25 years buying, selling, and restructuring businesses across media, technology, retail, healthcare, and asset management.
Mike Ye is an M&A and corporate development executive who has spent more than
two decades leading acquisitions, divestitures, strategic investments, and capital
restructuring across media, technology, retail, healthcare, and asset management.
As Vice President of Strategic Planning & Acquisitions at Penske Media
Corporation, he led end-to-end execution of enterprise transactions —
sourcing, diligence, valuation, structuring, negotiation, and integration — across
a portfolio that included Rolling Stone, Billboard,
SXSW Festival, the Golden Globes, New Year's Rockin' Eve,
The Hollywood Reporter, and Robb Report.
He also led the strategic divestitures of BGR and TVLine,
and the strategic investment in BuzzAngle Music and
Sourcing Journal.
Between L Brands and Penske, he served as Director of Financial
Operations at Surgical Care Affiliates, where he oversaw P&L for
a portfolio of ambulatory surgical centers and led the controlling-stake
acquisition and multi-specialty expansion of Long Beach Outpatient
Surgery — an asset later affiliated with SCA and ultimately part of
SCA's $2.3B acquisition by Optum / UnitedHealth Group.
Prior to Penske, he served as Director of Corporate Development &
Finance at L Brands, where he led the $778M divestiture of
Express, supported the $628M acquisition of La Senza,
and helped execute a $2.5B capital restructuring. At
Intel Capital, he managed the portfolio exit program during a
period when the fund monetized $5B+ across 500+ companies.
He holds an MBA in Strategic Finance from Cornell University's Johnson
Graduate School of Management and a BA in Economics from UCLA.
He is fluent in Mandarin.
He is now the founder of exmxc.ai, an intelligence institution
focused on how AI systems reshape institutional positioning, capital allocation,
and competitive strategy — and TrailGenic, an AI-native longevity
methodology platform.
Selected Transactions
Buy-Side (Media)
Rolling Stone, Billboard, SXSW Festival, the Golden Globes / Dick Clark Productions, The Hollywood Reporter, Robb Report, Life Is Beautiful Festival
ACG Los Angeles — 2018 M&A Deal of the Year, Penske Media's acquisition of Rolling Stone.
Strategic Investments (Media)BuzzAngle Music, Sourcing Journal, Vox Media, SheKnows Media, LDJ Productions, Music Business Worldwide
Sell-Side (Media)BGR, TVLine, HollywoodLife
Buy-Side (Healthcare)Long Beach Outpatient Surgery — controlling stake acquisition, multi-specialty expansion, affiliated with Surgical Care Affiliates (subsequently acquired by Optum / UnitedHealth Group for $2.3B)
Buy-Side (Retail)La Senza — $628M acquisition (L Brands)
Capital Restructuring$2.5B recapitalization — L Brands
Portfolio ExitsIntel Capital exit program — $5B+ monetized across 500+ companies
Quantitative CapitalMellon Capital Management — Vanguard Russell 2000 Value Fund, S&P 500 Index Plus Fund
Career
2016 – 2025
Vice President, Strategic Planning & Acquisitions
Penske Media Corporation — Los Angeles, CA
Led acquisitions, divestitures, and strategic investments across global media and experiential platforms. Transaction record includes Rolling Stone, Billboard, SXSW Festival, the Golden Globes, BuzzAngle Music, and Sourcing Journal.
2014 – 2016
Director, Financial Operations
Surgical Care Affiliates — Los Angeles, CA
Oversaw financial operations for 10+ ambulatory surgical centers. P&L management, expansion support, and M&A modeling. Led controlling stake acquisition and multi-specialty expansion of Long Beach Outpatient Surgery.
2006 – 2013
Director, Corporate Development & Finance
L Brands (Limited Brands) — New York, NY
Corporate development, strategic finance, and FP&A. Led $778M divestiture of Express, supported $628M acquisition of La Senza and $2.5B capital restructuring.
Earlier
Senior Associate, Exits & Strategic Investments
Intel Capital
Portfolio exit program across 500+ companies.
Earlier
Portfolio Manager, Global Index & Hedge Strategies
Mellon Capital Management
Index fund management including Vanguard Russell 2000 Value Fund and S&P 500 Index Plus Fund.
Education
MBA, Strategic FinanceCornell University — Johnson Graduate School of Management
BA, EconomicsUniversity of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Advisory Services
Exit Desk
$199 – $499 flat fee
Buyer-lens exit analysis for business owners preparing to sell. See what a serious buyer would see — calibrated to your scale, from Main Street to lower-middle market — before you walk into any process.