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  • The Doctor & The Finance Bro
    2026/09/02

    Dr. Lisa Piercey went from pediatrician to hospital executive, Tennessee Commissioner of Health during COVID, and now independent sponsor preparing to close her 5th healthcare platform. Her edge is deep healthcare operating & policy expertise, particularly around reimbursement, aging, chronic disease, Medicaid, and value-based care.

    References and how to contact today's guest:
    Lisa Piercey | LinkedIn

    Minds Capital invests equity into deals by independent sponsors and searchers. For independent sponsors with a deal under LOI, visit Minds Capital to start a conversation. 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
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    56 分
  • $2m to Start as an Independent Sponsor
    2026/08/19

    Drew Bagin and his partner raised $2m in seed capital for the General Partnership before doing their first deal as an independent sponsor. Then they built a tightly regional strategy focused on Maine and New England. 5 platforms later, the regional focus manifests in a differentiated sourcing network & value creation, and a fire protection platform approaching exit.

    References and how to contact today's guest:
    Drew Bagin | LinkedIn

    Minds Capital invests equity into deals by independent sponsors and searchers. For independent sponsors with a deal under LOI, visit Minds Capital to start a conversation. 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
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    1 時間 7 分
  • Behind The Scenes: Our Unique Angle In An Increasingly Crowded Space
    2026/08/05

    The 3 founding partners of Minds Capital sit down for the 75th episode to provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse of their operations & strategy, and also share market observations rangnig from rollup frequency, first-time sponsor pitfalls, underwriting AI, and supply & demand imbalances on the capital side within the independent sponsor ecosystem.

    References and how to contact today's hosts:
    Niklas James | LinkedIn
    Will Smith | LinkedIn
    Max Lummis | LinkedIn

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

    Connect with Minds:

    • See past + future interviews on the YouTube channel
    • Visit Minds Capital

    Credits:

    • Edited by Anton Rohozov
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    1 時間 8 分
  • "An Independent Sponsor Can Be My Favorite Kind of Buyer"
    2026/07/29

    Dara Shareef is an executive at Benchmark International, a global lower-middle market M&A brokerage. Dara is an avid speaker on panels and podcasts, and he brings a nuanced perspective on independent sponsors as a buyer group, tactics to win deals, and best-in-class process management post-LOI. He is a believer in content marketing as a way for dealmakers to build trust, transparency, and inbounds.

    References and how to contact today's guest:
    Dara Shareef | LinkedIn

    Minds Capital invests equity into deals by independent sponsors and searchers. For independent sponsors with a deal under LOI, visit Minds Capital to start a conversation. 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
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    57 分
  • 1 Equity Raise ($500k), 4 PortCos
    2026/07/22

    Andrew McDonald raised $500k to acquire one small business selling work safety shoes in 2015. He used the cash flow from this fledgling company to acquire his next one, a fireworks distributor. He recently clinched his first exit, and today enjoys autonomous control over an eclectic portfolio. Andrew is wise beyond his years, with analogies that will make your head spin.

    References and how to contact today's guest:
    Andrew McDonald | LinkedIn

    Minds Capital invests equity into deals by independent sponsors and searchers. For independent sponsors with a deal under LOI, visit Minds Capital to start a conversation. 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
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    1 時間 8 分
  • The 123-Year-Old Firm's Independent Sponsor Blitz
    2026/07/15

    HKW is a 123-year-old firm (!!). First an investment bank, then a PE investor across 5 funds, and now an independent sponsor with 5 new platforms in the last 18 months. Ted Kramer is the CEO of this venerable institution, and he shares why thae history matters as they've converted 180 completed buy-side transactions and 25,000 tracked deals into pattern recognition.

    References and how to contact today's guest:
    Ted Kramer | LinkedIn

    Minds Capital invests equity into deals by independent sponsors and searchers. For independent sponsors with a deal under LOI, visit Minds Capital to start a conversation. 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
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    59 分
  • 11 Exits in 11 Years
    2026/07/08

    After decades at Arthur Andersen and Grant Thornton, Lou Grabowsky and his son Brian raised capital upfront to stand up the management company of Juniper Capital Manager before chasing the first deal. That meant people, process, credibility, and enough infrastructure to look like a real buyer from day 1.

    References and how to contact today's guest:
    Lou Grabowsky | LinkedIn

    Minds Capital invests equity into deals by independent sponsors and searchers. For independent sponsors with a deal under LOI, visit Minds Capital to start a conversation. 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
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    1 時間 3 分
  • Holding All-Equity Deals Forever
    2026/07/01

    Houston-based Logan Walters founded Forge Equity in 2021 after a career in traditional private equity (focused on oil services). Dismayed by the limiting 5-year holds of conventional private equity, Logan and his partners have developed a strict preference for indefinite hold periods. We discuss how this affects deal screening and explore their dividend philosophies.

    References and how to contact today's guest:
    Logan Walters | LinkedIn

    Minds Capital invests equity into deals by independent sponsors and searchers. For independent sponsors with a deal under LOI, visit Minds Capital to start a conversation. 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
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    1 時間 6 分