Registration + breakfast
Start the day with breakfast and connect with peers before the morning sessions kick off.
Breakfast sponsor
Morrison Cohen
Start the day with breakfast and connect with peers before the morning sessions kick off.
Pre-scheduled 15-minute slots. Private one-on-one meetings pairing active independent sponsors with qualified capital providers.
Grab a coffee and network with fellow attendees before the content sessions kick off.
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.
Managing Director, Value Creation Practice Lead
ECA Partners
Managing Partner
Ice Miller
Partner, Private Equity / Independent Sponsor Leader
Lippes Mathias
John Koeppel is a Partner and the Team Leader of Lippes Mathias’ Private Equity and Independent Sponsor Practices. He is one of top lawyers nationally focused on “direct deals”, and has successfully structured, negotiated, and closed over 250 transactions in the past 25+ years, which typically involve mergers and acquisitions, fund / SPV formations, and private equity / independent sponsor transactions. He also works with clients on reviewing / structuring their Qualified Small Business Stock investments. Mr. Koeppel acts as counsel to a number of leading private equity firms, independent sponsors, holding companies, middle market companies, institutional investors, family offices, and high net worth investors focused on buy-out, growth, venture, real estate, intellectual property, energy, debt, fund-of-funds, co-investments, secondaries, and other strategies. He also often acts as US counsel to non-US clients on their US private equity and M&A transactions. He also serves as a director for several private equity-backed companies. On the transactions side, Mr. Koeppel has advised on deals from $5 million to $250 million+ in a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, technology, consumer goods, food, distribution, business services, cleantech, and medical / health care. Mr. Koeppel and his team take a pro-active and practical approach to helping clients make connections and successfully navigating the various legal challenges in any direct deal. Mr. Koeppel has received several awards for excellence, including The Best Lawyers in America©; Chambers USA, Leading Corporate/M&A/Private Equity Lawyers; and Upstate Capital, Dealmaker of the Year; and Leading Independent Sponsor Lawyer. In addition, he is a frequent speaker at a number of leading private equity / independent sponsor and M&A events / podcasts (including: iGlobal Independent Sponsor Summit, US Emerging Manager Institute, Association for Corporate Growth, Expert Webcast, SBIA: Independent Sponsor Forum, Family Office Enterprise).
Partner
Holland & Knight
Kevin Christmas is an experienced private equity attorney and the co-head of both Holland & Knight's Independent Sponsors and Search Funds teams. Mr. Christmas has substantial experience representing domestic and international independent sponsors, search funds and private equity funds in connection with capital raising, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, leveraged buyouts, financing, equity structuring, general corporate advisory work and related matters.
Partner, Transaction Advisory Services
Withum
Kelsey Thomas is a Partner in Withum's Transaction Advisory Services team with nearly 20 years of experience in public accounting and advisory. She advises private equity firms, strategic acquirers, and business owners on buy- and sell-side transactions, providing financial due diligence, quality of earnings, EBITDA normalization, working capital analysis, and deal negotiation support. Kelsey also hosts the M&A Empow'her'ment video series, spotlighting women leaders while fostering mentorship, visibility, and meaningful connections for the next generation of professionals.
Lunch and open networking, connect with dealmakers between sessions.
Every deal team has a spreadsheet with the same company spelled three different ways and everyone already knows how it should be structured. The real barrier was never knowledge; it's that fixing it properly used to cost a week nobody had. This session walks through how one independent sponsor rebuilt its entire deal and portfolio operation inside a tool the team already used, working with AI as a design partner rather than a chatbot, including the moment that AI partner caught a data modeling mistake that would have quietly broken every pipeline number downstream. Attendees leave with a concrete, six-step playbook for spotting which of their own processes are ready for this, and where the real limits are.
VP of Technology
VTG (Virtual Technologies Group)
Alex Ulbrich is VP of Technology at VTG (Virtual Technologies Group), a private equity-backed IT services company sponsored by Jacmel Growth Partners. He leads technology strategy across AI Adoption & Enablement, Observability, Automation, and VTG's ValueFirst practice, working across the platform's operating companies and directly with clients on pre-sales and solution architecture. Over the past year, Alex has focused on treating AI as a design partner rather than a chatbot, rebuilding internal tools from the ground up instead of bolting AI onto old workflows. In this session, he shares a concrete playbook for spotting which of your own processes are ready for that kind of rebuild, and where the real limits are, drawn from his experience standing up technology functions inside a sponsor-backed platform. Alex is based in the Raleigh, NC area and has spoken previously on practical AI adoption.
Who is this session for? Independent sponsors, deal team members and analysts, portfolio operations leads, and search fund principals who are running deal pipeline or portfolio tracking through spreadsheets or underused CRM tools and are evaluating whether AI-assisted internal tooling is realistic without hiring engineers. Also relevant to anyone at the summit responsible for firm operations rather than deal execution.
