infrastructure to make AI a durable business advantage. 

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Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 
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A conversation about what happens when founders begin thinking beyond the next milestone and start asking what their business should look like five, ten, or even twenty years from now. 

Nadia shares the story behind Magnusmode, which began with hand-drawn step-by-step guides she created as a child to help her autistic brother, Troy, navigate daily tasks with more independence. That idea eventually became MagnusCards, a digital platform supporting people with accessibility needs in building life skills and confidence. 

In this episode, Nadia and Sylvain discuss founder purpose, long-term thinking, social impact, acquisition, and why choosing the right long-term home for a business matters. 

Nadia Hamilton’s LinkedIn: Nadia Hamilton | LinkedIn 
MagnusMode: https://www.magnusmode.com/  

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Sylvain Perrier is a Group Leader at Vertus Group and host of the Built to Hold podcast. This episode draws on his lived experience selling Mercatus Technologies in December 2023 and staying on as Global Chief Operating Officer, navigating the transition from owner to steward inside a much larger organization.

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Ryan Watt is the President of Jonas Club and a former Group Leader at Vertus Group, with decades of operating experience inside vertical software and pattern recognition across long-lived verticals.

Ryan's LinkedIn: Ryan Watt | LinkedIn

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