Speaker Sessions

June 6, 2024 · 11:00am - 12:00pm · Room 205AB, Level 2, BCEC

Investing in Sports

Investing in the sports industry offers a unique avenue for financial growth and diversification. This dynamic sector encompasses a wide range of opportunities, from traditional sports teams and leagues, to emerging trends like eSports and sports betting. Hear from our seasoned speakers investing and advising in the game!

Sponsored by

Tracy Deforge

Founder | The Players’ Impact

Tracy Deforge

Founder | The Players’ Impact

Education – J.D. Seton Hall Law School, B.A. Wagner College
Expertise – Executive Management, Entrepreneurship, Venture Investment

An attorney by training and the founder of The Players’ Impact, a venture platform for professional athletes, her career has focused for more than a decade on start-up companies and sports/media technology offerings. Tracy’s background provides management expertise, startup business initiatives, legal affairs experience and managing operations. Tracy has been starting, growing, and selling companies for over 25 years. Her roles and positions throughout her career saw her intimately involved in all aspects of entrepreneurship, from envisioning the concept, business planning, hiring, operations build out, fundraising, strategic partnerships, outsourcing, finances, marketing, and more. After earning her J.D at Seton Hall University she worked for the National Hockey League, Major League Baseball Advanced Media and was a partner in the first of its kind venture investment firm focused on companies that intersected sports, technology and media/entertainment. Tracy started the Boston chapter of Women in Sports and Events, a not-for-profit representing the voice and invaluable resource for professional women in the business of sports and remains and advisor. Tracy is the chairman of the National Women’s Soccer League Players Association Advisory Board as well as a board member of Team USA Handball and the New England Chapter of Positive Coaching Alliance. Tracy has 2 children, is a 6-time marathon finisher and a 2nd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and a 2018 Haymaker’s for Hope fighter.

Darren Ross

Executive Vice President and Managing Director | Wasserman Ventures

Darren Ross

Executive Vice President and Managing Director | Wasserman Ventures

Darren Ross was named Managing Director and Executive Vice President, Wasserman Ventures in April 2023. In his role, Darren uses Wasserman’s experience, connections and team to help build and accelerate interesting companies and approaches to market that complement the business across sports and entertainment. Prior to his current role, Darren served as Chief Executive Officer for Wasserman Next Gen, a department within Wasserman’s brands and properties division that connects next generation consumers to the brands they love. Originally acquired by Wasserman as Riddle & Bloom in April 2021, the group was formally rebranded under the Wasserman umbrella in Feb. 2023. He also previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Teall Acquisitions. Prior to joining Wasserman, Darren served as Executive Vice President for production and creative agency Cramer, working with brands including Staples, Keurig, Avery Dennison, New England Coffee, EMC and Siemens. During his tenure, he helped grow the group to become one of the largest digital marketing and event solutions companies in the country. Darren remains on the board of the private, family-owned company. Prior to Cramer, Darren was Partner and Chief Operating Officer at InterMedia Interactive Solutions, where he worked with clients such as Callaway, Pfizer, Pharmacia, Aventis, Coke of Philadelphia and Shiseido Cosmetics. Before that, he headed global ecommerce and interactive marketing for PUMA. Darren also serves on several non-profit boards, including the Ad Club of Boston, Teall Properties Group and the David Ortiz Children’s Fund, who provides essential support for children in the Dominican Republic and New England who cannot afford the critical cardiac services they need. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Milton Academy, he lives in Manchester by the Sea, MA (yes, like the movie), is married to a lovely woman and has two great kids. He still can’t believe it.