Finding proprietary opportunities is one challenge. Recognizing the exceptional ones is another. Howard Morgan has spent more than 40 years doing exactly that, as Founding President of Renaissance Technologies, Co-Founder of First Round Capital and now Chair of B Capital, backing businesses including Uber, Square, Roblox and Notion long before they became global leaders. He joins the summit to share the investment frameworks that help investors identify opportunities others miss.
Managing Partner
CohnReznick
Claudine Cohen is Managing Partner of CohnReznick's Value360 Advisory practice, leading multidisciplinary teams that help organizations unlock and maximize value across the business and transaction lifecycle. She oversees integrated capabilities spanning transaction advisory, valuation, and restructuring, delivering practical, results-driven solutions from strategy through execution. She also leads the firm's Independent Sponsor practice, partnering closely with sponsors throughout the deal lifecycle.
Co-Founder, Chair & General Partner
B Capital
Howard Morgan is the Co-Founder, Chair and General Partner of B Capital and one of the pioneers of early-stage investing and the early internet. Howard co-founded First Round Capital, helped found Idealab and served as Founding President of Renaissance Technologies (a quantitative focused hedge fund). Howard's research on user interface technology and the optimization of computer networks was critical to bringing the ARPAnet to Philadelphia in the 1970s and helping corporations and government agencies of all sizes use technology to improve their efficiency. He has deep experience with very large databases and served as the first Editor of the ACM Transactions on Database Systems Journal. Before moving into the business of technology, he was a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University and an Executive Fellow at UC Berkeley. Throughout his career, Howard has mentored a range of talented professionals, from PhD students to early-stage entrepreneurs, taking companies from seed stage through initial public offering. He currently serves as a Director of Idealab and on the nonprofit boards of Cornell University, NY Public Library, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories and Math for America. A respected author and a frequent speaker at major industry conferences, he has also served on a number of public company boards, including Franklin Electronic Publishers and Internet Brands, Inc. Howard received a PhD in Operations Research from Cornell University and a BS in Physics from City College of the City University of New York. He is based in New York.
Not every deal works. Not every management team performs. Not every capital partner stays aligned. Senior independent sponsors on stage talking about what actually went wrong and how they handled underperformance.
Partner, Transaction Advisory Services
Citrin Cooperman
David Zawitkowski is a partner with the firm's Transaction Advisory Services (TAS) Practice. He has worked with strategic buyers (both public and private) and private equity firms on asset purchases, stock purchases, carve-outs, and growth-equity investments. He also provides post-closing assistance.
CEO
North Park Group
Managing Partner
Pearl Street Capital Partners
Managing Partner
Tuckerman Capital
Partner
Haynes Boone
Zach advises private equity firms and their portfolio companies, public companies and private businesses on acquisitions, dispositions, complex investments, joint ventures and other strategic transactions. His work includes matters involving clients operating in health care and life sciences, consumer products and services, chemicals and manufacturing, technology, national defense, transportation, education, staffing and business services, and renewable energy. His experience spans the full investment life cycle, and he is often called on to represent private equity clients and portfolio companies in multiple transactions from acquisition through exit.
The most active IS deal sector by volume and the most technically demanding. Home health, behavioral, dental, physician practices. Closed peer session for IS with active healthcare deals.
Qualification: one or more closed healthcare deals or an active LOI. Open door for listeners. Apply at registration.
You have heard the deal from the IS perspective. Now hear it from the company. A portfolio CEO joins on stage and the conversation starts with one question: why did you choose this sponsor over the other offers on the table?
Partner
Miller Shah LLP
The most crowded IS sector at auction. Every sponsor is chasing the same recurring-revenue businesses and differentiation has never mattered more. Closed clinic for IS active in B2B services.
Qualification: one or more closed B2B deals or an active LOI. Open door for listeners. Apply at registration.
The feedback independent sponsors never hear in a 1:1. Capital providers speak candidly about what is actually in their inbox, what makes them say yes versus no, and what IS consistently get wrong in the capital raising process.
CEO and Founder
National Business Capital
Joe Camberato is the CEO and Founder of National Business Capital, a private lender that provides companies with fast, efficient access to bridge and growth capital. Since founding the firm in 2007, Joe and his experienced team have financed more than $3 billion for businesses nationwide, becoming market leaders in transactions ranging from $250,000 to $15 million. Driven by his vision to simplify access to capital, Joe grew National Business Capital from his spare bedroom into a leading fintech-powered platform, pioneering access to private credit for small and mid-sized companies without raising venture or private equity funding. A recognized authority on business financing and growth, Joe is frequently featured in Forbes, CNBC, Fast Money, and Business Insider. He shares actionable insights for entrepreneurs on YouTube, LinkedIn, and X at @GrowByJoe.
