Independent Sponsors
Summit
Every meeting is matched to your deal stage, sector focus, and capital priorities. Every session is tagged by deal lifecycle phase. Your six most valuable introductions are identified before you arrive.
The longest-running independent sponsor event series in the U.S., and the largest, most curated gathering of the market we have ever assembled.
The conversations that close deals start here.
Where the independent sponsor ecosystem actually meets, schedules, structures, and closes.
Everything that was good.
Seven things that are new.
More 1-2-1 meetings, our most requested change, delivered
The Summit now delivers 26 meeting slots across two days, our highest in event history. Personalized pre-event recommendations ensure you're filling those additional meeting slots with counterparties highly aligned to your deal and capital priorities.
6 personalized meeting recommendations before you arrive
Ahead of the Summit, every registered attendee receives 6 personalized meeting recommendations aligned to sector focus, deal stage, capital strategy, and co-sponsor interest. You arrive with a warm list of relevant conversations already identified, not a blank calendar.
Content organized by deal phase
Every session is now tagged by where you are in the deal lifecycle, Pre-deal, Deal execution, or Post-close, and by who it's built for: emerging independent sponsors, advanced independent sponsors, or capital providers.
Sector deal clinics, one room, one sector, 45 minutes
Four closed sessions running across both days. Healthcare. B2B services. Niche manufacturing. Essential services. Independent sponsors active in the sector, one provocation, no slides. Discuss closed deals or active LOI in the sector.
The senior IS tier, built for sponsors with 3+ deals
A layer for experienced sponsors. Access to all three tailored Chatham House sessions. Priority meeting slots with capital providers who have active LOIs.
IS foundations, an emerging masterclass
For independent sponsors in their first 1-3 deals. Four back-to-back sessions: the capital stack explained, first deal economics, presenting to allocators without a track record, and building your sourcing engine.
Women in IS breakfast, a new closed session
A breakfast for female leaders across all roles in the independent sponsor ecosystem, sponsors, capital providers, advisors. Facilitated. No formal agenda. A room where the guard is down. The foundation of a year-round program.
Built for every seat
at the deal table.
The Summit brings together every participant in the independent sponsor deal lifecycle, from first-deal sponsors to multi-platform operators, across every form of capital. SBIC and non-control equity, family offices, direct lenders, and institutional LPs.
Building your platform
The capital relationships, sourcing engine, and credibility signals that will define your first 1-3 deals.
See sessionsAdvanced IS · 3+ dealsScaling and deciding
The capital relationships, decision frameworks, and peer conversations that matter at 3+ deals.
See sessionsDebt and equity in one package. The capital structure independent sponsors use to close deals faster.
See sessionsNON-CONTROL EQUITYBacking independent sponsors without taking the wheel. The fastest-growing capital model in the market.
See sessionsDIRECT LENDERSSenior secured and unitranche for independent sponsor-backed transactions. Active deal pipeline, continuously.
See sessionsFAMILY OFFICESDeal-by-deal co-investment without fund overhead. 70% of family offices now deploy directly.
See sessionsINSTITUTIONAL LPSBacking independent sponsors and emerging managers at scale. Access to the fund-raise pipeline 2-3 years before it begins.
See sessionsSeven reasons.
Two days. One room.
The meetings are king
26 slots per person. Curated suggestions before you arrive. We tell you who to meet, you show up ready.
550+ people. Zero filler.
Large enough to find who you need. Small enough to actually meet them. Designed to maximize both curated introductions and high-value organic networking.
Capital that is actively deploying
SBICs, family offices, direct lenders, institutional LPs: Deal-ready. Actively Transacting. Not only exploring.
Active IS deal flow
Independent sponsors actively raising, evaluating acquisitions, and building capital relationships, alongside capital providers actively deploying into the lower middle market.
Content built around your deal
Every session tagged by phase and audience tier. Pre-deal. Deal execution. Post-close. No session you didn't come for.
Conversations that don't happen on panels
Chatham House sessions. Sector clinics. A senior independent sponsor tier. The candid intelligence that only surfaces when the room is right.
Game-changing results
95% of our attendees report meeting new prospects or securing new deals at our events. Leave with new relationships to fuel your pipeline.
The program.
Every phase of the deal.
Sessions tagged by deal phase and audience tier. The meeting room never closes. Content runs alongside. You choose how to spend every slot.
- ›Market insights
- ›Early opportunities
- ›Sourcing strategies
- ›Regulatory context
- ›Founders & IB connections
- ›Structuring & negotiation
- ›Financing models
- ›Case studies
- ›Diligence & valuation
- ›Deal connections
- ›Integration & alignment
- ›Value creation
- ›Post-close lessons
- ›Exit planning
- ›Peer exchange
The people in the room
who set the tone.
Senior independent sponsors, capital providers, and operators who lead the Chatham House sessions, sector deal clinics, and keynote moments. The 2026 line-up is being confirmed now.
One room.
One sector.
45 minutes.
Four closed sector deal clinics running sequentially across both days, parallel to the meeting room, so you never have to choose. Facilitated by a senior independent sponsor active in that sector. No slides. One provocation. The conversation that generic independent sponsor sessions never reach.
Pre-register for the clinic that matches your active deal focus. Qualification: at least one closed deal or active LOI in the sector. Open door for listeners where space allows.
Apply for a clinic placeHealthcare services
Day 1 · 2:00 PM · Room HHome health, behavioral, dental, physician practices. Regulatory complexity, reimbursement risk, management retention. The most active independent sponsor sector by volume on Axial.
“What did you get wrong on your last healthcare deal, and what did it cost you?”
B2B services
Day 1 · 2:50 PM · Room HOutsourced services, staffing, compliance, professional services. The most crowded independent sponsor sector at auction. How do you source proprietary flow when everyone is chasing the same businesses?
“What is your actual edge when a seller has four other offers on the table?”
Niche manufacturing
Day 2 · 1:55 PM · Room HHighest Axial pursuit rate of any sub-sector. Boomer succession wave most acute here. Tariff exposure is the live risk, how are independent sponsors renegotiating deals modeled before the announcements hit?
“Where are you in deals that were under LOI when the tariff announcements hit?”
Essential services
Day 2 · 2:50 PM · Room HHVAC, roofing, facilities, pest control. Fastest-growing independent sponsor deal category 2024-25. Buy-and-build is the dominant strategy. What breaks the platform thesis?
“What breaks the buy-and-build model, and how far in did you get before you found out?”
The room speaks
for itself.
I have been here for all eight years. What I come back for is just the quality of people who I meet.
We love this conference, we will be back next year. I tell them that every year. It has been really phenomenal.
An efficient, affordable way for independent sponsors and capital providers to build meaningful relationships and learn about industry developments.
There's a lot of really significant players who are actively doing deals in the industry. Being top of mind and seeing them is really valuable.
I would absolutely tell people to come, particularly folks trying to develop their network of capital providers and meet other independent sponsors.
The great turnout always leaves me with new value-add relationships so I can grow my deal flow.
The leading firms in the
independent sponsor market support the Summit.
A selection of the law firms, accountants, lenders, capital providers, and strategic partners that return year after year.
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Sponsorship inquiries: Become a Summit sponsor
The room, the meetings, the closed-door sessions.
26 slots per person across both days. Curated before you land.
550 independent sponsors, capital providers, advisors and operators in one room.
Closed door. Senior independent sponsors only. No attribution.
550+ in one room.
September 28-29.
New York.
The largest gathering of the independent sponsor market we have ever put together. Register now to secure your place and your pre-event personalized meeting suggestions.