The capital in the room,
on the record.

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.

As the CEO and Founder of Clear North Capital, Cody creates value for lower mid-market Canadian private companies through investment strategy, deal-flow generation, and key lending and investment banking relationships. With a career spanning more than 25 years, he began in 1993 as an Analyst in the Leveraged Finance Group of CS First Boston, then joined New York-based private equity firm EXOR America as an Associate. In 1997 he co-founded TriWest Capital Partners, where, as Senior Managing Director, he served on over 20 portfolio company boards and helped build the largest general buyout fund in Western Canada, with five funds and over $1.25 billion in equity capital raised. He retired from TriWest in 2018 to form Clear North Capital. Cody currently serves on the Board of Strathcona Resources and has chaired numerous public and private company boards. He graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Economics from Harvard University and was recognized as one of Canada's Top 40 Under 40 in 2010.

Steven Abernathy is the Founder and Chairman of The Abernathy Group II Family Office. He was recruited by Shearson American Express in 1982, eventually becoming Senior Vice President of Portfolio Management, and in 1989 joined Cowen & Co. as a Special Limited Partner and Director of its Executive Services Division. While at Cowen he developed The Abernathy Group, pioneering a Collaborative Investing style of portfolio management that married his financial knowledge with the technology and healthcare expertise of his clients. In 1996 he co-founded The Abernathy Technology Research Institute, a registered broker-dealer. He is a member of the CFA Institute and the New York Society of Security Analysts, and earned a Bachelor of Science as a pre-med student from Fordham University. The Abernathy Group II and its predecessors have been ranked number 1 sixteen times by Nelson's World's Best Money Managers since 1991.

Tim's expertise lies in developing and executing cost-reduction and growth transformation initiatives for private equity firms and Fortune 500 companies. He has a strong record of identifying multi-million-dollar savings opportunities and supporting major M&A transactions across infrastructure, manufacturing, services, and transportation and logistics. A hands-on, pragmatic leader, he is adept at designing target operating models, leading complex due diligence, and maximizing synergies in large-scale transactions. Prior to joining Maine Pointe, Tim was a Managing Director at KPMG US' Private Equity Value Creation practice, a Director at AlixPartners, and worked with a private investment firm focused on middle-market private equity in the energy, materials, and business and industrial services sectors. He holds dual Bachelor's degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Business/Economics, and a Master's in Mechanical Engineering, from Lehigh University.

Jay Vasantharajah is the Founder and Managing Partner of Atlasview Equity Partners, a founder-first private equity firm specializing in acquiring and building businesses in the lower middle market. Based in Toronto, he oversees all aspects of Atlasview's strategy and growth, including the investment thesis, portfolio company execution, and investor relations, and sits on the board of every Atlasview portfolio company. The firm targets software and tech-enabled businesses with defensible moats and multiple levers to create value. Before founding Atlasview, Jay ran a consulting firm whose clients included InMode, which completed a $450M IPO, and Cynosure, which was acquired for $1.7B. Earlier in his career he held advisory, operational, and investing roles, including a consulting position at Deloitte and an analyst seat at a small-cap hedge fund. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Guelph, where he graduated with High Distinction. A recent example of the firm's buy-and-build approach is portfolio company Soutron Global's acquisition of Auto-Graphics, the largest provider of interlibrary loan software systems in North America, serving more than 6,000 libraries.

John Harrison is the managing partner of A111. Prior to A111, John filled an operator role for KeyedIn Solutions, a family office and venture-backed SaaS company, where he was initially responsible for launching the business in the United States and eventually for overseeing operations globally. He started his career in financial services at a wealth management firm focused on helping high-net-worth families with estate planning, succession planning, asset protection, and investment management. Over his career, John has held leadership roles in sales, marketing, consulting, operations, and finance. He holds an MBA and an MS in financial services, and was previously certified as a Project Management Professional and a Six Sigma Black Belt. A111 Capital is a private investment firm focused on operator-led acquisitions of lower middle-market companies.

