Independent Sponsors & Capital Providers Dealmakers Meeting

Date
Venue
Register
June 17, 2025
Chicago

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ABOUT THE EVENT

The Independent Sponsors & Capital Providers Dealmakers Meeting Returns to Chicago in June 2025!

Join us for insightful panel discussions, thought leadership sessions, and over 4 hours of exclusive 1x1 networking meetings. Choose the Premium Pass for early access to the 1x1 meetings platform, launching 4 weeks before the event.

Limited to just 75 participants! Secure your spot early to ensure you don’t miss out.

Stay tuned for updates on the confirmed date and agenda!

Register Today
1
Assess Your Business

We will collect information on your business model and identify exactly what you need from a successful partnership.

2
Compare Prospective Matches

Your needs are then cross-referenced against the benefits that can be gained from meeting with other attending companies.

3
Evaluate Future Business Opportunities

You select and are matched with other business partners for a 1x1 meeting.

4
Arrange up to 10 Meetings

Once both parties have agreed to the meeting, we provide a private, professional environment, where these meetings take place.

Hear from the attendees

 

"I wanted to thank you and the iGlobal team - feedback has been fantastic - and I met many new people. This was an extremely successful event and looking forward to many more."

Claudine M. Cohen, Managing Principal, Value360

CohnReznick LLP


"All-in-all a very positive experience. It was extremely efficient."

Al Bhakta
CMG Companies


"We've met some interesting people who we hope to transact with, and we have also met some potential investors."

Ahmed Fattouh

Interprivate


"Knowing who's in the industry and who's available for transactions is very valuable for us."

Chase Stuart

Ice Miller

Why attend

  • Join up to 10 bespoke 1x1 networking meetings based on your investment criteria
  • Benefit from partnerships unique to your business model.
  • Develop business connections through personalized 1x1 networking meetings.
  • Explore and discuss future business opportunities.
  • Connect directly with leading industry professionals and decision-makers.

Connect With Leading

  • Independent Sponsors
  • Private Equity Firms
  • Family Offices
  • Mezzanine Lenders
  • Hedge Funds
  • Institutional Investors
  • HNWIs (High Net Worth Individuals)
  • M&A Intermediaries/Advisors

AGENDA

09:00Registration & Networking


09:45Interactive Panel: Ensuring Alignment for Day One Strategy

Stakeholder Alignment

  • Identifying and mitigating potential conflicts between the management team and investors regarding growth priorities, risk appetite, and operational goals.
  • Strategies for clear communication and expectation-setting during due diligence.

Operational Playbook

  • Creating a robust 90-day plan to focus on key levers: cash flow optimization, cost reduction, and strategic growth initiatives.
  • Leveraging management incentives and equity alignment to drive buy-in and execution.

Cultural Integration

  • Navigating cultural differences in roll-up strategies or multi-entity integrations to minimize disruptions.
  • Case studies of successful day-one transitions where alignment drove immediate value creation.

Speaker

Dave Hiemstra

DAVE-HIEMSTRA
Managing Partner, Penstock Equity

Dave has over 24 years of experience with middle market companies and has participated in more than 40 private capital transactions as a principal investor or co-investor.  In addition to supporting management by serving on the boards of more than ten private companies, Dave has developed expertise in sourcing investment opportunities, evaluating businesses and industries, conducting and facilitating due diligence, raising capital, and negotiating transaction documents

Dave is the Founder and Principal of Quadec Private Capital, an independent sponsor firm.  Prior to Penstock and Quadec, Dave was a partner at Peninsula Capital Partners, a private equity and mezzanine capital provider in Detroit, MI focused on lower middle market transactions with independent sponsors.  Before Peninsula, Dave spent 10 years at Strength Capital Partners, a committed capital and independent private equity firm in Birmingham, MI.  Dave started his career with PricewaterhouseCoopers’ middle market advisory and transaction services practices for 7 years before transitioning into private investing.

Dave was born and raised in the Midwest and earned his BBA degree from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, where he also earned his MBA.  Since 2013, Dave has taught an MBA course at Ross titled “Entrepreneurship through Acquisition”.  He also currently runs the “Zell Entrepreneurship through Acquisition Program” under the Zell-Lurie Institute at Ross, mentoring more than a dozen students each year in pursuit of careers in search funds, private equity, and M&A.

