Anthony Noto

Billionaire investor Bill Ackman opts for a SPARC instead of a SPAC to complete an acquisition.

Amit Thakur, a managing director at Amax Capital and CFO of Augie, is a financial advisor in M&A, debt and equity raising, and strategic finance deals totaling $35 billion. A cross-border pro, Thakur launched Standard Chartered's U.S. M&A business, and led Morgan Stanley's Indian FIG group. He mentors startups as well as multinational companies, globally. As worldwide M&A activity reached $2.8 trillion in the first half of 2021, Thakur says there are plenty of factors that can affect deal pace, including heightened regulatory scrutiny, debt issuance and a tempering SPAC boom.