Podcasts

Deal Dialogue Podcast

Mike Fenton joined Robert Hickey, Managing Director and Head Mid-Market M&A at RBC, as a guest on RBC Mid-Market Mergers & Acquisitions podcast. They discussed the opportunities to access industry knowledge, expand business and develop your personal network through an industry association such as The Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) Toronto. You can listen on YouTube here. 

Elmer Kim - Inside the Opaque World of Family Office Investing

During the Toronto ACG Capital Connection, Middle Market Growth sat down with Elmer Kim, who has spent more than 25 years working with family offices. He currently serves as chief investment officer for the Hyatt Bangia Family Office.

In this episode, Kim describes how he works with families to craft their investment strategy. He also spoke about how the family office model in Canada has evolved and the growing trend of direct investing.

“At the end of the day, investing is not all that complicated. What makes it hard is trying to meet the particular shareholder needs and [finding] what excites the principals in the types of investments you’re doing.”

To hear more interviews with middle-market influencers, subscribe to the Middle Market Growth Conversations podcast on iTunes and Google Play

The New Frontier of Private Equity Tech Investing

During the Toronto ACG Capital Connection conference, Middle Market Growth sat down with leaders from two technology-focused growth equity firms.

The first interview in this episode features Scottie Wardell, managing partner and co-founder of Integrity Growth Partners, a firm based outside Los Angeles that invests in software and tech-enabled services businesses.

Wardell discussed the role of data analytics in value creation and how her firm leverages data during sourcing and due diligence.

The second interview is with Lisa Melchior, founder and managing partner of VERTU Capital, a Toronto-based firm that invests in Canadian technology businesses.

Melchior spoke about the tech investing landscape in Canada, why venture-stage companies have had an easier time attracting capital than their late-stage counterparts, and how VERTU works with entrepreneurs to take their businesses to the next level.

“With any business you’re walking into, whether it’s Google or McDonalds, there is a ton of data that these companies have access to in a way that they never did before. They all want to figure out what to do with it.”

SCOTTIE WARDELL
Managing Partner and Co-Founder,
Integrity Growth Partners

To hear more interviews with middle-market influencers, subscribe to the Middle Market Growth Conversations podcast on Apple Podcasts and Google Play.

Trade, Tariffs & Cannabis: What They Mean for the Middle Market

At a recent ACG event in Detroit focused on cross-border trade, Middle Market Growth sat down with leaders from ACG’s Detroit, Western Michigan and Toronto chapters. They weighed in on how issues like tariffs and NAFTA renegotiation are impacting middle-market companies, and whether legalization of cannabis presents an investment opportunity for ACG members.

The episode features interviews with Christopher T.R. Letts, vice president at Morgan Stanley and president of ACG Detroit; Eric Kamstra, a member of the board of ACG Western Michigan; and Ben Gibbons, a partner with RSM Canada and a member of the ACG Toronto board of directors.

It was taped during the Cross-Border Connections conference, an event hosted by ACG Detroit, Western Michigan and Toronto in March.

To hear more interviews with middle-market influencers, subscribe to the Middle Market Growth Conversations podcast on Apple Podcasts and Google Play, and please leave a rating and review to help other listeners find out about us.

Is there a role for Private Equity in Canadian Health Care?

This week’s episode of the Middle Market Growth Conversations podcast features Adrianna Czornyj, a partner with Persistence Capital Partners, the only private equity firm in Canada focused exclusively on health care investing.

Czornyj addressed the question she’s asked most frequently: How do you invest in health care in a country with a public health care system?

She also spoke about the types of investments Persistence targets, the differences in health care regulations across provinces, and the growing number of U.S.-based private equity firms entering Canada to invest in the health care industry.

This episode was recorded during the 2018 Toronto ACG Capital Connection. Czornyj will serve as co-chair for the 2019 conference.

“Roll-ups are a great strategy for all private equity funds. But where they happen is a bit different in the Canadian marketplace.”

To hear more interviews with middle-market influencers, subscribe to the Middle Market Growth Conversations podcast on Apple Podcasts and Google Play.

Darin Brock of TorQuest Partners on Opportunities in Canada

Darin Brock, head of business development for Toronto-based TorQuest Partners, spoke with MMG Editor Kathryn Mulligan about the M&A environment in Canada, attractive investment areas for TorQuest, and several of the firm’s recent investments, including A&W’s Canadian franchise.

Brock has worked in private equity since 2001, and he discussed how he’s seen business development evolve over that time, as more firms recognize the value of having a dedicated member of their team focused on sourcing new opportunities.

This summer, he was named chairman of the board for ACG Toronto, and he spoke on the podcast about his priorities for the chapter over the coming year.

“It’s the stability and our values in this period of global political and economic unrest that we feels really puts Canada in unique position of opportunity.”

ACG Toronto will host its 2018 ACG Capital Connection on Nov. 13-14. For more information, visit acgcapitalconnection.ca.

To hear more interviews with middle-market influencers, subscribe to the Middle Market Growth Conversations podcast on iTunes and Google Play.