David Cunningham is the Co-Founding Partner of VisioCap, LLC, a private equity firm established in 2014 focused on growth and buyout investments in consumer-packaged goods and services companies serving the Pet and Infant markets across North America. VisioCap targets investments ranging from $3 million to $50 million in equity, partnering closely with management teams to drive stakeholder value through measurable commercial and operational improvements. Prior to co-founding VisioCap, David served as a Partner at Pegasus Capital Advisors, LP, a middle market private equity firm with approximately $2.2 billion in assets under management, where he was a member of both the firm's Executive Committee and Investment Committee across nearly thirteen years. He began his career in the Leveraged Finance group of CIBC World Markets. Over his career, David has served on more than 30 corporate boards, including as Board Chair of nine portfolio companies. He is a graduate of Tufts University.

Dan Tamkin is an experienced entrepreneur, investor, and large-company executive with special expertise in company operations, and his passion is corporate re-invention. Over his career he has overseen the turnaround of several companies, primarily in the technology and service sectors, partnering with lenders, founders, and boards; he has been CEO of five successful turnarounds. He spent time as Chief Technology Officer of Transdev, a $10 billion transportation conglomerate, where he built a staff of 70 and ran the Digital Center for Innovation. Resurgent is a leading operations-focused private equity firm focused on the lower middle market, acquiring businesses in the technology, business services, healthcare, transportation, and consumer spaces.

Melanie Santos Grant is the Founder and Managing Partner of 2ndGenPartners, a woman-led private equity independent sponsor firm focused on control and non-control investments in Agribusiness, Healthcare Services, and Health & Wellness products. As a first-generation Filipino-American and mother of four with over 25 years of deal and business-growth experience, Melanie is focused on 2ndGen's mission to partner with founders and family-owned businesses to directly improve the lives of future generations. Earlier in her career she served as Assistant General Counsel at Aramark and as a CXO at Burlington Stores following its take-private by Bain Capital, and practiced as an M&A, securities, and restructuring attorney at Morgan Lewis after beginning her career at Goldman Sachs. Melanie graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Rutgers College, earned her JD from the University of Virginia, and is currently a trustee of the Virtua Healthcare Foundation.

Nelson Irizarry is a Managing Director at Sama Capital, a San Antonio-based family office investment firm led by experienced entrepreneurs and operators, focused on unlocking the full potential of companies with exceptional fundamentals. The firm invests across technology, business services, consumer goods, healthcare, distribution, and industrials, bringing an operator's vantage point to the needs of management teams. Nelson brings an operating and business-development background centered on the payments industry, with prior roles at Tribal, Paykii (acquired by Tribal Credit), GTV GloboKasNet, and First Annapolis Consulting. Earlier in his career he led agent-network operations and international business expansion across Latin American markets including Peru, Mexico, Colombia, and Chile. He attended Harvard Business School.

Richard de Lima is Managing Director of Leaf Capital Partners ("Leaf"), a private single-family investment office with a multi-generational legacy that began by building and operating businesses in the energy, petroleum, and industrial sectors before evolving into a purpose-driven principal investment platform committed to creating sustainable long-term value for businesses, communities, and future generations. Over more than 30 years, Richard's career has spanned investment banking, mergers and acquisitions, principal investing, and entrepreneurship, with extensive cross-border experience across Latin America and Asia-Pacific. Prior to Leaf, he founded and bootstrapped a branded consumer products company, scaling annual revenue from approximately $5 million to over $60 million before its successful exit. Today, Leaf actively partners with founders, family-owned businesses, and management teams as a value-add principal investor, contributing capital, operating expertise, and strategic resources to build sustainable long-term value.

Founded by Adil Adi and his family, the Adi Family Office is a single-family investment office dedicated to the family's mission to improve the quality of life for humanity. Its venture capital portfolio includes investments in promising research, technologies, and entrepreneurs advancing a new wave of discoveries across technology and life sciences.