Outside of work, Dave enjoys a wide variety of outdoor activities, traveling, and coaching or cheering on his children.  He serves on the board of Birmingham Girls Softball, helping to provide athletic and personal development to more than 300 players each year. 

Speaker

Matthew Harnett

Matt Harnett, CAIA
 Founding Partner, Tecum

Matthew Harnett is a founding Partner of Tecum and serves on the firm’s Investment Committee. In this position, he is responsible for leading all aspects of transaction origination, analysis, structuring, underwriting, deal execution, and monitoring of subject private equity and mezzanine debt investments.

Matt currently serves as a Board Member of Aging With Comfort, BP Business Solutions, BP Express, Connecticut Electric, Conco Services, Midwest Equipment Sales, National Power, Blackwood Solutions, Dry Acquistion LLC, and the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Association of Corporate Growth (ACG). He also serves as a Board Observer for The Marwin Company, Inc., Gilman Cheese, DelGrosso Foods, Sentrics, and Arrow Waste.

Prior to co-founding Tecum, Matt served six years at the predecessor organization, F.N.B. Capital Corporation, LLC, where he was Vice President. Matt started his career at Ford Motor Company where he worked for four years. He completed the management program and became Zone Manager of Ford Division’s largest market in the Pittsburgh Region. Matt was responsible for annual franchisee revenues exceeding $300 million and was named Ford’s 2006 Zone Manager of the Year. He was recognized as one of the top-performing Zone Managers nationally for exceptional results in sales and market share growth, market representation actions, and franchisee profitability.

Matt is a member of the Association for Corporate Growth (“ACG””) and was a founding member of the ACG Future Corporate Leaders Board, where he served on the Board of Directors from 2012 to 2016 and was elected Chairman of the Board from 2014 to 2016. He also served on the Pittsburgh Advisory Board of Economics Pennsylvania (2008 to 2016), which develops programs for young people focused on essential economic and financial literacy concepts.

Matt received an MBA degree from the Katz School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh, with focused studies in Finance and Strategy. He also received dual major B.S.BA. degrees in Supply Chain Management & Logistics and Marketing from Ohio State University. Matt is also a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (“CAIA”) Charterholder.




Speaker

John Darguzas

John J. Darguzas
 Managing Director, Merit Capital Partners

John J. Darguzas, Managing Director, joined Merit in 2018.  From 2011 to 2018, John was a Vice President at Antares Capital Sponsor Finance Group in Chicago.  At Antares John worked on the Underwriting Team evaluating senior debt investment opportunities across a broad range of industries, on the Originations Team reviewing new investment opportunities and on the Credit Advisory Team working on troubled loans all while maintaining an active role in helping establish Antares as a standalone company after it was spun out of GE Capital.  While attending Kellogg part time from 2012 to 2014, John founded MyMenu, an app based platform that helps people with food allergies find restaurants that meet their dining requirements.  From 2005 to 2011, John was a Director in KPMG’s Transaction Service Group, overseeing financial buy-side due diligence of middle market acquisitions for private equity clients.

John Received an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in 2012 with concentrations in Marketing and Entrepreneurship.  In 2005, he received a B.S. from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business with concentrations in Accounting and Finance.  John is a registered CPA.

 John currently serves on the Board of Directors of Glenn Rieder, MicroPrecision, LLC, Revision Military, LTD, Urban Surfaces, PFI Instore and U.S. Minerals, Inc. Previously, he served on the board of Manitowoc Tool and Machining (“MTM”) and Engendren Corporation.

He lives in Elmhurst with his wife and three sons.

10:30Thought Leadership: TBD
Speaker: TBC


10:40Interactive Panel: Earnouts vs. Delayed Purchase Price – Key Considerations in Structuring

Understanding the Mechanics

  • Differentiating earnouts from deferred purchase price structures: financial, legal, and operational implications.
  • Common earnout benchmarks: revenue growth, EBITDA milestones, and operational KPIs.

Balancing Risk and Reward

  • Protecting buyer interests while motivating sellers to achieve post-close performance.
  • Addressing disputes: mechanisms to resolve disagreements over earnout calculations or benchmarks.

