The Weatherhead ETA MBA Concentration is designed for aspiring business owners who want to lead, operate, and grow established companies through acquisition. This pioneering concentration, led by accomplished ETA entrepreneurs and investors, immerses students in the critical skills, strategies, and judgment required to succeed as an acquisition entrepreneur.
At the heart of the concentration are three core ETA courses. Each course blends evidence-based management education with hands-on, experiential learning. Students engage directly with ETA practitioners, analyze real-world deals, and develop the operational and leadership capabilities needed to thrive as business owners. The ETA MBA concentration is then complemented by Entrepreneurial Finance, Michael Goldberg and the Legal Environment of Management, Tim Fogarty, PhD, CPA, JD, to round out the buyer readiness experience.
Throughout these courses, you’ll learn how to:
- Assess your readiness and credibility as a buyer
- Design acquisition criteria and find target businesses
- Understand ETA funding models and deal structures
- Navigate negotiations, contracts, and closing
- Lead and grow acquired companies
- Build a credible buyer plan, culminating in a capstone presentation to seasoned ETA professionals
Courses feature guest speakers from Weatherhead’s extensive network of alumni and ETA community members, offering diverse case studies and practical insights from those who have successfully acquired and operated businesses.
The ETA MBA Concentration prepares you not only for ownership, but also for entrepreneurial leadership roles in larger organizations—skills highly valued in today’s business landscape.
Core ETA courses may be taken in any order.
Core ETA Courses
- ETA Fundamentals: The Acquisition Lifecycle (DESN 421) - Fall 2026, with Reid Tileston, PhD, Online, Tuesdays 6-8:30 p.m., August 25 - October 6, 2026. This course introduces frameworks and real-world solutions for acquiring and leading a company, using various ETA strategies with a focus on "self-funded searches.” The class will walk through the lifecycle of a typical path to finding and running a business, including information on raising capital, searching for a company, buying a business, leading that business and then ultimately selling it. View the syllabus.
- ETA Investor-Backed Search Funds and Small Firm Leadership (DESN 420/318) - Spring 2027, with GJ King and Jake Stoller. 1.5 credit In-Person Course, Tuesday 6 - 8:30 p.m., January 12 - February 23, 2027. This course focuses on 1) defining the different types of ETA strategies with a particular emphasis on "search funds,” 2) exploring the most common industries targeted by ETA entrepreneurs like healthcare and software, and 3) the post-acquisition experience of leading a small business. The course will also use in-class role-plays of real-world small-business leadership scenarios. View the syllabus.
- ETA Funding and Credibility: Funding Models and Credible Buyer Strategies (DESN 419/319) - Spring 2027, with Scot Lowry. 1.5 credit In-Person Course, Tuesday 6 - 8:30 p.m., March 2 - April 20, 2027 (no class on March 9, 2027). This course focuses on 1) ETA journey from employee to business owner, with emphasis on the “aligned investor,” funding model 2) how to prepare to become a highly credible ETA buyer 3) introduction to the Promise Partners ETA Incubator (founded by a WSOM professor) and the strategies used by the group that have helped over 70 people become owners in 107+ companies using ETA (including 44 WSOM Alumni) post-graduation. View the syllabus.