Josef B. Volman

Partner & Co-Chair, Boston Office | Blank Rome (Moderator)

Josef B. Volman

Partner & Co-Chair, Boston Office | Blank Rome (Moderator)

During his 30-year career, Joe Volman has become known as a go-to lawyer in the middle-market community, particularly with respect to mid-market mergers and acquisitions (“M&A”). Through his creative, results-driven approach, Joe partners with his clients as a strategic adviser, and leverages his vast network to help clients source deals and raise capital in order to effectively drive growth and maximize returns on their investments. He is particularly skilled in negotiating in a constructive and collaborative fashion, made evident by an illustrious career grown through referrals of past clients and industry-leading companies seeking his proficiency with buy- and sell-side transactions. On the sell-side, Joe helps clients prepare for the sale process, including tax and other structuring. He assists strategic and financial acquirors with tax, structuring, and negotiating transaction documents. Joe is a deal maker and is known to take a highly commercial approach to move transactions over the finish line. He constantly strives to be the lawyer clients call to solve their problems, operating as if he is in the office next door and available to help when needed. His sell-side clients know that he treats their business as if it were his family business—he cares very deeply about them, their family, and their business. They know he has their back and that he’s going to help them achieve their wealth and liquidity goals. On the buy-side, private equity (“PE”) firms trust him to help them make the best choices, acquire the right companies, to achieve success for their limited partners. As a firm leader, he is also able to command the best resources for their transactions. In addition to his M&A work, Joe represents entrepreneurs and investors, startups and emerging companies, and PE / venture capital funds through all phases of the fundraising and investment process. Joe also has significant experience representing small and mid-cap public companies and investment banking firms that work in the small and mid-cap markets. He helps early-stage companies with formation and financing, and guides venture funds with the structure and negotiation of venture capital financings. For small and mid-cap public companies, he helps them comply with securities laws, attain public and private financings, and execute M&A transactions. Joe has a deep understanding of several dynamic sectors, including technology (particularly software as a service (“SaaS”) and FinTech companies), business services, professional services, consumer businesses, life sciences, manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, sports, food & beverage, and hospitality.

Jennifer Epstein

Founder, Juno Equity & Controlling Manager | Boston Unity Soccer Partners

Jennifer Epstein

Founder, Juno Equity & Controlling Manager | Boston Unity Soccer Partners

Jennifer Epstein is the Controlling Partner of Boston Unity Soccer Partners, LLC. She was born and raised in Boston and has spent her life an avid sports fan of her home teams. The Epstein family have been co-owners and managing partners of the Boston Celtics basketball franchise since 2002. As an owner of the team, Epstein has seen first-hand how sports fuel the excitement, energy and passion of a city, as well as how it can be a powerful vehicle for positive community impact. Believing in the power of woman-led, diverse leadership teams to drive greater returns, Epstein founded Juno Equity in 2018. Her firm champions opportunities for women, addressing the gender-weighted venture capital funding gap and making seed round investments in female founded companies, predominantly in the consumer, tech and sports industries. She is also a co-founder of Wildlife Hospitality, the creator of three award-winning restaurant concepts in the Boston area. Epstein has invested in her family’s real estate company The Abbey Group’s development projects for over 20 years and continues to act as a major shareholder in its current developments. Epstein holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and a JD from Boston College.

June 6, 2024 · 1:30pm - 2:30pm · Room 205AB, Level 2, BCEC

AI in the M&A Industry

Join our panelists as they explore the transformative role of artificial intelligence in the deal-making processes. They’ll discuss AI’s capacity to enhance due diligence, accelerate decision-making & contracting, and optimize post-merger integration, while reflecting on the additional challenges and risks that come into play.

Paul Griffiths

Founder & Principal | Sannasig

Paul Griffiths

Founder & Principal | Sannasig

Paul Griffiths is a founder of Sannasig, a principals-only strategy and operations firm. Acting as an independent operating partner for PE-backed portfolio companies, Sannasig works with management teams and their financial backers to optimize EBITDA before a sale, make a strategic market move, or realize the value of an acquisition through a successful integration. Paul started his career at an e-commerce startup that raised $40m in venture capital, then bootstrapped a digital health company for 18 years before exiting to a publicly traded strategic. Paul is an investor and advisor to over 30 early-stage VC funds focused on emerging technology. A graduate of Harvard Business School, he is currently completing his PhD in Management from the Lisbon School of Economics where he studies why people buy imaginary things.