Current Trends and Best Practices

  • Structuring earnouts in volatile markets: navigating economic uncertainty and unpredictable sector performance.
  • Case studies of well-structured earnouts that achieved alignment and minimized post-close conflicts.

Speaker

Marcus Bodet

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Partner, B.I.G. Capital LLC

Marcus G. Bodet is a private investment partner and technology acquisition specialist at B.I.G. Capital LLC (“BIG”), a private investment firm focused on software company
acquisitions. With his extensive background in corporate law and business transactions,
he has worked with enterprise software companies and Fortune 500 corporations,
including major banks, insurance companies, and telecommunications firms, as well as
federal and state government agencies.
Marcus helps direct acquisition strategies and portfolio management at BIG, where he
coordinates negotiations and due diligence. His expertise spans both the technical and
business aspects of software enterprise solutions, bringing a unique perspective that
combines legal acumen with entrepreneurial vision. Prior to his current role, he built a
distinguished career in corporate law, serving as General Counsel at a healthcare
technology company, Senior Associate at a national law firm, and Managing Member and
Partner at boutique law firms, where he directed M&A execution teams and managed
private placements and public offerings.
An experienced practitioner in merger and acquisition transactions and technology
licensing, Marcus has structured deals from $2 million to over $200 million and led
multiple successful corporate acquisitions. His work with major corporations includes
negotiating and drafting technology agreements for industry leaders such as Burger King Corporation and JM Family Enterprises.
A graduate of Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law, Marcus also holds a
Bachelor of Health Services in Health Administration from Florida Atlantic University. He is conversant in Spanish and French, enabling him to facilitate international business
transactions and partnerships across multiple markets.

Speaker

Ignacio Macias

Ignacio-Macias-CECOP-USA
 CEO, CECOP North America

After 17 years as a market leader in the pharmaceutical industry in Spain, Ignacio Macias Zaldivar moved to the U.S. to increase the eyecare industry’s ability to be intimate and build relationships with patients by letting the care professionals outsource business management to his company – CECOP USA. 

He now serves as the CEO and is helping 2,200 independent eye care professionals that represents 15 percent of the U.S. market to help them perform better while competing with the big eyecare chains.

CECOP USA has a business model that is centered around fostering the growth and profitability of independent eye care professionals with services tailored to enhance their practice management, procurement processes and overall business capabilities. Within three years, the company has grown 700 percent. In addition, CECOP USA was named the Best Company of the Year in 2022 by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and has donated 2,000 glasses to the homeless in the first six months of operating its foundation.

In addition, the firm has thrived on assertive Merger and Acquisition strategies, dovetailed with active business expansion efforts, ultimately offering a significant impact on the company’s growth trajectory.

Speaker

Stephen George

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 Founding Partner, InterAlpen Partners 

Stephen is the Founding Managing Partner at InterAlpen Partners, a US-European Private Equity firm focused on innovative growth stage, entrepreneurial companies.  InterAlpen collaborates creatively and flexibly with family offices, founders, independent sponsors, and small-cap VC and PE funds to identify and invest in ‘hidden gems’ – companies that are emerging but not yet widely known, poised to become future category leaders.  Prior to founding InterAlpen, he was Founding Managing Partner of Capricorn Investment Group, a $10 Billion private investment arm for the Co-Founder of eBay, which focused on global innovative private market investments.  Stephen began his career in M&A in New York, London, and Silicon Valley with Goldman Sachs and University at Cornell with honors; holds a CFA

Speaker

Paul J. Valentine

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Partner, Quarles & Brady LLP

Paul Valentine is an experienced corporate lawyer who advises venture funds, private investment firms, middle-market companies and privately held companies across a broad array of industries, including carwash, hospitality, health care and consumer products. He has extensive experience with acquisitions, dispositions, minority investments and joint ventures. Paul also counsels clients with respect to legal opportunities and challenges related to qualified opportunity zones, real estate funds and fund formation.

Paul works creatively and efficiently, partnering with his clients to understand their business operations and risk profile to tailor his legal advice to their business goals. Clients rely on Paul to neutralize obstacles, focus on practical solutions to business and legal problems, and navigate the changing legal landscape.

