In this episode of The Revenue Room™ Podcast, Heather Holst-Knudsen sits down with Jon Howland, CEO of Life Science Connect, who took on private equity backing after three decades of family-owned operation — then closed two acquisitions in roughly 30 days. Jon explains why his integration philosophy is "first do no harm," why the founders he acquires matter more than the products they built, and how a lifelong "follow your reader" discipline is now powering a single source of audience truth, purchase-intent data, and an AI-ready growth strategy spanning content, events, and technology.

Why Listen:

• Learn the "first do no harm" approach to integrating acquisitions without destroying culture, systems, or audience trust
• Understand why founder talent — not product — is the real prize in B2B media M&A
• Hear how "follow your reader" protects editorial discipline and long-term revenue under PE ownership
• Discover how unified audience data and engaged content ecosystems unlock purchase-intent revenue in the AI economy
• Get practical advice on choosing the right private equity partner and building an operator-heavy board

CONNECT WITH JON: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-howland-5a080214

About Heather Holst-Knudsen
Heather Holst-Knudsen is the founder and CEO of H2K Labs and Revenue Room™ Connect. A seasoned executive and operator across media, marketplaces, events, and technology, she specializes in digital transformation, data-driven growth, and customer-centric value creation. Heather shares her insights on multisided business models through The Revenue Room™.

About Revenue Room™ CXO
Revenue Room™ CXO is a private executive community for CEOs and revenue-critical C-Suite leaders navigating growth in the data and AI economy. Through curated peer discussions and strategy sprints, members tackle real-world challenges in revenue transformation, customer intelligence, and business model innovation.

Learn more or apply for membership at https://www.revenueroomcxo.com/apply