On the Road Again

With the pandemic increasingly receding into the rearview mirror, my colleagues and clients have gone back to our normal travel schedules, and I expect business travel to be even more robust this year. Getting back on the road has shown just how much people in the industry miss traveling and networking in person. While virtual events and Zoom still have their place, they are no match for face-to-face meetings and breaking bread over a meal with clients.

To that end, we’re excited about many networking opportunities at ACG this year. The newly rebranded DealMAX conference will take place at the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas in May. Many Capital Connection events across the country will also offer dealmakers and service providers a chance to link up in person.

This issue of Middle Market DealMaker focuses on business development, highlighting some of the standout BD professionals of 2022 and underlining strategies that work to bring in deals and new business. In-person meetings and conferences are especially important for the business development function.

While dealmaking is expected to slow down this year, it won’t grind to a complete halt when there is so much money sitting on the sidelines at private equity firms. According to PitchBook, there is $1.2 trillion of private equity dry powder available to put to work. We’ll definitely continue to see deals getting done, but at a time of high interest rates and deepening inflation, they might be financed with more cash than leverage.

A slight slowdown might also be a welcome change, as 2021 and part of 2022 were still very busy. Private equity executives, investment bankers and service providers oversaw an overwhelming amount of activity in the past two years, so a slight breather could be due.

A challenging environment can also prove to be a boon for networking, as people need to get out there more and make connections when deals are hard to find. In-person meetings will be even more valuable when the path to closing transactions might be lined with roadblocks. I look forward to seeing some of you on the road in 2023 and continuing to get deals done despite market headwinds. //

MIDDLE MARKET DEALMAKER // WINTER 2023 EDITION

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Thomas Bohn, CAE, MBA tbohn@acg.org

VICE PRESIDENT, ACG MEDIA

Jackie D’Antonio jdantonio@acg.org

CONTENT DIRECTOR

Kathryn Mulligan kmulligan@acg.org

SENIOR EDITOR Anastasia Donde adonde@acg.org

DIGITAL EDITOR

Carolyn Vallejo cvallejo@acg.org

ART DIRECTOR, ACG MEDIA

Michelle McAvoy mmcavoy@acg.org

CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER

Harry Nikpour hnikpour@acg.org

SENIOR DIRECTOR, STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT

Kaitlyn Gregorio kgregorio@acg.org

68

Learn about the private equity, investment banking and corporate development professionals you need to know in 2023, including their proudest accomplishment in 2022, their goals for this year and the best career advice they’ve received.

In The

Forest

Sky-high valuations for late-stage startups in recent years have drawn unicorn hunters from all corners of the investing universe, including private equity and growth equity funds. Yet as the dynamics in the venture capital market have shifted, PE and growth investors are treading carefully in search of high-quality businesses—and hoping their owners are willing to sell.

Association for Corporate Growth membership@acg.org www.acg.org

Copyright 2023 Middle Market Growth® and Association for Corporate Growth, Inc.® All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.

ISSN 2475-921X (print)

ISSN 2475-9228 (online)