Full Program

Two days.
Every room, every slot.

1-2-1 meeting slots run all day, not just within defined 1-2-1 meeting sessions.

Sessions are tagged by deal phase, audience tier, and room. Panels, roundtables, and sector clinics run in parallel with 1-2-1 meetings. You choose how to spend every block of the day.

ForAll attendees Emerging IS All Independent Sponsors Capital Providers

Deal PhaseAll phases Pre-deal Deal execution Post-close Networking

FormatAll sessions Panels Keynotes Roundtables Sector clinics Receptions

FilteredAll Independent Sponsors · All phases · PanelsClear

Day 1Monday, September 28, 2026

Monday · Day 1

2:00 PM

PanelDeal execution

War stories: when deals go wrong

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.

Key takeaways

→The decisions experienced IS wish they had made differently: at LOI, at close, and six months in
→How to recognize early the signals that a deal is going off track before it becomes expensive
→What IS leadership actually costs you when a portfolio company is underperforming

Speakers (4 confirmed)

Moderator

David Zawitkowski

Partner, Transaction Advisory Services

Citrin Cooperman

View bio

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.

Panelist · IS

Ryan Sullivan

CEO

North Park Group

Panelist · IS

Paul Finnegan

Managing Partner

Pearl Street Capital Partners

Panelist · IS

Nick Russell

Managing Partner

Tuckerman Capital

2:50 PM

PanelPost-close

Sponsor + CEO: the deal origin story

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?

Key takeaways

→What founders and owner-operators actually evaluate when choosing an IS buyer
→How the IS / operator relationship changes from LOI to 12 months post-close
→What IS consistently underestimate about the transition from deal-maker to board director

4:15 PM

PanelPost-closeAdvanced IS

Should I raise a fund?

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.

Key takeaways

→What institutional LPs need to see, and when they need to see it, before backing a first-time fund
→What you give up operationally and structurally when you raise committed capital
→How to know whether you are at the right stage to start the conversation

Speakers (3 confirmed)

Moderator

Tom Kesoglou

Partner

Ice Miller

Panelist · IS

Logan Lowery

Managing Partner

LP First Capital

Panelist · LP

Whit Matthews

Managing Director, Private Equity

HighVista

Day 2Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Tuesday · Day 2

11:45 AM

PanelDeal executionEmerging IS

SBIC deep dive: the equity assist in plain English

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.

Key takeaways

→How the equity assist actually works, and why it changes IS deal economics significantly
→What IS need ready before the first SBIC call, and what kills deals before they start
→How co-SBIC structures work and when they make sense for a deal

2:00 PM

PanelPost-closeAdvanced IS

IS leadership: the stuff they don't tell you

Partner disagreements. Firing a CEO you recruited. Governance friction when your capital provider and management team are pulling in different directions.

Key takeaways

→How to manage the IS firm itself: partnership dynamics, hiring decisions, governance calls
→What experienced IS wish they had structured differently in their GP and management agreements
→How to make the difficult people decisions post-close before they become expensive ones

Speakers (3 confirmed)

Panelist · IS

Connor Chakeen

Partner

Thesis Capital Partners

Panelist · IS

Thomas Ince

Managing Partner

LP First Capital

Panelist · Leadership

Jill Wheaton

Leadership Expert and Transformation Coach

Yes or Yes Group

2:50 PM

PanelDeal executionAdvanced IS

Co-sponsorship mechanics

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.

Key takeaways

→How to split economics and governance in a co-sponsor structure that holds up under pressure
→What to agree in writing before you are in a stressful situation together
→How to find and qualify the right co-sponsor partner, before you have a deal that needs one

Speakers (1 confirmed)

Moderator

Robert Connolly

Partner

Levenfeld Pearlstein

Program subject to refinement as speakers confirm. Sector clinic access is gated by an active deal or LOI in that sector. Apply at registration.

Full Program

Two days.
Every room, every slot.

1-2-1 meeting slots run all day, not just within defined 1-2-1 meeting sessions.

Sessions are tagged by deal phase, audience tier, and room. Panels, roundtables, and sector clinics run in parallel with 1-2-1 meetings. You choose how to spend every block of the day.

ForAll attendees Emerging IS All Independent Sponsors Capital Providers

Deal PhaseAll phases Pre-deal Deal execution Post-close Networking

FormatAll sessions Panels Keynotes Roundtables Sector clinics Receptions

FilteredAll Independent Sponsors · All phases · PanelsClear

Day 1Monday, September 28, 2026

Monday · Day 1

2:00 PM

PanelDeal execution

War stories: when deals go wrong

Key takeaways

→The decisions experienced IS wish they had made differently: at LOI, at close, and six months in
→How to recognize early the signals that a deal is going off track before it becomes expensive
→What IS leadership actually costs you when a portfolio company is underperforming

Speakers (4 confirmed)

Moderator