Grew EV 10x in 5 Years
Ben Rudman knew he wanted to work in food before he knew what investment banking was. His first independent sponsor deal, Western Smokehouse Partners, started with ~60 employees in 2018. By the time it sold 4.5 years later, it had almost 700 employees across 4 facilities and enterprise value had grown ~10x.


More recent episodes

The Family Office Independent Sponsor
Jim Bolduc operates the independent sponsor arm within his family's Family Office. As a former investment banker at Merrill Lynch, Jim walks us through the nuances of their approach, which includes a focus on the retail industry built on decades of entrepreneurial experience.

Steak & Sizzle with a Side of Fundless
Bruce Lipian coined "independent sponsor" at a NYC conference. Learn how the deal-by-deal model thrives in lower-middle market PE with creativity over capital.

50% Carry on 50x MOIC
Jim Tapp left corporate life for M&A after meeting a wealthy business owner. Now he runs an independent sponsor shop with his sons, including a 50x MOIC software exit.