Private Equity Fast Pitch

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...

Parker Weil is Executive Managing Director, Co-Head of Global Corporate and Investment Banking Coverage at TD Securities (TDS), and sits on the CIB Executive Management Committee. He is responsible for overseeing the business' global strategy, managing key relationships, and leading high-profile transactions to drive business growth and market expansion.   Prior to this, Parker was the Co-Head of...

Tim is a co-founder and Managing Partner at Angeles Equity Partners.  Tim is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the firm's investment activities. Prior to co-founding Angeles Equity Partners in 2014, Tim co-led the Industrials vertical at The Gores Group with Jordan Katz. Tim was responsible for leading due diligence efforts, driving operational transformation and providing portfolio compan...

Michelle is the Founder and Managing Partner of  Clearhaven Partners , which she founded in 2019 to build a private equity firm grounded in focus and shared values. She sets the firm's strategy and direction and chairs Clearhaven's Investment Committee. Under her leadership, Clearhaven manages more than $1 billion in AUM across multiple funds, investing in growth-oriented software and technology b...

As a Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Russ brings an entrepreneurial spirit and a wealth of financial and operational expertise to Transom. He thrives on solving complex problems, and has earned a reputation as a responsive, proactive leader, investor, and business-builder. Russ manages Transom day-to-day, plays an active role in new investment evaluation & execution and with portfolio companies,...

Episode 183 of the Private Equity Fast Pitch features Sean MacIver , Managing Director with KeyBanc Capital Markets. He has over 15 years of experience advising both private equity and corporate clientele across the debt capital markets.  Sean currently spends most of his time working collaboratively with his industry partners within the Industrial & Business Services, Building Products, and Aeros...

Kristin Johnson Managing Director, Business Development Kristin Johnson is a Managing Director of ACP, where she leads the firm's Business Development efforts. Prior to ACP, Kristin was a Principal in the fundraising group at TPG Capital, where she helped raise capital for the firm and manage investor relations. Previously, Kristin was a Managing Director in Morgan Stanley's corporate finance depa...

Matthew Sparks, Managing Director, is a senior leader on the private equity team at Northleaf Capital Partners. Matthew leads the firm's North American secondaries strategy and also plays a key role in managing its Canadian fund investment portfolio. With more than 15 years at Northleaf, he brings deep expertise in evaluating complex deals, building trusted GP relationships, and navigating the fas...

Disclaimer: The discussion in this podcast is for informational purposes and should not be relied on as investment advice or an offer to sell or a solicitation for an offer to buy any securities. Any opinions expressed are those of the speaker and are subject to change. Any discussion of past performance is provided for informational purposes only, is not track record information and should not be...