Private Equity Fast Pitch

Jonathan Lewis is the Co-founder and Managing Partner at Sheridan Capital Partners. Prior to founding Sheridan, Jonathan was at PNC Equity Partners in Pittsburgh and William Blair Capital Partners in Chicago, and he began his career at mergers and acquisitions boutique, Bowles Hollowell Conner in Charlotte.      Jonathan earned a BA with honors in English, French, and philosophy from Furman Univer...

Gary Shields is the Chairman and Managing Partner of Nassau Street Partners, where he spearheads the firm's strategic direction and directly leads all major initiatives. At the helm of the organization, Gary brings a wealth of experience with a distinguished career spanning nearly four decades in investment banking and venture capital. Gary began his career in 1986 at LF Rothschild as a research a...

Robert Reifman Managing Director & Co-Head of Industrials, Lincoln International Bobby advises clients on the best approach to maximize their investment returns on businesses they hold in the industrial space. He has significant mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisory experience, working on numerous transactions for leading private equity firms, public companies and private and family-owned busine...

David Hellier is a Partner and Investment Committee member at Bertram Capital.  He oversees Bertram Capital's Origination and Capital Markets team, where he directs sourcing, investment opportunity assessment, intermediary/lender relationship development and sell-side selection processes. Prior to Bertram, David was President and CEO of The Gemesis Corporation, an early innovator in diamond growth...

Peter Lehman, co-founder of Granite Creek and member of the Investment Committee, has been leading private equity transactions and operating businesses since 1998. Peter leads the Firm's investment operations process as well as oversees the Firm's farmland investment platform, Moraine Farmland Partners. He began his career at Dakota Capital Partners, working with Brian Boorstein. Peter received hi...

J. Patrick Galleher is the CEO & Managing Partner of Boxwood Partners, an investment bank headquartered in Jupiter, FL, where he leads transactions for Boxwood's M&A advisory services.   Over the past 25 years, Patrick has led sell-side transactions on over 70 engagements. At Boxwood Partners, he and his team focus on transactions in the lower middle market between $50-$500m in Enterprise Value. S...

Andy founded Levison & Co., the predecessor of Southfield Capital, in November 2002. Before that, he was the Head of Leveraged Finance at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (DLJ), where he oversaw banking and origination activities for all of the firm's investment banking products for leveraged companies. In particular, Andy focused on high yield securities, leveraged bank loans, bridge loans, and mezza...

Carl Jenkins is Managing Director and Group Head of Community Capital Solutions for BMO Financial Group.  Using a $3 billion allocation of balance sheet capital, the business unit invests in private funds that support lower middle market companies and community-centric real estate.  The business also provides construction loans for multifamily affordable housing. Both equity and debt commitments f...

Scott Romanoff, Co-Managing Partner of Franchise Equity Partners, spent 28 years at Goldman Sachs and was a Partner for 12 years. He worked within the Investment Banking Division and the Executive Office based in both New York and London. He headed Corporate Development, and co-headed the Financial Institutions Financing Group, providing advice regarding debt and equity financing as well as risk m...

Anthony Guagliano is a founding Partner at Gallant Capital and is responsible for all aspects of the firm's activities. Prior to founding Gallant in 2018, Anthony was responsible for leading investments at The Gores Group.  Prior to joining Gores in 2011, Anthony was a Managing Director with Moelis & Company where he led M&A execution for transactions across various industries including technology...

Marcos A. Rodriguez Founder, Chief Executive Officer & Partner Mr. Rodriguez founded Palladium in 1997 and serves as Chairman and CEO. Prior to forming Palladium, Mr. Rodriguez was a partner of Joseph Littlejohn & Levy, a buyout firm that he joined in 1989. Before launching his private equity career, he worked in operations for General Electric Company in the U.S., Mexico and France, and graduated...

Tom Shapiro is the President and Founder of GTIS. In addition, Mr. Shapiro is the Chief Investment Officer responsible for overseeing all investment activity and strategy of the firm. Mr. Shapiro is also Chairman of the General Partner's Investment Committee and is a member of the Board of Directors of Brazil Hospitality Group, one of the largest owners and managers of hotels in Brazil.   Mr. Shap...

