Plan your two days

1. 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.

2. From9:15 AM - to10:15 AM

   Roundtable

   All IS, |Capital Providers

   More about 1-2-1 meetings open

   1-2-1 meetings open

   Pre-scheduled 15-minute slots. Private one-on-one meetings pairing active independent sponsors with qualified capital providers.

   Close

   Roundtable

   1-2-1 meetings open

   Monday 15 March | 9:15 AM - 10:15 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.

3. From10:30 AM - to12:00 PM

   Panel

   All Attendees, |All IS

   More about Executive exchanges

   Executive exchanges

   Lively, interactive small-group discussions on the most pressing topics independent sponsors are facing today.

   Workshop

   All IS, |Capital Providers

   More about 1-2-1 meetings open

   1-2-1 meetings open

   Pre-scheduled 15-minute slots. Private one-on-one meetings pairing active independent sponsors with qualified capital providers.

   Executive Exchange

   All IS

   More about Raising your first fund

   Raising your first fund

   What changes when you stop doing deals one at a time, and what the first close actually asks of you.

   Roundtable

   All Attendees

   More about Deal structures that survive diligence

   Deal structures that survive diligence

   Where independent sponsor economics come under pressure, and the terms that hold up on the second look.

   Close

   Panel

   Executive exchanges

   Monday 15 March | 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

   Topics

   • Private Equity
   • Growth Investing

   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

   1. Table 1

      Building your sourcing engine from scratch

      How sponsors without a fund build a pipeline that does not depend on bankers, and what it costs to run.

      • Moderator

        

        Matt Bodnar

        Eidolon Capital

        Founding Partner

   2. Table 2

      Winning IS deal structures: rollover equity, seller financing and earnout trends

      The structures closing deals this year, and where sellers and capital providers are pushing back.

      • Facilitator

        

        Kenneth Heuer

        Kidd & Company

        Principal

      • Facilitator

        

        Casey Minshew

        Equity Launchpad

        Managing Partner

   3. Table 3

      Family offices as capital partners

      What a family office wants from a sponsor that a fund does not, and how to find the ones writing cheques.

      • Facilitator

        

        Andy Baker

        Tyrian Capital

        Managing Partner

   4. Table 4

      Operating partners: when to bring one in

      Timing, economics and how the relationship holds up through the first hard quarter.

      • Moderator

        

        Michael Sommerdorf

        LP First Capital

        Principal

   5. Table 5

      Your first close: the terms to hold

      Which concessions capital providers ask for first, and which are worth giving.

      • Moderator

        

        Douglas Rose

        Gardner Webster Capital Partners

        Managing Partner

   6. Table 6

      Lender relationships through the hold

      Keeping credit partners on side when the plan slips, from the first covenant conversation onwards.

      • Moderator

        

        Michael Trachtenberg

        Cedar Elm Capital

        Principal

      • Facilitator

        

        David Acharya

        Acharya Capital Partners

        Managing Partner

   Sponsors

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   Close

   Workshop

   1-2-1 meetings open

   Monday 15 March | 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

   Topics

   • Deal Sourcing

   Pre-scheduled 15-minute slots. Private one-on-one meetings pairing active independent sponsors with qualified capital providers.

   Close

   Executive Exchange

   Raising your first fund

   Monday 15 March | 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

   Topics

   • Leadership
   • Fundraising

   What changes when you stop doing deals one at a time, and what the first close actually asks of you. Three sponsors who closed a debut fund in the last eighteen months on the terms they conceded, the ones they held, and what they would do differently.

   Speakers (2 confirmed)

   • 

   • 

   Close

   Roundtable

   Deal structures that survive diligence

   Monday 15 March | 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

   Topics

   • Private Equity

   Where independent sponsor economics come under pressure, and the terms that hold up on the second look.

4. From12:00 PM - to1:00 PM

   Break

   All Attendees

   Networking lunch

   Lunch and open networking, connect with dealmakers between sessions.

5. From1:00 PM - to2:30 PM

   Keynote

   All Attendees

   More about Luncheon workshop delivered by Verivend

   Luncheon workshop delivered by Verivend

   Finding proprietary opportunities is one challenge. Recognizing the exceptional ones is another.

   Workshop

   All IS, |Capital Providers

   More about 1-2-1 meetings open

   1-2-1 meetings open

   Pre-scheduled 15-minute slots. Private one-on-one meetings pairing active independent sponsors with qualified capital providers.

   Panel

   All Attendees, |All IS

   More about Executive exchanges

   Executive exchanges

   Lively, interactive small-group discussions on the most pressing topics independent sponsors are facing today.

   Close

   Keynote

   Luncheon workshop delivered by Verivend

   Monday 15 March | 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

   Topics

   • Private Equity
   • Growth Investing
   • Leadership

   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)

   • 

   Sponsor

   • 
   Close

   Workshop

   1-2-1 meetings open

   Monday 15 March | 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

   Topics

   • Deal Sourcing

   Pre-scheduled 15-minute slots. Private one-on-one meetings pairing active independent sponsors with qualified capital providers.

