Matt Littell
Adjunct Lecturer in Entrepreneurship
Program Co-Lead for the Zell Fellows: Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA)
Matt is a search fund entrepreneurship investor at Halstatt Legacy Partners (HLP), where he works with aspiring entrepreneurs to help them find, acquire, and lead small businesses. Prior to joining HLP, Matt successfully conducted a search fund and acquired a metal manufacturing business which he ran for more than seven years. His early career leadership experiences include P&L ownership, Lean Six Sigma implementation, and the Operations Management Leadership Program at GE Energy and GE Oil & Gas.
At Kellogg, Matt is an Adjunct Lecturer teaching the Entrepreneurship through Acquisition course and serves as a co-leader of the Zell Fellows Entrepreneurship through Acquisition track. Matt is a graduate of Northwestern’s MMM program, earning both an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and a Masters in Engineering Management from the McCormick School of Engineering & Applied Science. He also earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida.
Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ENTR-905-5)
There are many paths to entrepreneurship, and one of those paths is through the acquisition of an existing company. This course will highlight aspects of strategy, finance, organizational behavior, marketing and other business disciplines through the context of acquiring and owning a small business. The course will outline pathways to entrepreneurship through acquisition, including search fund, independent sponsor, or through a CEO-in-Training program at a PE firm or a family business. The end goal is ownership of a company in the near future. The course is organized into sections that summarize the experience of entrepreneurs through distinct phases, including raising capital, the search process and deal structure. These classes augment existing FINC courses. Core focus points of the course include due diligence of a particular business, the post-closing transition process and how to create stakeholder value. The course uses several case studies as well as guest speakers who have completed search funds and acquired companies, investors and search fund experts.
Field Study (ENTR-498-5)
Field Studies include those opportunities outside of the regular curriculum in which a student is working with an outside company or non-profit organization to address a real-world business challenge for course credit under the oversight of a faculty member.
Field Study (ENTR-498-0)
Field Studies include those opportunities outside of the regular curriculum in which a student is working with an outside company or non-profit organization to address a real-world business challenge for course credit under the oversight of a faculty member.
