A. J. Wasserstein
Eugene F. William, Jr., Senior Lecturer in the Practice of Management
A. J. Wasserstein is the Eugene F. Williams, Jr., Senior Lecturer in the Practice of Management at the Yale School of Management. His research, writing, and teaching concentrate on search funds, entrepreneurship, programmatic acquisitions, and small businesses. He has written over 100 cases and notes on these topics.
Additionally, he has been a private investor with a long-term orientation, interested in lower middle-market businesses and philanthropic organizations, where he can be positively impactful by using his experiences, time, and capital. Professor Wasserstein was the president of Onesource Water, the third-largest bottleless water service business in the U.S. Onesource Water was sold to Water Logic, a U.K.-based strategic acquirer, in 2016. Previously, A. J. was the founder and CEO of ArchivesOne, the third-largest records management company in the U.S. ArchivesOne was sold to Iron Mountain (NYSE: IRM) after 17 years of operation.
A. J. received the Faculty Teaching Excellence Award for outstanding teaching in elective courses at the Yale School of Management in 2022 and 2024. The U.S. Small Business Administration has recognized A. J. as the Small Businessperson of the Year in Connecticut. A. J. wrote a book on young adulthood that was a gift to his three children. The book’s title is What Matters Most: A Young Adult’s Roadmap to Life.
Education
- MBA, New York University, 1991
- BA, Colgate University, 1988
Yale SOM Cases
Exploring Post-exit Dynamics for Search Fund Entrepreneurs
Exploring and Understanding the Various Legal Documents in a Search Fund Project
Kalil Diaz: Leadership Conundrums in a Search Fund-acquired Company
Exploring an Integration Framework in a Programmatic Acquisition Strategy
Exploring Entrepreneur Partnerships in the Search Fund Ecosystem
What Are You Optimizing in Your Post-MBA Career?
Exploring Risk Mitigation Concepts in a Search Fund Company
Exploring the Shared Services Function When Scaling a Multi-unit Franchise Operation
Exploring How to Partner with a Law Firm for a Search Fund Project
Adam Wilver and Zach Hargis: Smash My Trash (Open to the Yale community only.)
Attempting to Enter a Franchise System as a Self- funded Searcher Can Be a Roller-coaster Ride
Exploring Holding Companies in the Search Fund Ecosystem
A Primer on Breakeven Analysis
A Dozen Questions to Consider After Selling Your Business
Doug Cook: Exploring a 10×10+ entrepreneur
Exploring the CEO’s Leadership Role in a Search Fund–Acquired Small Business
Exploring Open-Book Management in a Search Fund–Acquired Small Business
Eight Questions Aspiring Search Fund Entrepreneurs Should Consider Before Launching Their Project
Exploring the Future of Entrepreneurship through Acquisition
Ten Reasons to Absolutely not Pursue Entrepreneurship through Acquisition
Cash Management Principles in a Small Business
Examining the Franchise Disclosure Document
Mac Holland Considers His Third Chapter
Check Your Strategy and Capital Allocation Aspirations
Exploring Search Fund Entrepreneurship Using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as a Framework
Including Employees in a Search Fund Waterfall
A Reference Guide on European Search Funds
Exploring Search Fund Entrepreneur Economics
Some Thoughts on How to be an Effective and Impactful Director on a Search Fund Board
Ten Essential Questions to Consider When Selecting a Franchise Brand for a Search Fund Journey
A Proposal on Equity Pooling for Search Fund Entrepreneurs
Exploring Franchisees as a Post-MBA Entrepreneurial Path
When to Give Up on Your Search Fund Dream
Profiles in Entrepreneurial Excellence – A Holistic Approach
Questions Potential Search Fund Entrepreneurs and Potential Investors Might Ask Each Other
On the Nature of Modeling and Valuation in a Search Fund Acquisition
Garth Parker Considers a Post-MBA Search Fund and Other Career Choices
Some Thoughts and Helpful Hints for Preparing Midterm and Final Submissions in My Courses
A New CEOs Checklist for Quickly Understanding and Leading a Business
On the Nature of Work–Life Integration as a Search Fund CEO
On the Nature of CEO Communication Patterns in a Small Business
A Call to Philanthropy in the Search Fund Ecosystem
Lacey Wismer and Hunter Search Capital (Open to the Yale community only.)
On the Nature of Building an Internship Program in a Search Fund Project
Why MBA Students Do Not Pursue Entrepreneurship through Acquisition
On the Nature of Due Diligence in a Search Fund Acquisition
On the Nature of What Business Sellers Are Looking for in a Buyer
A Primer on How to Get the Most Out of My Courses
On the Nature of Seller Selection in a Search Fund Project
On the Nature of Working Capital Understanding its Mysteries and Complexities
Ahron Oddman and Old North Bank
Exploring Various Search Fund Structures
Do You Have What It Takes to Be an Entrepreneur?
On the Nature of Women Considering a Search Fund Launch
On the Nature of Customer Attrition and Revenue Analysis
On the Nature of Programmatic Acquisition Strategies: Why Things Go Awry
On the Nature of CEO Time Allocation in an SME
On the Nature of Passion in an Entrepreneurial Journey
On the Nature of Long-term Holds: How Entrepreneurs Can Operationalize this Approach
On the Nature of Programmatic Acquisition Strategies: Their Implementation
OnRamp Prepares for an Exit (B)
OnRamp Prepares for an Exit (A)
On the Nature of Teaching in an MBA Program
Working at a Small Business as a Post-MBA Career Choice
On the Nature of Programmatic Acquisition Strategies: How to Source Deals
On the Nature of Entry Multiples
Stotz Equipment’s Growth through Acquisition Strategy (B)
Stotz Equipment’s Growth through Acquisition Strategy (A)
How to Prepare for a Search Fund During Your MBA
MBA Graduates Pay It Forward - Advice from graduating MBA students for entering MBA students
What’s Next: The Entrepreneur’s Epilogue and the Paradox of Success
On the Nature of a Search Fund Not Working Out as Planned
On the Nature of Economic Characteristics
Chenmark Holdings and Acquisition Growth Strategies (Open to the Yale community only.)
On the Nature of Long-term Holds: Why Entrepreneurs Should Embrace this Strategy
The Evolution of a Search Fund CEO and Company
Some Thoughts for Graduating MBA Students
I Said, You Said: She's the Entrepreneur
Khalil Tawil and Umi (B): The Epilogue
Khalil Tawil and Umi: A Startup Project That Checked All the Right Boxes
European Wax Center in Manhattan
A Framework to Contemplate Post-MBA Career Paths
I Said, You Said: He’s the Entrepreneur
Krueger-Gilbert Health Physics
Smith Brothers Insurance: Managing Successions at a Growing Insurance Agency
FARM: An Impact Investing Collaborative
Search Fund Company Boards: How CEOs Can Build Boards to Help Them Thrive
Sumit Aneja: Getting the Right Investors
What's Next? Search Fund Entrepreneurs Reflect on Life After Exit
Mike Erwin: An Accidental Social Entrepreneur
Kalil Diaz: A DR-based Search Firm Considers its First Acquisition
Searching for a Search Fund Structure: A Student Takes a Tour of Various Options