35+ Acquisitions, $1.3B Exit and Backing 80+ Searchers | Mark Sinatra of ETA Equity
35+ Acquisitions, $1.3B Exit and Backing 80+ Searchers | Mark Sinatra of ETA Equity  
Podcast: Buyers and Builders
Published On: Thu May 07 2026
Description: Mark Sinatra has lived the full search fund journey: discovering ETA at Wharton, acquiring Staff One HR, surviving the 2008 crisis, scaling the business, selling to Oasis Outsourcing, and later helping build ETA Equity.In this episode, Mark shares what he learned from nearly a decade as a search CEO, why talent unlocked the business, how he survived the hardest years, and what he now looks for after backing 80+ searchers and 35+ acquisitions.Timestamps:0:00 Mark Sinatra’s journey from searcher to ETA investor1:21 Discovering search funds at Wharton7:53 Raising a search fund and finding Staff One HR13:17 How underwriting search deals has changed18:34 Buying a business right before the financial crisis21:14 When Mark finally felt like a real CEO24:19 Hiring the right people and upgrading the team31:38 Surviving the emotionally hardest years as CEO37:30 Rebuilding Staff One and selling to Oasis42:14 Starting ETA Equity45:20 What Mark looks for in searchers today51:20 Lessons from deals that did not go well58:30 Jockey, horse, and barn: what really matters in ETA1:01:50 How the search fund market has changedThis podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.