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Agenda
Juniper 1
7:45 AM – 9:00 AM
Networking Breakfast
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
Forum Roundtables
- Corporate Development best practices around deal sourcing and screening
- Cross border M&A during a time of increasing geopolitical risks
- How are you preparing for the uptick in deal making
- Preparing for integration early and best practices to ensure deal success
- Acquisition Strategies: news ways to find growth today
- Using AI within Corporate Development process: making diligence more efficient and effective
9:30 AM – 10:15 AM
State of DealMaking for Strategic Acquirers
As private equity firms began seeking exits toward the end of 2025, that momentum is expected to accelerate through 2026. With an increased supply of assets coming to market, the year ahead is shaping up to present compelling opportunities for strategic acquirers. This session will explore which types of assets are coming to market, which will likely attract the most interest and how valuations may evolve as liquidity pressures and buyer demand converge.
Moderator: Alden French, Senior Director, Grata
Alexander Fries, Senior Director, Corporate Development, Progress
Greg Holbrock, Vice President, M&A, Winsupply Inc.
Ryan Mullin, Director, Edgewater Funds
Bharat Ramprasad, Managing Director, Stifel
10:15 AM – 11:00 AM
Using AI to Win in Corporate Development
AI is now a familiar topic in M&A, most often discussed in the context of deal sourcing and valuation. For strategic acquirers, however, the real opportunity lies after the transaction closes. This session explores how AI and automation can be applied to post-acquisition integration and in broader enterprise operations—helping acquirers manage complexity, align organizations, and accelerate value creation across the combined business.
Moderator: Todd Partridge, Senior Vice President of Marketing, SS&C Intralinks
John Bova, Operating Partner, Ondas Networks
Brittany French, CFO, S.W. Anderson
Parag Vaish, Co-Founder, Next Now AI