Executive Vice President of Corporate Development, Progress Software
Search every verified Jeremy Segal interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Jeremy Segal, Executive Vice President of Corporate Development at Progress Software, has been active in M&A-focused podcasts and events in 2024 and 2025. In these appearances, Segal described Progress as a "value buyer" that targets companies with good technology and loyal customers but not necessarily high growth rates. He stated that the company focuses on operational efficiencies rather than revenue synergies, which he characterized as harder to predict. Segal emphasized the importance of building trust and relationships with target companies over time, and noted that Progress's CEO is willing to speak directly with potential acquisition targets. He also discussed the firm's disciplined approach to pricing, saying that Progress will walk away from a deal rather than renegotiate the price after an LOI is signed. Segal has offered advice to founders considering an exit, urging them to prepare their financial and legal documentation in advance and to be transparent about their business metrics and any issues. He cautioned against expecting a breakup fee in early-stage deals and recommended that sellers hire a banker if they lack M&A experience. Segal also highlighted Progress's use of AI to review contracts during diligence and noted that the company maintains a contingency line in its valuation models to account for surprises. He described the current market as one where private company valuations have not yet reached equilibrium with buyer expectations, and positioned Progress as a liquidity alternative for companies facing a challenging fundraising environment.
“I learned early on in my corpdev career the importance of finding some level of balance so the seller doesn't feel like they're losing every single deal term and just getting gouged; really trying to understand what's important to the seller and what's important to me as the buyer so the seller feels good about the tra...”
“One of the things that stood out about you and Martin when we were having our initial dialogue was that level of transparency and honesty about your business; building that level of trust and getting straight up answers is really, really key.”
“The first thing I talk about is knowing the why — are you at an inflection point where you should raise more money and go it alone, or do you need a bigger platform because you're losing deals as a small player?”
“As a value buyer at Progress, we're not looking at companies growing 20–30% — we focus on businesses growing mid-single-digits to mid-teens and really concentrate on what the business has done historically over the last two to three years rather than glossy hockey-stick projections.”
On October 21st at 2:30pm ET, House of Bricks Live welcomes board member Jeremy Segal, EVP of Corporate Development at ...
When it comes to M&A, time is of the essence. As a buyer, it's best to identify whether to pursue the deal or not as soon as possible ...
Deal origination requires a well-planned strategy, and starts with informal conversations with a potential target. In this episode of ...
Corporate development teams are tasked with finding potential M&A targets. And while that may sound fun and exciting, deals ...
Who is Progress as a company and what do we do? Join Progress President and CEO, Yogesh Gupta, as he walks through ...
Featuring Jeremy Segal SVP of Corporate Development at Progress.
We all know having a relationship with the target company has its benefits. But how do we ensure that the relationship will carry ...
Jeremy Segal brings together the worlds greatest thought leaders and influencers, so together, they can make a bigger impact on ...
Sign in to search the full transcript archive, filter by topic, and access every quote from Jeremy Segal.