   Close

   Panel

   Executive exchanges

   Monday 15 March | 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

   Topics

   • Growth Investing

   Lively, interactive small-group discussions on the most pressing topics independent sponsors are facing today.

   Tables

   1. Table 1

      Building your sourcing engine from scratch

      How sponsors without a fund build a pipeline that does not depend on bankers, and what it costs to run.

      • Moderator

        

        Matt Bodnar

        Eidolon Capital

        Founding Partner

   2. Table 2

      Winning IS deal structures: rollover equity, seller financing and earnout trends

      The structures closing deals this year, and where sellers and capital providers are pushing back.

      • Facilitator

        

        Kenneth Heuer

        Kidd & Company

        Principal

      • Facilitator

        

        Casey Minshew

        Equity Launchpad

        Managing Partner

   3. Table 3

      Family offices as capital partners

      What a family office wants from a sponsor that a fund does not, and how to find the ones writing cheques.

      • Facilitator

        

        Andy Baker

        Tyrian Capital

        Managing Partner

   4. Table 4

      Operating partners: when to bring one in

      Timing, economics and how the relationship holds up through the first hard quarter.

      • Moderator

        

        Michael Sommerdorf

        LP First Capital

        Principal

   5. Table 5

      Your first close: the terms to hold

      Which concessions capital providers ask for first, and which are worth giving.

      • Moderator

        

        Douglas Rose

        Gardner Webster Capital Partners

        Managing Partner

   6. Table 6

      Lender relationships through the hold

      Keeping credit partners on side when the plan slips, from the first covenant conversation onwards.

      • Moderator

        

        Michael Trachtenberg

        Cedar Elm Capital

        Principal

      • Facilitator

        

        David Acharya

        Acharya Capital Partners

        Managing Partner

   Sponsors

   • 
   • 
   • 
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   • 

6. From2:45 PM - to4:15 PM

   Executive Exchange

   All Attendees, |All IS

   More about Executive exchanges

   Executive exchanges

   Lively, interactive small-group discussions on the most pressing topics independent sponsors are facing today. Groups of 6 to 8 rotate every 20 minutes.

   Close

   Executive Exchange

   Executive exchanges

   Monday 15 March | 2:45 PM - 4:15 PM

   Topics

   • Private Equity
   • Leadership

   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

   1. Table 1

      Building your sourcing engine from scratch

      How sponsors without a fund build a pipeline that does not depend on bankers, and what it costs to run.

      • Moderator

        

        Matt Bodnar

        Eidolon Capital

        Founding Partner

   2. Table 2

      Winning IS deal structures: rollover equity, seller financing and earnout trends

      The structures closing deals this year, and where sellers and capital providers are pushing back.

      • Facilitator

        

        Kenneth Heuer

        Kidd & Company

        Principal

      • Facilitator

        

        Casey Minshew

        Equity Launchpad

        Managing Partner

   3. Table 3

      Family offices as capital partners

      What a family office wants from a sponsor that a fund does not, and how to find the ones writing cheques.

      • Facilitator

        

        Andy Baker

        Tyrian Capital

        Managing Partner

   4. Table 4

      Operating partners: when to bring one in

      Timing, economics and how the relationship holds up through the first hard quarter.

      • Moderator

        

        Michael Sommerdorf

        LP First Capital

        Principal

   5. Table 5

      Your first close: the terms to hold

      Which concessions capital providers ask for first, and which are worth giving.

      • Moderator

        

        Douglas Rose

        Gardner Webster Capital Partners

        Managing Partner

   6. Table 6

      Lender relationships through the hold

      Keeping credit partners on side when the plan slips, from the first covenant conversation onwards.

      • Moderator

        

        Michael Trachtenberg

        Cedar Elm Capital

        Principal

      • Facilitator

        

        David Acharya

        Acharya Capital Partners

        Managing Partner

   Sponsors

   • 
   • 
   • 
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   • 
   • 

7. From5:00 PM - to7:00 PM

   Reception

   All Attendees

   More about Cocktail reception

   Cocktail reception

   Drinks and unstructured networking as Day One wraps.

   Close

   Reception

   Cocktail reception

   Monday 15 March | 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

   Sponsor

   • 

No sessions match the filters you have chosen.

1. From8:30 AM - to9:15 AM

   Registration

   All Attendees

   Breakfast and registration

   Coffee, pastries and a second chance at the conversations you did not finish yesterday.

2. From9:15 AM - to10:30 AM

   Keynote

   Capital Providers

   More about The capital provider view

   The capital provider view

   What family offices and credit funds are actually looking for in an independent sponsor in 2026.

