Benjamin Graham-inspired value investor, Matt Bodnar, views deal flow and valuation discipline, specifically 4-5x, as the two mission-critical components in creating long-term alpha. He is also a believer in permanent holdings, where annual cash flows, rather than exit proceeds, are a source of evergreen capital for future acquisitions.

References and how to contact today's guest:
Matt Bodnar | LinkedIn

For independent sponsors with a deal under LOI, visit Minds Capital to start a conversation. Minds Capital invests equity into deals by independent sponsors and searchers. Our website also contains more information about this podcast and for prospective investors.

Connect with Minds:

• See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
• Connect with hosts Will Smith and Niklas James
• Visit Minds Capital

Credits:

• Edited by Anton Rohozov

From playing against FC Barcelona at Nou Camp to negotiating with chain-smoking veterinarians, Nikolay Dimitrov at Unity Investment Partnership is trailblazing the path of independent sponsor firms in Eastern Europe.

References and how to contact today's guest:
Nikolay Dimitrov | LinkedIn

For independent sponsors with a deal under LOI, visit Minds Capital to start a conversation. Minds Capital invests equity into deals by independent sponsors and searchers. Our website also contains more information about this podcast and for prospective investors.

Connect with Minds:

• See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
• Connect with hosts Will Smith and Niklas James
• Visit Minds Capital

Credits:

• Edited by Anton Rohozov

Zinger-machine Jay Fuquay is an EVP at Trinity Investors. Trinity was formerly an independent sponsor and is now a private equity and alternative investments powerhouse. They've curated an active investor database of 4,000 high net worth individuals, which has propelled Trinity into a leading capital partner for independent sponsors.

References and how to contact today's guest:
Jay Fuquay | LinkedIn

For independent sponsors with a deal under LOI, visit Minds Capital to start a conversation. Minds Capital invests equity into deals by independent sponsors and searchers. Our website also contains more information about this podcast and for prospective investors.

Connect with Minds:

• See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
• Connect with hosts Will Smith and Niklas James
• Visit Minds Capital

Credits:

• Edited by Anton Rohozov

Where many newly established independent sponsors "fake it 'till they make it", Shreveport-native Edward Crawford used his "Mission & Margin" principles to raise working capital for real infrastructure and a team at Coltala Holdings before chasing deals. He shares about their monthly newsletter that reaches 30,000 stakeholders and generates 14-15 deals, Coltala's relationship-based scoring system for deal flow, and Coltala Enterprise Systems for driving operational efficiency in PortCos.

References and how to contact Edward:
Edward Crawford 🇺🇸 | LinkedIn

For independent sponsors with a deal under LOI, visit Minds Capital to start a conversation. Minds Capital invests equity into deals by independent sponsors and searchers. Our website also contains more information about this podcast and for prospective investors.

Connect with Minds:

• See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
• Connect with hosts Will Smith and Niklas James
• Visit Minds Capital

Credits:

• Edited by Anton Rohozov

Alex de Pfyffer and Ross Porter of Heritage Holdings share their journey from searchers (bringing a $45m revenue company to $140m) to sponsors (achieving 99% gross IRR (68% net IRR) across 5 platforms) to fund managers (closing a $225m fund closed in 2024). They engage in a vivid debate about the pros and cons of the fund model versus deal-by-deal private equity.

References and how to contact Alex and Ross:
Alex de Pfyffer | LinkedIn
Ross Porter | LinkedIn

For independent sponsors with a deal under LOI, visit Minds Capital to start a conversation. Minds Capital invests equity into deals by independent sponsors and searchers. Our website also contains more information about this podcast and for prospective investors.

Connect with Minds:

• See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
• Connect with hosts Will Smith and Niklas James
• Visit Minds Capital

Credits:

• Edited by Anton Rohozov

Azhar Quader of Queens Court Capital specializes on special situations and walks us through how he used his large-cap Wall Street experience to take Hair Cuttery out of bankruptcy to become a $25m EBITDA success story.

References and how to contact Azhar:
Azhar Quader | LinkedIn

For independent sponsors with a deal under LOI, visit Minds Capital to start a conversation. Minds Capital invests equity into deals by independent sponsors and searchers. Our website also contains more information about this podcast and for prospective investors.

Connect with Minds:

• See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
• Connect with hosts Will Smith and Niklas James
• Visit Minds Capital

Credits:

• Edited by Anton Rohozov

Michael Sutton, founder of Guideboat Capital Partners, discusses how he took a restaurant chain from $5m to $25m in EBITDA and then 40x'd the enterprise value of Buff City, a soap retailer.

References and how to contact Michael:
Michael Sutton | LinkedIn

For independent sponsors with a deal under LOI, visit Minds Capital to start a conversation. Minds Capital invests equity into deals by independent sponsors and searchers. Our website also contains more information about this podcast and for prospective investors.

Connect with Minds:

• See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
• Connect with hosts Will Smith and Niklas James
• Visit Minds Capital

Credits:

• Edited by Anton Rohozov