The Acquiror Summit
Dates: January 26th - 30th, 2025
Location: New York
Gold Sponsors:
Benefits Of Attending This Week Long Summit For Acquirors
Network
Meet with like minded people from strategics, private equity firms, family offices and roll-ups. Networking will be on the day of the conference and at several other unique events during the week.
Acquisition Opportunities
Listen to >10 carefully selected companies pitch their exits at the conference for the first time. In addition, schedule 1on1s during the week.
Operational Value Creation
Learn from amazing speakers and panelists about how to enhance operational value creation. In addition, meet with speakers 1on1 during the week.
Valuations & Exits
Get up to speed regarding deal volumes, valuations and the 2025 outlook for exits.
SUNDAY 26TH JANUARY
EXCLUSIVE PRE-CONFERENCE EVENT
Time: 12pm - 4pm
Availability: 42 places
Join us for an unforgettable day as we take you to the iconic Madison Square Garden to witness the New York Rangers in action. As part of our summit, “Break the Ice,” this exclusive event offers the perfect blend of excitement, networking, and pure New York spirit.
Feel the adrenaline as the Rangers take to the ice, showcasing their skill, speed, and determination. Whether you’re a die-hard hockey fan or new to the sport, the electric atmosphere of Madison Square Garden will captivate you. This legendary venue, known as “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” promises an experience like no other.
Carbon6 is the all-in-one Amazon growth platform, built to increase profitability, drive revenue, and operate efficiently through data-powered software solutions backed by the brightest minds in Amazon and SaaS.
DAY 1: MONDAY 27TH JANUARY
Time: 7.30am - 6pm
Availability: 200
The Fortia Group is proud to invite acquirors back to the largest dedicated mid-market conference to SaaS, eCommerce and technology acquirors. Once again it will take place in the fantastic 1 liberty street Convene building hosting acquiror audiences of PE firms, roll-ups, corporates and family offices. This conference will provide insight into the M&A landscape, evaluate historic trends and provide insight into future expectations. Don’t miss out as spaces are limited and book your ticket today!
Agenda
Welcome
7.30am: Breakfast & networking
01
Deal Sourcing
9.00am:
Excellence in sourcing - Axial CEO, Peter Lehrman
9.30am:
AI-powered sourcing - Fintent and AI CEO, Alex Lukashov
10.00am:
AI powered diligence - tba
10.30am:
Quality of revenue (QoR) - Blue Ridge Partners senior MD, Pat Donegan
11.00am:
Pitches by businesses for sale
Lunch & networking @ 12.00pm - 1.30pm
02
Value Creation
1.30pm:
2025 value creation trends - Sagard VC/PE operating partner, Ian Sherman
2.00pm:
Leveraging technology to drive value creation - Pilot Wave Holdings CEO, Afsheen Afshar
2.30pm:
Leveraging best practice systems in HR and operations - tba
3.00pm:
Spotlight on ecommerce value creation - Barlow & Williams, Getida, IG PCC, Kapoq, Standvast and Titan
03
Successful Exits
4.00pm:
Decks Direct CEO, Blair Budlong who exited to PE
4.10pm:
Prattle CEO, Evan Schnidman who exited to Liquidnet
4.20pm:
Speaker tba
4.30pm:
Speaker tba
4.40pm:
Speaker tba
4.50pm:
Speaker tba
Closing Drinks
5.00pm - 6.00pm: Drinks & networking
Speakers
Daniel McCarthy
Daniel McCarthy, Assistant Professor of Marketing at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, is a leading expert in customer-based corporate valuation and customer lifetime value (CLV) analytics. As co-founder of Theta, he has pioneered methodologies that revolutionize how eCommerce brands utilize customer data to drive growth and valuation. Recognized for bridging theoretical research with practical applications, Daniel’s work empowers businesses to make data-driven decisions for long-term success.
Evan Schnidman
Evan is an experienced entrepreneur and executive with expertise in data, product and go-to-market strategy. His career has largely been focused on developing novel data and technology products at the intersection of finance, economics and AI. This confluence of knowledge and experience allowed Evan to build an NLP company, Prattle, from an academic idea, through venture backing and to a successful exit.
Jacob Cook
Jake Cook is Co-Founder at Tadpull and Lecturer at Harvard Business School. Tadpull uses AI and machine learning to help clients predict future value of customers and measure the probability of repeat purchases. Jake teaches an advanced marketing elective at Harvard that encompasses SEO, paid media, Amazon, influencer marketing and analytics.
Pat Donegan
Pat works closely with private equity firms and their portfolio companies to solve growth challenges and accelerate revenue. Before joining Blue Ridge Partners, Pat was an Operating Partner at The Riverside Company, where he advised deal teams and portfolio companies on strategies to drive growth and scale businesses. He has also held leadership roles as a private equity-backed operator with P&L responsibilities, giving him practical experience in managing and predictably growing businesses.
