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 attendees · Post-close · PanelsClear

Day 1Monday, September 28, 2026

Monday · Day 1

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)

PanelistLogan Lowery · Managing Partner, LP First Capital · IS
PanelistWhit Matthews · Managing Director, Private Equity, HighVista · LP
ModeratorTom Kesoglou · Partner, Ice Miller

Day 2Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Tuesday · Day 2

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)

PanelistConnor Chakeen · Partner, Thesis Capital Partners · IS
PanelistThomas Ince · Managing Partner, LP First Capital · IS
PanelistJill Wheaton · Leadership Expert and Transformation Coach, Yes or Yes Group · Leadership

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 attendees · Post-close · PanelsClear

Day 1Monday, September 28, 2026

Monday · Day 1

2:50 PM

PanelPost-close

Sponsor + CEO: the deal origin story

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?

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)

PanelistLogan Lowery · Managing Partner, LP First Capital · IS
PanelistWhit Matthews · Managing Director, Private Equity, HighVista · LP
ModeratorTom Kesoglou · Partner, Ice Miller

Day 2Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Tuesday · Day 2

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)

PanelistConnor Chakeen · Partner, Thesis Capital Partners · IS
PanelistThomas Ince · Managing Partner, LP First Capital · IS
PanelistJill Wheaton · Leadership Expert and Transformation Coach, Yes or Yes Group · Leadership

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

Two days.Every room, every slot.

Two days.Every room, every slot.

Two days.
Every room, every slot.

Two days.
Every room, every slot.