ADVICE THAT LASTS DECADES     Every May since 2018, I've released an annual montage focused on advice for college students and young professionals interested in private equity, investment banking, and the investing world   This year's version marks Episode 200 of Private Equity Fast Pitch!   Over the last 12 months I asked founders, CEOs and managing partners from Private Equity firms, Investment...

THE ADVICE THAT ACTUALLY HOLDS UP   There is no shortage of advice in this industry   Most of it sounds good...   Not all of it lasts   With graduation season here, I wanted to do something a little different on Private Equity Fast Pitch.   These clips come from guests who share a common university.  What they don't share is how they got there:   Different paths Different careers Different firms  ...

Ignacio Jayanti is the Chief Executive Officer of Corsair and serves as Chairman of the Buyouts Investment Committee and as a member of the Infrastructure Investment Committee. He joined Corsair in 1993 when the first Corsair fund was launched and is based in New York. Ignacio is a director of Corsair portfolio companies IDnow and ZEDRA.   Prior to spinning off Corsair as an independent business f...

Omar Jaffrey has been involved in technology, media and telecommunications ("TMT") investments, mergers and acquisitions, strategic partnerships, public and private capital raises, restructuring and bankruptcies for over 30 years.   Mr. Jaffrey founded Palistar Capital (formerly, Melody Investment Advisers, "Palistar") in 2019 as a specialist digital infrastructure investor as his go-forward inves...

Daphne Dufresne is the Founder and Managing Partner of Awani Capital. She leads the firm's strategic direction, investment decisions, and value creation initiatives across the portfolio. With over 25 years of private equity experience, Daphne has a long-standing track record of building scalable businesses in the business and industrial services sectors. She plays an active role in all phases of t...

In recognition of International Women's Month, I'm releasing a montage of advice from some of the most accomplished women in our industry.   These remarkable leaders have navigated one of the most demanding and historically male-dominated corners of business and have done it with conviction, resilience, and extraordinary leadership.   If you're a young professional, a student considering this indu...

Suzanne Yoon is the Founder and Managing Partner of Kinzie Capital Partners, a Chicago- based private equity firm redefining the lower middle market. With over 25 years of experience, Suzanne founded Kinzie on the conviction that sustainable value is unlocked by integrating people and operational innovation with technology.   Under her leadership, Kinzie specializes in founder transitions across t...

Andy Unanue is the founder and Managing Partner of AUA Private Equity Partners, an operationally-focused, lower middle market investment firm with expertise in supporting and growing family-owned and demographic-driven businesses. Andy is a member of AUA Private Equity's Investment Committee, and under his leadership, AUA has deployed over $800 million of capital to date.   AUA's business model is...

Eric Wiklendt is a Managing Director at Speyside Equity, where he is responsible for sourcing, executing, managing, and exiting investments. Eric has previously held senior leadership and operational roles, and he currently serves on the Boards of several portfolio companies.   Before joining Speyside Equity, Eric was President & CEO of Kelix Heat Transfer Systems. Prior to that, he held leadershi...

Sam Gaynor is a Managing Director at Altamont Capital Partners where he oversees their Financial Services practice.  Sam evaluates and underwrites deals in the insurance, asset / wealth management, and specialty finance sectors, working closely with management teams to help maximize the value of their businesses.  In particular, Sam has overseen Altamont's efforts to incubate new Financial Service...

Throughout 2025, I sat down with CEOs, founders, investors, and leaders across the private equity ecosystem. In every conversation, I asked a question that I have asked since the very first episode of Private Equity Fast Pitch:   What's the quote, motto, or what drives you?   The answers were telling as there were no slogans or catchy buzzwords.   What stood out was a shared seriousness about how...

Eliot serves as Managing Partner of Broadwing Capital, which he co-founded after 20 years of operational private equity experience. He is responsible for overall direction of the firm and ensuring Broadwing achieves its investment objectives in a manner consistent with the firm's mission and core values. He originates and leads investment opportunities, partners with management post-acquisition to...

Michael Psaros is a Co-Founder and Co-Managing Partner of KPS Capital Partners, LP ("KPS") and a member of its Investment and Management Committees. KPS is a leading global private equity firm with approximately $19.4B (as of 6/30/25) of assets under management focused on making controlling equity investments in global manufacturing and industrial companies across an array of industries. KPS genera...