Ben Schneider is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of BASE Equity Partners LP. Headquartered in New York City, BASE Equity Partners LP is an operationally oriented private investment group that invests its own capital alongside existing management teams without the timing or structural constraints of an institutional fund. Operating as an independent sponsor, BASE has taken a controlling position in five platforms over the past 12 years, and bought a total of 14 companies across that time frame. Mr. Schneider oversees all major functions of the firm, including investment decisions, deal structuring and negotiation, due diligence and portfolio company management. He serves as the Co-Chairman of several of BASE's portfolio companies, including Fortis Security Products and The Lighting Design Group. Previously he was the co-Chairman of Jolyn Clothing Company. Prior to co-founding BASE, Mr. Schneider served as the Chief of Staff to the CEO of IMAX Corporation, an NYSE-listed company. At IMAX he was responsible for helping to oversee several operational areas of the company, including Mergers and Acquisitions in China. Earlier in his career he worked at Susquehanna International Group, a multi-billion-dollar investment firm, and began as an analyst at The Walnut Group, a private equity firm investing in retail, consumer, media, and entertainment. Mr. Schneider received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Rob Bauer is a Managing Member at Bassett Creek Capital, a Minnesota-based private equity firm focused on making direct investments in private companies in partnership with management and operating executives. He has been making direct investments for the past ten years and is currently Chairman of Bassett Creek Services, a national provider of property restoration and renovation services. Over his career, Mr. Bauer has 20 years of private equity experience and has completed over 40 M&A transactions worth over $3.0 billion in transaction value. Prior to founding Bassett Creek Capital, he was a member of the private equity teams at Goense & Co, New Stream Capital, Sterling Investment Partners, and Piper Jaffray & Co. He holds an MS from the University of Virginia and a BA from St. Olaf College.

Jay Fuquay is an Executive Vice President at Trinity Investors, based in Dallas. His career began as a Senior Associate in advisory at PricewaterhouseCoopers, and he progressed through Vice President and then Executive Vice President roles at Trinity, also serving as a board member of Beacon Manufacturing Group Holdings. At Trinity he is responsible for deal sourcing, deal execution, and financial modeling. He holds an MBA from SMU's Cox School of Business. Trinity (formerly Trinity Private Equity Group, TPEG) is a firm founded by experienced entrepreneurs whose current holdings exceed four billion dollars across private equity, real estate, energy, and growth capital, targeting investments with $2 to $10 million of EBITDA.

Steve has been a private equity investor since 1998 with an emphasis on middle-market manufacturing and industrial service companies, and has invested in transactions totaling $300 million in enterprise value. Since joining Cornerstone Capital Partners in 2006, he has directed the investment in seven portfolio companies. Prior to Cornerstone, Steve was a Principal with Long Point Capital, and before that worked for Masco Corporation and affiliates for ten years in operational, financial, and business development roles, primarily focused on turning around troubled operating divisions, ending as President of an operating division. He began his career as a CPA in the Boston office of Arthur Andersen. Steve earned an MBA with Distinction from the University of Michigan and graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Vermont.

Martez R. Moore is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Moore Frères & Company, a single-family office focused on control-oriented private equity investments in technology, media, and telecommunications companies undergoing significant transformation. He is also the controlling shareholder and CEO of Modernity Software, a secure AI infrastructure company. Previously, Mr. Moore was majority owner and Executive Chairman of Vewd Software, where he led a transformation that nearly tripled EBITDA within two years and generated a 12x return on invested capital upon exit. Earlier, he served as Executive Vice President of Digital Media and Head of Business Strategy and Corporate Development at Viacom, Inc., deploying $225 million of capital through initiatives that contributed to $5.8 billion of shareholder value creation. He began his career in M&A at Morgan Stanley & Co. and held investment positions at Indosuez Capital and TSG Capital Group. He earned his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and graduated magna cum laude from Loyola University Chicago.

James Bohannon is a Senior Vice President at Belzberg & Co., which he joined in May 2023, and has spent his career in financial services focused on alternative private investments. Prior to Belzberg, he served as Vice President for Rose Park Advisors, the investment firm founded by Dr. Clayton Christensen, and before that was a Vice President at CircleUp, which invested in early-stage consumer products businesses. Earlier, James cofounded and sold a footwear and apparel business, Del Toro Shoes, and began his career at Merlin Securities (acquired by Wells Fargo). He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Trinity College.

