21st Annual · iGlobal Flagship
Independent Sponsors Summit
Every meeting is matched to your deal stage, sector focus, and capital priorities. Every session is tagged by deal lifecycle phase. Your six most valuable introductions are identified before you arrive.
The longest-running independent sponsor event series in the U.S., and the largest, most curated gathering of the market we have ever assembled.
The conversations that close deals start here.
September 28–29, 2026 · New York City
New for the NY Summit
Everything that was good.
Seven things that are new.
More 1-2-1 meetings, our most requested change, delivered
The Summit now delivers 26 meeting slots across two days, our highest in event history. Personalized pre-event recommendations ensure you're filling those additional meeting slots with counterparties highly aligned to your deal and capital priorities.
6 personalized meeting recommendations before you arrive
Ahead of the Summit, every registered attendee receives 6 personalized meeting recommendations aligned to sector focus, deal stage, capital strategy, and co-sponsor interest. You arrive with a warm list of relevant conversations already identified, not a blank calendar.
Content organized by deal phase
Every session is now tagged by where you are in the deal lifecycle — Pre-deal, Deal execution, or Post-close — and by who it's built for: emerging independent sponsors, advanced independent sponsors, or capital providers.
Sector deal clinics, one room, one sector, 45 minutes
Four closed sessions running across both days. Healthcare. B2B services. Niche manufacturing. Essential services. Independent sponsors active in the sector, one provocation, no slides. Discuss closed deals or active LOI in the sector.
The senior IS tier, built for sponsors with 3+ deals
A layer for experienced sponsors. Access to all three tailored Chatham House sessions. Priority meeting slots with capital providers who have active LOIs.
IS foundations, an emerging masterclass
For independent sponsors in their first 1–3 deals. Four back-to-back sessions: the capital stack explained, first deal economics, presenting to allocators without a track record, and building your sourcing engine.
Women in IS breakfast, a new closed session
A breakfast for female leaders across all roles in the independent sponsor ecosystem — sponsors, capital providers, advisors. Facilitated. No formal agenda. A room where the guard is down. The foundation of a year-round program.
Who Attends
Built for every seat
at the deal table.
The Summit brings together every participant in the independent sponsor deal lifecycle — from first-deal sponsors to multi-platform operators, across every form of capital. SBIC and non-control equity, family offices, direct lenders, and institutional LPs.
Independent Sponsors
Building your platform
The capital relationships, sourcing engine, and credibility signals that will define your first 1–3 deals.
See sessions ↗Scaling and deciding
The capital relationships, decision frameworks, and peer conversations that matter at 3+ deals.
See sessions ↗Capital Providers
Debt and equity in one package
The capital structure independent sponsors use to close deals faster.
Backing IS without taking the wheel
The fastest-growing capital model in the market.
Senior secured and unitranche
For IS-backed transactions. Active deal pipeline, continuously.
Deal-by-deal co-investment
Without fund overhead. 70% of family offices now deploy directly.
Backing IS and emerging managers at scale
Access the fund-raise pipeline 2–3 years before it begins.
Why Attend
Seven reasons.
Two days. One room.
The meetings are king
26 slots per person. Curated suggestions before you arrive. We tell you who to meet, you show up ready.
550+ people. Zero filler.
Large enough to find who you need. Small enough to actually meet them. Designed to maximize both curated introductions and high-value organic networking.
Capital that is actively deploying
SBICs, family offices, direct lenders, institutional LPs: Deal-ready. Actively Transacting. Not only exploring.
Active IS deal flow
Independent sponsors actively raising, evaluating acquisitions, and building capital relationships.
Content built around your deal
Every session tagged by phase and audience tier. Pre-deal. Deal execution. Post-close. No session you didn't come for.
Conversations that don't happen on panels
Chatham House sessions. Sector clinics. A senior IS tier. The candid intelligence that only surfaces when the room is right.
Game-changing results
95% of our attendees report meeting new prospects or securing new deals at our events. Leave with new relationships to fuel your pipeline.
The Program
The program.
Every phase of the deal.
Sessions tagged by deal phase and audience tier. The meeting room never closes. Content runs alongside. You choose how to spend every slot.
01 · Pre-Deal
- Market insights
- Early opportunities
- Sourcing strategies
- Regulatory context
- Founders & IB connections
02 · Deal Execution
- Structuring & negotiation
- Financing models
- Case studies
- Diligence & valuation
- Deal connections
03 · Post-Close
- Integration & alignment
- Value creation
- Post-close lessons
- Exit planning
- Peer exchange
New for 2026
One room.
One sector.
45 minutes.
Four closed sector deal clinics running sequentially across both days, parallel to the meeting room. Facilitated by a senior independent sponsor active in that sector. No slides. One provocation.
Qualification: at least one closed deal or active LOI in the sector. Open door for listeners where space allows.
Healthcare services
Home health, behavioral, dental, physician practices. Regulatory complexity, reimbursement risk, management retention. The most active independent sponsor sector by volume on Axial.
"What did you get wrong on your last healthcare deal, and what did it cost you?"
B2B services
Outsourced services, staffing, compliance, professional services. The most crowded independent sponsor sector at auction.
"What is your actual edge when a seller has four other offers on the table?"
Niche manufacturing
Highest Axial pursuit rate of any sub-sector. Boomer succession wave most acute here. Tariff exposure is the live risk in 2025.
"Where are you in deals that were under LOI when the tariff announcements hit?"
Essential services
HVAC, roofing, facilities, pest control. Fastest-growing independent sponsor deal category 2024–25. Buy-and-build is the dominant strategy.
"What breaks the buy-and-build model, and how far in did you get before you found out?"
What Attendees Say
The room speaks
for itself.
"I have been here for all eight years. What I come back for is just the quality of people who I meet."David Acharya
"We love this conference, we will be back next year. I tell them that every year. It has been really phenomenal."Sylvie Gadant
"An efficient, affordable way for independent sponsors and capital providers to build meaningful relationships and learn about industry developments."Paul Shufro
"There's a lot of really significant players who are actively doing deals in the industry. Being top of mind and seeing them is really valuable."Chase Stuart
"I would absolutely tell people to come, particularly folks trying to develop their network of capital providers and meet other independent sponsors."Nick Barker
"The great turnout always leaves me with new value-add relationships so I can grow my deal flow."Douglas Lancey
Backed by the ecosystem
The leading firms in the
independent sponsor market.
A selection of the law firms, accountants, lenders, capital providers, and strategic partners that return year after year.
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From the floor
The room, the meetings,
the closed-door sessions.
NY · September 28–29
550+ in one room.
September 28–29.
New York.
Register now to secure your place and your pre-event personalized meeting suggestions.