Henna Kamdar is on the Finance & Diligence team at Merge, reviewing a company’s financials, preparing valuations, and guiding deals through negotiation and diligence. She works closely with founders throughout the process to make sure they understand not just the numbers, but how those numbers directly impact their transaction. A big part of her role is taking something that can feel overwhelmingly complicated and bringing real clarity to it, helping founders understand how buyers will view their financials, spotting potential issues before they become problems, and making sure they feel informed, prepared, and confident at every stage.

Henna was drawn to M&A because it combines finance, strategy, and negotiation in a way that lets her use her analytical skills while still working closely with people and making a tangible impact. She earned her MBA before moving into the industry, and M&A felt like a natural, hands-on way to apply that experience. One of her biggest strengths is her ability to understand people and adapt her approach based on what they need, since every founder handles the process differently, and she’s thoughtful about how she communicates, how much detail she provides, and the kind of support each person needs from her. Among the transactions she’s most proud of is the first deal she saw all the way through, from valuation to negotiations to close, a process that ended with the founder telling her he trusted her enough to blindly follow her lead, a level of trust that has stuck with her ever since.

What excites Henna most about working at Merge is the chance to work so closely with founders, learning from people with completely different leadership styles and hearing the stories behind how they built their companies. The most meaningful part for her is seeing firsthand the impact the work can have on a small business owner’s life, knowing that what they’ve built represents years of hard work, sacrifice, and a huge part of who they are. She’s guided by a strong sense of community, both personally and professionally, being a good teammate, collaborating openly, and stepping in when someone needs help. Colleagues would describe Henna as reliable and approachable, someone people can count on to follow through and feel comfortable turning to with questions, ideas, or just to talk through a problem (she’s also the one who always has Munchkins to share).

Outside of work, Henna is a little obsessed with group fitness classes, particularly Solidcore and SoulCycle, having taken over 2,000 classes and counting. Before moving into finance and M&A, she also worked in celebrity branding in the entertainment industry, a very different world on the surface, but one that taught her many of the same skills she relies on today, especially managing relationships, negotiating, and staying calm under pressure.