The Revenue Equation podcast
Conversations on how deals actually get found.
The Revenue Equation is the show hosted by Frederik Jakobsen, founder of Danish Lead Co, the group behind DealSource Systems. It is a working conversation about origination: how operators build proprietary deal flow, reach owners before a process starts, and turn a thesis into founder conversations that referrals and auctions never surface.
Why this show, for this audience
Built around the work of origination
Most business podcasts talk about growth in the abstract. The Revenue Equation stays close to the mechanics: where deal flow comes from, how owners actually decide to talk, and what it takes to be the known name when a founder is finally ready to move.
For private equity firms, M&A advisors, and boutique investment banks, that is the same question that decides which mandates you win and which proprietary deals you see first. The show is where we think out loud about it, with operators who do the work.
What the show covers
Episodes circle the same set of questions every PE firm and advisory practice lives with, approached through the lens of operators who build the systems that answer them.
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01
Building proprietary deal flow
How firms move from waiting on brokers and auctions to a standing system that surfaces off-market owners against a defined thesis, every week.
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02
Reaching owners before a process
The window where an owner is privately considering a sale, who really decides, and why the firm that is already a familiar name tends to win the conversation.
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03
AI honestly, in deal-making
Where AI genuinely scales origination, where it fails when left unsupervised, and why experienced operators still guard every founder-facing moment.
Listen anywhere
The Revenue Equation, on every major platform
Subscribe wherever you already listen. New conversations land on the same feeds.
Recent episodes
Conversations worth your commute
A sample of recent episodes. The full catalogue is on the platforms above.
Private equityEpisode
Asset-Light Billions
How licensing models can dramatically increase EBITDA multiples.
Manufacturing, retailEpisode
From 0-1500 Stores
How to challenge industry giants and grow from 0 to 1500+ global stores.
B2B SaaSEpisode
AI 10X'd Developers
What happens when AI radically changes developer productivity.
About the show
Where to listen, who it is for, and how it relates to DealSource Systems.
What is The Revenue Equation about?
The Revenue Equation is a podcast hosted by Frederik Jakobsen, founder of Danish Lead Co, the group behind DealSource Systems. It is a working conversation about origination: how operators build proprietary deal flow, reach owners before a process starts, and turn an investment thesis into founder conversations that referrals and auctions never surface. It is framed for private equity firms, M&A advisors, and boutique investment banks.
Where can I listen to full episodes?
The Revenue Equation is on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. The links above take you to the show on each platform, and the recent episodes on this page link straight to the full conversations. The show is published with Danish Lead Co, the parent behind DealSource Systems.
Who should listen to The Revenue Equation?
It is built for operators who care about where deal flow actually comes from: private equity firms building proprietary pipeline, M&A advisors and boutique investment banks who win mandates by reaching owners first, and founders who want the honest version of how AI does and does not help in origination.
Prefer to talk about your own deal flow?
Thirty minutes on your mandate, your current origination coverage, and the conversations this system would open in your market. If we are not confident it fits, we will say so.
Confidential, and handled by the team that would run your mandate. Or listen to the show first.