Peter Fader
Peter Fader is Co-Founder and Director of Theta, and the Frances and Pei-Yuan Chia Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is considered by many to be the world’s foremost expert on the development and application of models of Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), having won dozens of prestigious awards for his research and teaching on the topic.
Peter Lehrman
Peter is CEO and founder of Axial, responsible for delivering the company’s vision to become the trusted platform where private companies and their trusted advisors connect with capital. Prior to Axial, Peter worked in private equity at SFW Capital Partners and was part of the founding team at Gerson Lehrman Group, where he helped to build the company’s global technology platform for on-demand business expertise. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and received his MBA from Stanford Business School.
Conference Venue
Convene Building, 1 Liberty Street, Downtown NY, 1006.
The venue worked great last year. This year we have expanded the footprint and the length of the cocktails!
DAY 2: TUESDAY 28TH JANUARY
Time: 6.00pm - 9.00pm
Availability: 20 places
Withum is a forward-thinking, technology-driven accounting, tax and advisory firm with a deep level of experience relating to all of the issues and opportunities that arise within the E-Commerce ecosystem. Their team of industry experts understands the challenges your company faces, from expansion and M&A opportunities to inventory management and sales tax complications, and can help you with your compliance, accounting and advisory needs while you build toward your goals and innovate for the future.
Withum invites you to join them for an exclusive dinner at Gramercy Tavern, one of NYC’s most famous restaurants. Here you will indulge in Chef Michael Anthony’s ever-evolving seasonal menu which highlights the establishment’s connections with local farms and purveyors. The night promises to be full of engaging discussion and delicious food and drinks.
DAY 3: WEDNESDAY 29TH JANUARY
Time: 3pm - 5pm
Availability: 20
Kapoq is the leading marketplace solution for end-to-end brand management. Integrating data and insights across six interconnected modules, Kapoq enhances efficiency and automates workflows for brands, agencies, and accelerators. Experience streamlined operations and strategic growth with Kapoq.
This special gathering promises a memorable afternoon of networking with industry professionals, all set in the sophisticated ambiance of The Lawn Club. We look forward to seeing you there!
Time: 6pm - 10pm
Availability: 42 places
Join us for an unforgettable day as we take you to the iconic Madison Square Garden to witness the New York Nicks in action. As part of our summit, “Networking at the Nicks,” this exclusive event offers the perfect blend of excitement, networking, and pure New York spirit.
Feel the adrenaline as the Nicks take to the court, showcasing their skill, speed, and determination. Whether you’re a die-hard basketball fan or new to the sport, the electric atmosphere of Madison Square Garden will captivate you. This legendary venue, known as “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” promises an experience like no other.
Join Charm for this exclusive event. Charm.io is the world’s most comprehensive data set on eCommerce brands, tracking critical performance metrics for every direct-to-consumer brand online, and on TikTok Shop.
DAY 4: THURSDAY 30TH JANUARY
Mastering the 3Cs: Customers, Campaigns and Capital
A Theta & Tadpull Workshop
Time: 2pm - 6pm
This interactive workshop will unpack how the “3C’s” of customer data combined with marketing campaigns can directly influence capital deployment in modern commerce. Examples of how AI and data can be blended together to identify opportunities and manage risk during due diligence and value creation will also be explored. Based on popular MBA courses at Wharton, Emory, and Harvard Business School this workshop promises to blend theory with timely hands-on examples for an engaging learning experience.
Peter Fader
Peter Fader is Co-Founder and Director of Theta, and the Frances and Pei-Yuan Chia Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is considered by many to be the world’s foremost expert on the development and application of models of Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), having won dozens of prestigious awards for his research and teaching on the topic.
Daniel McCarthy
Daniel McCarthy, Assistant Professor of Marketing at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, is a leading expert in customer-based corporate valuation and customer lifetime value (CLV) analytics. As co-founder of Theta, he has pioneered methodologies that revolutionize how eCommerce brands utilize customer data to drive growth and valuation. Recognized for bridging theoretical research with practical applications, Daniel’s work empowers businesses to make data-driven decisions for long-term success.
Jacob Cook
Jake Cook is Co-Founder at Tadpull and Lecturer at Harvard Business School. Tadpull uses AI and machine learning to help clients predict future value of customers and measure the probability of repeat purchases. Jake teaches an advanced marketing elective at Harvard that encompasses SEO, paid media, Amazon, influencer marketing and analytics.
Time: 6.00pm - 9.00pm
Availability: 20 places
Join Charm for an exclusive dinner at Manhatta. Charm.io is the world’s most comprehensive data set on eCommerce brands, tracking critical performance metrics for every direct-to-consumer brand online, and on TikTok Shop.