11:25Networking Break


11:55Interactive Panel: Post-Closing Professionalization – Why $5MM of EBITDA Really Isn’t $5MM

Dissecting the Numbers

  • Identifying adjustments to EBITDA: owner add-backs, revenue quality, and recurring vs. non-recurring costs.
  • Evaluating true working capital needs and hidden operational inefficiencies.

Operational Gaps

  • Common pitfalls in owner-led businesses: reliance on key individuals, outdated processes, or lack of scalable infrastructure.
  • Building systems for scale: implementing robust financial controls, reporting, and IT systems.

Professionalization Playbook

  • Key priorities in the first 12 months: management team upgrades, board governance, and scalable processes.
  • Case studies: transformations where operational improvements significantly boosted EBITDA multiples at exit.

Speaker

Jonathan Saltzman

Jonathan Saltzman
Managing Partner, Torque Capital Group

Mr. Saltzman is the Managing Partner of Torque Capital Group where he is responsible for all aspects of the firm and its investment process. Prior to co-founding Torque, Mr. Saltzman was a senior investment professional at The Cypress Group, a New York-based private equity firm. Prior to The Cypress Group, Mr. Saltzman sourced and led transactions at BG Strategic Advisors, a boutique investment bank focused on the supply chain sector. Previously, Mr. Saltzman also worked in corporate finance for Amsterdam-based transportation, logistics and shipping multinational firm TNT N.V., and started his career in investment banking at Salomon Brothers. Mr. Saltzman graduated with highest distinction from Emory University and received his MBA from The Anderson School at U.C.L.A. 

Speaker

Mike Blume

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Partner, Tail End Capital Partners

Mike Blume is a partner at Tail End Capital Partners. He is responsible for all aspects of investment management, including sourcing and executing new investments, monitoring existing portfolio company performance, and leading employee training and development. Before joining Tail End, Mike spent three years on the investment team at Incline Equity Partners, where he was responsible for evaluating and executing new investments and managing existing portfolio companies.  Before Incline, Mike spent two years in PNC's Asset Backed Finance group, focusing on the origination, structuring, and execution of securitizations. Mike graduated with a BBA in Finance cum laude from the University of Notre Dame.

Speaker

Dan Pogue

NYH_7423-600x600

Vice President, Moelis Asset Management

Dan is a Vice President at Moelis Asset Management and a member of the Catalyst team. He is responsible for manager research, investment sourcing and capital formation.  Prior to Moelis, Dan was a Vice President on the private markets team at Asset Consulting Group, where he helped oversee nearly $1 billion of annual commitments. Dan also led ACG’s opportunistic investment effort, which included first-time funds, independent sponsors, and co-investments. Prior to ACG, Dan began his career at Summit Strategies Group, where he was a member of the private markets team conducting private markets research. Following Summit’s acquisition by Mercer, Dan became a Principal at Mercer, where he co-managed two discretionary funds focused primarily on small market opportunities.  Dan is a CFA® charter holder and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance and Banking from the University of Missouri.

Speaker

Ryan Seager

Ryan Seager

Partner,  Associated Advisors

12:40Thought Leadership: TBD
Speaker: TBC


12:50Networking Lunch


13:50Business-Building 1-1 Networking Meetings
Connect with independent sponsors or capital providers specializing in investments in the industry sectors and markets you focus on. We will provide you with a full list of participating capital providers and independent sponsors, so you can choose to meet with the most relevant contacts and evaluate the potential for future business collaborations.


17:20Summary & Close of Event

LOCATION

CohnReznick 

1 S Wacker Dr Suite 3550,

Chicago, IL 60606

PRICING

Standard Price Premium Pass
Full Networking Pass
Independent Sponsors
$699 $799
Full Networking Pass
Capital Providers
$799 $899
Placement Agents & Service Providers $2,599 Not Applicable
ISCP Club Members Included Included
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Building on iGlobal Forum’s long-standing success of connecting and matching over 1,000+ Independent Sponsors & Capital Providers since 2015, the mission of the ISCP Club is to unite all independent sponsors and capital providers into an exclusive community with access to industry content, an Independent Sponsor & Capital Provider Directory and live senior-level deal-making events.

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