Partner and Practice Leader
Citrin Cooperman
CEO
Vion Investments
Partner and Co-Chair, Corporate Department
Herrick
Morris F. DeFeo, Jr. is a partner and a co-chair of Herrick's Corporate Department, where he focuses on domestic and international capital markets, corporate finance and M&A transactions, and corporate governance and compliance counseling for boards, committees and directors of public and private companies and not-for-profit entities. Morris also leads the Firm's fund practice. For over 40 years, Morris has advised public and private corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies, real estate investment trusts (REITs), private equity firms and funds, venture and hedge funds, private investment funds and other clients in U.S. and cross-border joint ventures and strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, consolidations, asset and stock acquisitions and dispositions, all aspects of private equity and venture capital fund transactions and public and private offerings of debt and equity securities, including initial public offerings and shelf-registered offerings, Rule 144A high-yield debt offerings and exchange listings. Morris provides counsel to fund sponsors and investors on a range of investment activities including fund formation, structuring arrangements, senior and mezzanine debt, distressed investments, syndications, leveraged buyouts, majority and minority stake investments, sales and divestitures as well as exit strategies.
The IS-to-fund decision is one of the most consequential a sponsor can make, and most people making it are doing so without a realistic picture of what changes. Three seats: an IS who stayed deal-by-deal, one who just closed their first fund, and the LP who backed them.
Managing Partner
LP First Capital
Managing Director, Private Equity
HighVista
Final meeting window of the day.
All 1-2-1s end.
Drinks. Unstructured networking. Day 1 wraps.
Start the day with breakfast and connect with peers before the morning sessions kick off.
Pre-scheduled 15-minute slots. Private one-on-one meetings pairing active independent sponsors with qualified capital providers.
Open floor. Exhibitor stands. Coffee.
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.
Partner, Corporate
Katten
Partner, Mergers and Acquisitions
Katten
Revenue Management Labs
Vice President, Private Capital
Virtus Insurance
Senior Solutions Engineer
HiBob
Tyler has spent the past six years working in the people technology space, with a particular focus on understanding complex business needs and identifying opportunities for technological innovation to deliver meaningful impact. For the past two years, he has worked at HiBob, partnering with Enterprise clients to understand their strategic priorities and helping them leverage technology to radically transform their businesses across the human capital domain. Prior to joining HiBob, Tyler worked at UKG.
Managing Partner
Morrison Cohen
Steven focuses on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, venture and growth capital, private investment funds, founder and family owned companies and emerging and growth company representation. Private equity funds and their portfolio companies regularly turn to Steven for strategic guidance on a wide range of transactions, including platform acquisitions and exits, add-ons, and early-stage and growth investments. Family- and founder-owned businesses rely on his deep market knowledge and his practical, collaborative approach in handling their strategic transactions, such as growth equity financings, recaps and exits. Steven is also active in the private investment fund area, representing both financial sponsors and institutions in fund formation matters, primary and secondary investments, and co-investments. Steven also advises early and growth stage companies and investors in venture and growth capital financings and serves as outside general counsel to emerging growth and established operating companies.
Rick Lazio, Corporate Counsel at Jones Walker LLP and former U.S. Congressman (R-NY) and Executive Vice President of JPMorgan Chase under Jamie Dimon, provides a strategic assessment of the economic, technological and policy forces influencing middle-market M&A. The presentation will provide insight into the Federal Reserve under new leadership, as well as inflation, housing and energy trends, and whether AI and robotics will accelerate competitive advantages for larger companies or create new opportunities for smaller businesses. Mr. Lazio will also provide observations on key issues for sponsors and investors, including how economic and political drivers are expected to influence such issues.
Partner
Jones Walker LLP
Asher Friend is a senior partner in the Jones Walker LLP Corporate Practice Group, a member of the firm's M&A and private equity teams, and co-chair of its Independent Sponsor practice. Asher has developed significant experience in the hospitality, healthcare, energy, manufacturing and technology industries, including representing clients in myriad acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, and related corporate transactions involving hotels, casinos, bars, restaurants, nightclubs, food service businesses, industrial and consumer products, healthcare systems, practices and ancillary assets, energy and oil-field service assets, and other related core intellectual property assets. Throughout the course of his professional career, Asher has represented clients at each stage of the growth cycle: from emerging, start-up, privately owned companies to mature, publicly traded companies, with a concentration in M&A, public and private offerings of debt and equity securities, and advising and assisting clients through the entire spectrum of related corporate and transactional matters.