Steven Insalaco has over 30 years of executive management, corporate finance, and family office experience across both growth and distressed companies, with a C-suite discipline focused on operating and capital structure, using M&A and other business modalities to improve operating efficiencies, valuations, and returns. He has managed a $3.5 billion healthcare finance division and provided financial and management skills to Fortune 500 and other public and private companies, and has identified and structured over a billion dollars of financings, closing more than 50 leasing, asset-based, real estate, and structured finance debt and equity transactions. He is currently a Principal with Admodum Investment Holdings, a private equity holding company, and a Managing Partner with a single-family office, serving as a board member of its Family Office Investment Committee across strategic operating business, investment, and risk management. Earlier in his career he held capital markets, corporate finance, and investment banking roles at Chemical Bank, Manufacturers Hanover Trust, Merrill Lynch, and Wood Gundy. He holds a BA in Social Science/Economics and an MBA in Financial Management, served in Army Intelligence with a Top-Secret clearance, and is a member of the New York Athletic Club.

Mr. Koeppel is a Partner, serves as the Team Leader of the firm's Private Equity and Independent Sponsor Practices, and as a member of the firm's Executive Committee. He is a corporate lawyer who has successfully structured, negotiated, and closed over 250 transactions in the past 25+ years, which typically involve mergers and acquisitions, fund formations and investments, and various private equity transactions (including co-investments, venture financings and cross-border deals). He also works with clients on reviewing and structuring their Qualified Opportunity Zone and Qualified Small Business Stock investments. Mr. Koeppel acts as counsel to a number of leading funds, independent sponsors, 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 acquisition and private investment transactions, and serves as a director for several private equity-backed companies. On the M&A and private equity side, Mr. Koeppel has advised on deals from $5 million to $250 million+ across a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, technology, consumer goods, food, distribution, business services, cleantech, and medical and health care. He is a frequent speaker at leading private equity, independent sponsor, and M&A events. Prior to joining Lippes, he was a partner in the private equity and investment funds group of an AmLaw 100 firm.

Gustav is a Managing Director at ECA Partners and leads the firm's Healthcare & Life Sciences Practice. He partners with private-equity investors and healthcare organizations to recruit executives and project-based leaders who drive growth, integration, and patient-centric innovation across provider, biotech, and life-sciences sectors. His cross-industry experience spans healthcare, industrials, and technology, giving him a holistic view of transformation. Before ECA, he was a research fellow at the National University of Singapore and UCLA. Gustav earned a PhD in Sociology & Philosophy from UCLA and was a Fulbright Scholar.

Chase Stuart is a partner in Ice Miller's Business Group and the Office Managing Partner in New York. He represents a variety of private equity funds, family offices, independent sponsors, privately-held businesses, private credit funds, and mezzanine funds, providing strategic and legal advice in their investment and general corporate strategies, including on leveraged buyouts and other M&A, financings, minority investments, growth capital transactions, and early and late stage private equity investments. He represents family, founder, and entrepreneur-owned businesses as general corporate counsel and as a sell-side advisor. He has represented companies across sectors such as aerospace and defense, technology, manufacturing, consumer products, business services, gaming, and health care.

Thomas Kesoglou is the Chair of the firm's Private Equity Practice and a member of the firm's Board of Directors. Mr. Kesoglou represents private equity funds, mezzanine funds, SBICs, BDCs, family offices and independent sponsors, providing strategic and legal advice in their investment strategies, including leveraged buyouts, mezzanine financings, growth capital transactions, early and late stage private equity investments and secondary transactions. He also advises these investors on the management of their portfolio companies, including acquisitions, dispositions, follow-on debt or equity investments, bridge loans, restructurings, recapitalizations, employment matters, stock plans and other general corporate matters. Mr. Kesoglou represents privately held companies in connection with the sale of their business to strategic or financial investors, and represents large U.S. and foreign corporations in connection with their investment and M&A activities in the United States.

Dickson is currently Managing Partner of ESI and President and Chief Investment Officer of Laurel Mountain Capital. He is a private equity veteran with 30 years of investment experience and an expert in the environmental services industry, having invested in 20 waste management and related companies. Recently, in 2023-2024, Dickson sponsored the recapitalizations of two waste management companies in Eastern US, one of which was successfully exited in 2026. From 2001-2023, Dickson was co-founder and partner of Ironwood Capital’s family of funds that invested over $1 billion in privately held businesses in the US, where he also built and managed Ironwood’s environmental services investments portfolio (all exited). Dickson has served on numerous corporate boards. He has a B.A. from Brown University, an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School, and is a CPA. He is also an avid runner, having completed 45 marathons, including 13 consecutive Boston Marathons