Rob May

Founder & CEO | BrandGuard.ai & General Partner | Half Court Ventures

Rob May

Founder & CEO | BrandGuard.ai & General Partner | Half Court Ventures

Rob May is a 4x entrepreneur and angel investor in over 100 startups. Prior to that he worked as an electrical engineer designing various hardware devices. Rob writes the newsletter Investing In AI, and hosts the AI Innovator's Podcast. He holds a BSEE and MBA from the University of Kentucky.

Noah Waisberg

Co-Founder & CEO | Zuva

Noah Waisberg

Co-Founder & CEO | Zuva

Noah is co-founder and CEO of Zuva, a company that uses AI to help businesses understand the details of their documents. Previously, he co-founded and served as CEO of Kira Systems for 10+ years to its exit, helping grow the company to over two-hundred employees, and having 18 of the top 25 M&A law firms as well as all of the Big Four as customers. Prior to Kira Systems, Noah was a corporate lawyer at Weil, Gotshal & Manges in New York. Noah is an expert on contract analysis, legal technology, and artificial intelligence; has spoken at conferences including SXSW Interactive, ILTACON, and Legal Geek; and has been named the FT’s Intelligent Business Market Shaper and ILTA’s Innovative Thought Leader of the Year. Noah holds a J.D. from the NYU School of Law, an A.M. from Brown University, and a B.A. with honours from McGill University. He is the co-author of The Wall Street Journal bestseller AI for Lawyers, and Robbie the Robot Learns to Read, the world’s first children’s book on machine learning.

Julia Karol

President & COO | Watermill Group (Moderator)

Julia Karol

President & COO | Watermill Group (Moderator)

Julia Karol is President and COO of Watermill Group. She is the founder of WMX, Watermill’s initiative to accelerate change by investing in gender diverse teams with a vision to build enduring businesses. She is responsible for overall firm operations and helping Watermill portfolio companies develop and implement their strategies. Previously, as a Watermill Principal, Julia helped guide the day-to-day operations of the firm, directed the firm’s investor relations and managed fundraising initiatives for acquisitions. Prior to joining Watermill, Julia worked at Jumpstart, a national nonprofit organization. While at Jumpstart, she managed Boston-area fundraising, coordinated communication and marketing efforts, cultivated partnerships, developed alumni relations programming, and oversaw staff recruitment efforts. Julia currently serves as a Partner with Social Venture Partners Boston, a venture philanthropy organization which connects Boston’s most promising nonprofits with the money and minds to fuel their success. Julia has served as a Mentor for Endeavor, a global high-impact entrepreneurship movement and that promotes economic growth and job creation. She also serves as a member of the Budget and Administration Committee for Combined Jewish Philanthropies. Julia is a member of ACG Boston and the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and has been named as one of the Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A by Mergers and Acquisitions Magazine for three consecutive years. In 2019, Julia received the Women of Influence Award from ACG Boston and was named one of Boston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 honorees. Julia is also the creator and host of Stork’d, a podcast celebrating the many modern ways to build a family. EDUCATION: She received a M.A. in Education Policy, Organization and Leadership from Stanford University, completed the Owners, Presidents, Managers program at Harvard Business School, and the Summer Institute for Entrepreneurship at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and earned a B.A. from Tufts University.

June 6, 2024 · 3:00pm - 4:00pm · Room 205AB, Level 2, BCEC

Building Relationships with Private Equity

In the dynamic world of private equity, where relationships can make or break deals, understanding the nuances of building and maintaining connections is paramount. Our panel will delve into the strategies, challenges, and opportunities inherent in fostering enduring relationships within the private equity landscape.

Jon Von Bargen

Managing Director | H.I.G. Capital

Jon Von Bargen

Managing Director | H.I.G. Capital

John is a Managing Director in H.I.G. Capital’s Boston office. John is responsible for all aspects of the investment process including origination, transaction structuring, due diligence, financing and execution of post-closing growth and operational strategies. Since joining H.I.G. Capital’s LBO group, John has led investments in a number of industries including printing, manufacturing, building products, consumer products, business services, digital media and outsourced human capital management. He currently serves on the board of directors of several H.I.G. Capital portfolio companies. John brings over fifteen years of investment, management and operating experience across a variety of industries. Prior to joining H.I.G. Capital in 2004, John was a senior associate with several leading consulting firms, working with private and public middle market and large-cap companies to develop and implement financial, operational and strategic plans. John began his career in the Corporate Finance Group at PricewaterhouseCoopers. John earned his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from Babson College.