   Close

   Keynote

   The capital provider view

   Tuesday 16 March | 9:15 AM - 10:30 AM

   Topics

   • Private Equity
   • Fundraising

   What family offices and credit funds are actually looking for in an independent sponsor in 2026, from the people writing the cheques. Where the bar has moved since last year, which diligence questions now come first, and what a strong first meeting looks like from the other side of the table.

   Speaker (1 confirmed)

   • 

   Sponsors

   • 
   • 

3. From10:45 AM - to12:15 PM

   Executive Exchange

   All Attendees, |All IS

   More about Executive exchanges

   Executive exchanges

   Small-group discussions, rotating every 20 minutes, on the problems that came up most yesterday.

   Roundtable

   All IS, |Capital Providers

   More about 1-2-1 meetings open

   1-2-1 meetings open

   The second and final block of pre-scheduled meetings.

   Panel

   All Attendees

   More about Operating partners in practice

   Operating partners in practice

   When to bring one in, what to pay them, and how the relationship survives the first hard quarter.

   Close

   Executive Exchange

   Executive exchanges

   Tuesday 16 March | 10:45 AM - 12:15 PM

   Topics

   • Leadership

   Small-group discussions, rotating every 20 minutes, on the problems that came up most yesterday. Tables are set from the questions submitted on Day One.

   Tables

   1. Table 1

      Building your sourcing engine from scratch

      How sponsors without a fund build a pipeline that does not depend on bankers, and what it costs to run.

      • Moderator

        

        Matt Bodnar

        Eidolon Capital

        Founding Partner

   2. Table 2

      Winning IS deal structures: rollover equity, seller financing and earnout trends

      The structures closing deals this year, and where sellers and capital providers are pushing back.

      • Facilitator

        

        Kenneth Heuer

        Kidd & Company

        Principal

      • Facilitator

        

        Casey Minshew

        Equity Launchpad

        Managing Partner

   3. Table 3

      Family offices as capital partners

      What a family office wants from a sponsor that a fund does not, and how to find the ones writing cheques.

      • Facilitator

        

        Andy Baker

        Tyrian Capital

        Managing Partner

   4. Table 4

      Operating partners: when to bring one in

      Timing, economics and how the relationship holds up through the first hard quarter.

      • Moderator

        

        Michael Sommerdorf

        LP First Capital

        Principal

   5. Table 5

      Your first close: the terms to hold

      Which concessions capital providers ask for first, and which are worth giving.

      • Moderator

        

        Douglas Rose

        Gardner Webster Capital Partners

        Managing Partner

   6. Table 6

      Lender relationships through the hold

      Keeping credit partners on side when the plan slips, from the first covenant conversation onwards.

      • Moderator

        

        Michael Trachtenberg

        Cedar Elm Capital

        Principal

      • Facilitator

        

        David Acharya

        Acharya Capital Partners

        Managing Partner

   Sponsors

   • 
   • 
   • 
   • 
   • 
   • 
   Close

   Roundtable

   1-2-1 meetings open

   Tuesday 16 March | 10:45 AM - 12:15 PM

   Topics

   • Deal Sourcing

   The second and final block of pre-scheduled meetings. Anything unmatched from Day One is prioritised here.

   Close

   Panel

   Operating partners in practice

   Tuesday 16 March | 10:45 AM - 12:15 PM

   Topics

   • Growth Investing
   • Leadership

   When to bring one in, what to pay them, and how the relationship survives the first hard quarter. Three sponsors and two operating partners on the arrangements that worked and the ones that did not.

   Speakers (3 confirmed)

   • 

   • 

   • 

4. From12:15 PM - to1:15 PM

   Break

   All Attendees

   Networking lunch

   Lunch and open networking before the closing sessions.

5. From1:15 PM - to2:30 PM

   Panel

   All Attendees

   More about Exits and the second bite

   Exits and the second bite

   Holding periods are lengthening. What that does to your promote, and how sponsors are structuring around it.

   Workshop

   All IS

   More about Workshop: the data room that closes

   Workshop: the data room that closes

   A working session on what to prepare before you go out, and what buyers ask for first.

   Close

   Panel

   Exits and the second bite

   Tuesday 16 March | 1:15 PM - 2:30 PM

   Topics

   • Private Equity
   • Fundraising

   Holding periods are lengthening. What that does to your promote, and how sponsors are structuring around it - continuation vehicles, partial realisations, and the conversations to have with your capital before you need to.

   Speakers (2 confirmed)

   • 

   • 

   Close

   Workshop

   Workshop: the data room that closes

   Tuesday 16 March | 1:15 PM - 2:30 PM

   Topics

   • Deal Sourcing

   A working session on what to prepare before you go out, and what buyers ask for first. Bring a laptop.

6. From2:45 PM - to3:30 PM

   Reception

   All Attendees

   Closing remarks

   Where the market goes from here, and drinks for anyone staying on.

No sessions match the filters you have chosen.