December 9 2026
New York City, New York
Independent Sponsors & Capital Providers Dealmakers Meeting: New York

Agenda

From8:00 AM to9:00 AM

Registration
All Attendees

Registration and breakfast

Start the day with breakfast and connect with peers before the morning sessions kick off.
From9:00 AM to10:30 AM

Networking
All IS, Capital Providers

Business building 1-2-1 meetings

Pre-arranged meetings connecting independent sponsors, capital providers and family offices based on sector focus, deal size, geography and investment criteria.
Networking
Business building 1-2-1 meetings

Wednesday 09 December 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

Topics

Deal Sourcing

Pre-scheduled 15-minute slots, matched on the sectors and cheque sizes you gave us at registration. Meetings run back to back in the meeting hall, and your schedule is in the app the evening before.
From10:30 AM to11:00 AM

Break
All Attendees

Networking break

Break
Networking break

Wednesday 09 December 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Where independent sponsor economics come under pressure, and the terms that hold up on the second look.
From11:00 AM to12:00 PM

Roundtable

Roundtables

Join peers for a series of focused roundtable discussions on the issues shaping independent sponsor deals.
Roundtable
Roundtables

Wednesday 09 December 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Tables

Table 1

ROUNDTABLE 1: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE FOUNDER STEPS BACK?

Founder-led businesses can be compelling acquisition targets—but the first institutional transaction often reveals how much value still depends on one individual. How do you determine whether value sits within the company or primarily with the founder? What changes when a founder is completing their first—and potentially only—transaction with private equity? How should the founder’s future role, rollover and incentives shape structure, valuation and the transition to new ownership?

Table 2

ROUNDTABLE 2: WHERE STRUCTURE CREATES — OR DESTROYS — VALUE

Headline valuation is only one part of the deal. Tax treatment, governance, founder rollover and sponsor-capital alignment can materially change both returns and execution. Where can structuring decisions, including QSBS / Section 1202, materially change deal economics? What should sponsors and capital providers agree upfront when the investment thesis depends on future acquisitions? When a founder stays, how should the rollover, role, governance and first 90 days be structured? Where can AI improve the way an independent sponsor operates across sourcing, diligence and portfolio management?

Table 3

ROUNDTABLE 3: KNOWING WHEN TO STOP CHASING THE DEAL

The hardest transactions to abandon are often the ones where significant time, money and conviction have already been invested. Which diligence findings should trigger repricing—and which should end the deal? How do experienced sponsors distinguish a solvable issue from a compromised investment thesis? How should deal selection and capital allocation change when attractive entry multiples alone do not predict performance? What role do seller dynamics, capital availability and deal momentum play in keeping weak deals alive for too long?
From12:00 PM to1:00 PM

Break
All Attendees

Networking lunch
Break
Networking lunch

Wednesday 09 December 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Finding proprietary opportunities is one challenge. Recognizing the exceptional ones is another. Forty years of backing businesses before they became household names, and the investment frameworks that help investors identify the opportunities others miss.

Speaker (1 confirmed)

Host

Casey Minshew

Equity Launchpad

Managing Partner

Sponsor
From1:00 PM to2:00 PM

Roundtable

Roundtable series 2: Building a repeatable sponsor model

Three conversations on what separates a successful transaction from a repeatable independent sponsor platform—from partnership strategy and operating involvement to capital formation.
Roundtable
Roundtable series 2: Building a repeatable sponsor model

Wednesday 09 December 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Lively, interactive small-group discussions on the most pressing topics independent sponsors are facing today. Groups of 6 to 8 rotate every 20 minutes. Tables are clearly labeled and pre-assigned based on registration profiling so you sit with peers actually working on the problem.

Tables

Table 1

ROUNDTABLE 1: BEYOND THE FIRST CLOSE

A first transaction proves a deal can get done. The next challenge is building a model that can be repeated across sourcing, capital formation and value creation. When does partnering with another independent sponsor make a transaction stronger, faster or more executable? How narrow should an independent sponsor’s investment focus become as the platform develops? What separates a successful first deal from the beginning of a sustainable sponsor franchise? How should sponsors think about fundraising and value creation as part of the same long-term strategy?

Table 2

ROUNDTABLE 2: WHAT MAKES AN INDEPENDENT SPONSOR REPEATABLE?

Repeatability depends on more than sourcing the next transaction. It requires a clear philosophy around ownership, management and when the sponsor should become more actively involved. Where should an independent sponsor sit on the spectrum from investor to board member to active operator? When does sponsor involvement create value—and when does it undermine management accountability? How do you know whether an underperforming CEO needs support, additional leadership or replacement? What early management signals should sponsors learn not to ignore?

Table 3

ROUNDTABLE 3: WHAT MAKES CAPITAL PROVIDERS LEAN IN — OR WALK

Capital providers rarely explain every reason behind a pass. Many of the issues that weaken conviction are recurring—and avoidable. What makes an investor or lender lose confidence in a sponsor before diligence has even begun? How should sponsors approach economics, carry and “skin in the game” without putting the relationship on the wrong footing? What information should investors receive before being asked to take a call? What separates a fundraising process that builds momentum from one that quietly loses it? How can first-time sponsors avoid the credibility mistakes that capital providers see repeatedly?

Sponsors
From2:00 PM to4:30 PM

Networking
All Attendees

Business building 1-2-1 meetings

Participants connect with a new group of independent sponsors, capital providers, family offices and relevant strategic partners to discuss active opportunities, capital requirements and potential future collaborations.
Networking
Business building 1-2-1 meetings

Wednesday 09 December 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM

Sponsors
From4:30 PM to5:30 PM

Reception

Cocktail reception

Agenda

Agenda

Registration and breakfast

Business building 1-2-1 meetings

Networking break

Roundtables

Networking lunch

Roundtable series 2: Building a repeatable sponsor model

Business building 1-2-1 meetings

Cocktail reception