Isaac Garcia-Dale

Founder & President | North Point Associates (Moderator)

Isaac Garcia-Dale

Founder & President | North Point Associates (Moderator)

Sponsored by

Laurens Goff

Co-Founder & Managing Partner | Stone-Goff Partners

Laurens Goff

Co-Founder & Managing Partner | Stone-Goff Partners

Laurens Goff co-founded Stone-Goff Partners in 2010 and manages the firm with Hannah Stone Craven. Laurens enjoys partnering with business services executives and entrepreneurs to exploit technology and continue growth trajectories. Laurens began his career in the investment banking division of Furman Selz LLC. He subsequently joined Hampshire Equity Partners, a middle market buyout firm where he spent over eight years sourcing, executing, and managing private equity investments. Laurens earned a BS in Finance at Boston College. In addition to the Stone-Goff portfolio companies, Laurens currently serves on the Board of Citi Trends (NASDAQ: CTRN), a publicly traded apparel retailer. Based in Boston, Laurens is also a Board member of Prospect Hill Academy, a charter school in Cambridge, Cambridge Youth Lacrosse and Woodstock Ski Runners.

Christina Pai

Partner | Fort Point Capital

Christina Pai

Partner | Fort Point Capital

Christina Pai joined Fort Point Capital in 2011 as a Vice President and was promoted to Partner in 2015. Previously, Christina was a Principal at Swift River Investments where she was responsible for sourcing, analyzing and executing lower middle market buyouts, and served on the board of directors of several portfolio companies. Prior to joining Swift River Investments, Christina was an Associate at FdG Associates, a middle market private equity firm, where she participated in a number of platform investments and worked with portfolio companies to develop growth strategies and execute add-on acquisitions. Previously, she worked at JPMorgan Chase, focusing on mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance in the consumer products and healthcare sectors. Currently, Christina chairs the boards of Ice House America, Strata Information Group, AMS Fulfillment, VayKLife and BMG360. Christina is a graduate of Dartmouth College. She enjoys all variety of travel and reading and is a Boston sports enthusiast.

Edward Shahnasarian

Managing Director | THL

Edward Shahnasarian

Managing Director | THL

As a Managing Director in the Financial Technology & Services vertical, Ed builds relationships with management teams, develops investment theses and manages internal and external due diligence. He primarily focuses on the firm’s Identified Sector Opportunities (ISOs) in Insurance Technology & Services and Wealth & Fund. Ed is also a Director for AmeriLife Group, Carpe Data, Hightower Advisors and Hexure. His prior directorships include Prime Risk Partners. Before joining the THL team, Ed worked at Bernhard Capital Partners as a Senior Associate. Outside the office, he is an all-around athlete who golfs, plays tennis and once “ran” a marathon on 24 hours’ notice. Ed enjoys eating Italian food and watching Seinfeld with his wife and three kids.

June 6, 2024 · 3:00pm - 4:00pm · Room 204AB, Level 2, BCEC

Family Office Session

This exclusive session will feature a fireside chat with family offices successfully investing with independent sponsors, sharing their best practices and strategies. There is no additional cost to attend for family offices, but you must be a single or multi-family office and registered for DealFest Northeast in order to attend.