Corporate Counsel
Jones Walker LLP
Rick Lazio is a nationally recognized leader in public policy, financial services, and corporate governance, with experience spanning government, banking, housing finance, and business strategy. An attorney, he practices in the Corporate Practice Group at Jones Walker, one of the largest commercial law firms in the Southeastern United States. Lazio served in the U.S. House of Representatives from New York, where he held a leadership role as Assistant Majority Leader, chaired the House Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity, and helped shape major housing policy reforms, including authoring the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA) and leading efforts on the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act. He was also a prolific legislator on the Securities Subcommittee and the Financial Services Committee of the House of Representatives. In the private sector, Lazio served as Executive Vice President of JPMorgan Chase and was a member of the firm's Executive Committee. He previously served as President and CEO of the Financial Services Forum, a policy and research organization comprising the CEOs of the twenty largest U.S.-headquartered global financial services firms. Lazio currently serves as Senior Vice President of alliant group, where he advises businesses on policy, growth and strategic issues. Lazio has served on and held leadership roles across numerous public and private company boards. He currently serves on the boards of Bellwether Enterprise and NAPCO Security Technologies and chairs the Board of Trustees of Enterprise Community Partners.
Full spectrum: SBIC, Align-style collaborate model, family office co-invest, traditional PE fund. What does the sponsor give up in each?
Partner
Charter Growth Capital
An interactive session for operators, advisors, and PE professionals who want to sharpen their value creation approach. Participants move from individual perspective to shared insight through structured peer-sourcing, diagnostic frameworks, and committed action.
Partner
Benesch
Jennifer has 20 years of experience as a lead lawyer and strategic partner who uses sound legal judgment, smart business acumen, and deep operational expertise in counseling public corporations, privately held companies, large private equity platforms, and venture capital firms through complex, high stakes, multidimensional business transactions. Jennifer’s expertise includes advising and leading cross-functional in-house, client, and third-party teams in structuring, negotiating, and executing high-profile international mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, financings, restructurings, bankruptcy proceedings, venture capital initiatives and equity co-investments for U.S. and international clients. Her experience spans numerous industries including financial technology, healthcare, real estate, manufacturing, and transportation, as well as early-stage, high-growth companies where she advises on the full business life cycle from formation, capitalization, and acquisition through operation and ultimate exit. Jennifer advises clients and C-suite executives on a range of corporate matters, including governance, legal strategy, risk management and mitigation, and ongoing operations for subsidiaries and portfolio companies. She also has prior experience serving in the in-house legal function role for a large international manufacturer and distributor as well as a high growth electric mobility manufacturer.
Growth and Operations
Sapien
The SBIC model is one of the most IS-friendly capital structures available and one of the least understood by IS in their first one to three deals. Practitioners who have closed 100+ IS-backed SBIC transactions cover the mechanics in real terms.
Partner
Ice Miller
Founding Partner
Tamarix Equity Partners
Open seating.
Headline speaker and full session title will be announced ahead of the summit. Everyone gathers.
Partner disagreements. Firing a CEO you recruited. Governance friction when your capital provider and management team are pulling in different directions.
Corporate Department Co-Chair
Koley Jessen
Partner
Thesis Capital Partners
Managing Partner
LP First Capital
Highest pursuit rate of any LMM sub-sector on Axial. And in 2025, the sector where tariff exposure is rewriting deal models overnight. For IS with active manufacturing deals.
Deputy Chair, Capital Markets & Corporate
Loeb & Loeb
With over 20+ years of experience, Ronelle is a seasoned transactional attorney who focuses her practice on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, joint ventures, and general corporate representation. She counsels and advises private equity funds, independent sponsors, venture funds, private and public companies on complex business transactions in a variety of industries, including industrial technology, sports, and energy. Ronelle collaborates with her clients to understand their strategic and financial priorities beyond any particular transaction and works closely with them to ensure that their identified objectives are continuously considered not only in larger strategic matters but also in day-to-day business decisions. In addition to her corporate practice, Ronelle is a member of the firm's Diversity Committee. She is also a past co-chair of Loeb & Loeb's New York Women's LEAD Network.
Qualification: one or more closed manufacturing deals or an active LOI. Open door for listeners. Apply at registration.
Post-panel meeting window.
Co-sponsorship is a fast-rising trend in the IS model. This session goes beyond the concept: two IS co-sponsors from the same real deal walk through the structure live.
Partner
Levenfeld Pearlstein
HVAC. Roofing. Pest control. Facilities. The fastest-growing IS deal category in 2025, and the one where buy-and-build looks easiest on paper and hardest in practice. For IS building platforms in essential services.
Vice President
Aspen HR and Engage PEO Company
Qualification: one or more closed essential services deals or an active LOI. Open door for listeners. Apply at registration.
Final meeting slots of the conference.
Program subject to refinement as speakers confirm. Sector clinic access is gated by an active deal or LOI in that sector. Apply at registration.