M&A Executive · Corporate Development · 25+ Years

About Mike Ye

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 acquisitions of 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, BuzzAngle Music, Sourcing Journal, SheKnows Media

  

• Strategic Investments (Media) Vox Media, LDJ Productions, Music Business Worldwide, SXSW Innovations Fund
• 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)
• Sell-Side (Retail) Express — $778M divestiture (L Brands)
• Capital Restructuring $2.5B recapitalization — L Brands
• Portfolio Exits Intel Capital exit program — $5B+ monetized across 500+ companies
• Quantitative Capital Mellon 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.

  Title and tenure are documented in contemporaneous PMC masthead records.
• 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 Finance Cornell University — Johnson Graduate School of Management
• BA, Economics University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)