Sponsored by

Mark Anderegg

Co-Founder | Newbury Franklin

Mark Anderegg

Co-Founder | Newbury Franklin

Before succumbing to his entrepreneurial spirits, Mark began his career as an investment banker with Goldman Sachs, first in New York and later in Chicago, and subsequently worked as a private equity investor. With the support of his private equity colleagues, Mark raised a small amount of capital with the intent to acquire and lead an education services company. This undertaking led to the 2012 acquisition of Little Sprouts, a Boston-based provider of childcare services. Mark served as CEO for 6 years and expanded the company to become the largest independent childcare company in New England, operating several different brands in 4 states. Recognizing his aspiration to build a business with a much longer-term orientation, Mark stepped down as CEO to found Newbury Franklin with his friend and colleague, Kevin Brady. Mark received his B.A. in Economics, magna cum laude, from Vanderbilt University and his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He is Adjunct Professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, where he teaches on the subject of Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition and serves as Senior Advisor in the Center for Private Equity and Venture Capital. Mark lives with his three children in Newburyport, MA.

Kevin Brady

Co-Founder | Newbury Franklin

Kevin Brady

Co-Founder | Newbury Franklin

Kevin began his career in New York, first, as an investment banker with Bank of America, and subsequently, as an investment professional with The Wicks Group of Companies, L.L.C., a middle market private equity firm. At Wicks, Kevin supported the acquisition, financing, strategy development, and operational planning of the firm’s investments. While serving as a Vice President at Wicks, Kevin helped lead an investment in Little Sprouts, a Boston-based provider of childcare services, in late 2015. After falling in love with Little Sprouts’ service-oriented culture and growth strategy, Kevin joined the Little Sprouts management team, where he served the organization as its Chief Financial Officer & Head of Business Development until early 2019. Thereafter, Kevin served as a member of the Little Sprouts Board of Directors through 2020, helping the organization achieve its business development objectives in an advisory capacity. Kevin founded Newbury Franklin with his friend and colleague, Mark Anderegg, with the goal of supporting quality entrepreneurs and businesses in their journey to reach their highest potential for an extended period of time. Kevin received his B.S. in Finance from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College. He lives with his wife and their three young children in Franklin Lakes, NJ.

Paul Donahue

Vice President | Salem Capital Management

Paul Donahue

Vice President | Salem Capital Management

Paul Donahue is a Vice President at Salem Capital Management where his responsibilities include sourcing, deal evaluation, transaction execution, and portfolio monitoring. Salem Capital Management is an active investor in independent sponsors as part of its co-investment strategy, which also includes private equity co-invest and GP-led secondaries. Prior to SCM, Paul was an Associate at Providence Equity Partners. Prior to Providence Equity, he was an Investment Banking Analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in the Global Technology, Media, and Telecom Group. Paul received an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.A. from Hamilton College.

Michael Inwald

Managing Director | Crocker Mountain Capital

Michael Inwald

Managing Director | Crocker Mountain Capital

Michael Inwald is the Managing Director of Crocker Mountain Capital, a Boston-based single family office with a focus on emerging and middle market directs and funds. Prior to Crocker Mountain, Michael was the founder and CEO of Cheeseboy Restaurants, the first multi-unit QSR grilled cheese restaurant chain in the U.S. His earlier career included marketing and business development roles with MKTG (Diageo, Kikkoman) and Ogilvy & Mather. Michael previously served as an active board member of the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute (now Tsai CITY) and has lectured frequently on venture development at Yale University. Michael is a volunteer and proud supporter of Paul Newman's SeriousFun Children's Network. He holds a BA from Cornell University and an MBA from Yale School of Management.

Eric Nadzo

Principal | WhiteHorse Capital (Moderator)

Eric Nadzo

Principal | WhiteHorse Capital (Moderator)

Eric is a Principal with WhiteHorse Capital. Based in the Boston office, Eric focuses on sourcing and executing debt investments in middle market companies in a range of industries. Eric has over 15 years of experience in principal investing and investment banking in a range of industries, including business services, healthcare, technology, manufacturing, and specialty finance. Prior to joining WhiteHorse Capital, Eric was a Principal in the Special-Opportunity Lower Middle Market Group at Hercules Technology Growth Capital, where he focused on debt and equity investments. Prior to Hercules, Eric worked at firms, including West End Capital and Advisory, D.B. Zwirn, and The Wicks Group of Companies. Eric earned a B.A. in International Politics and Economics from Middlebury College and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.