

Minds Capital Podcast
Will Smith & Niklas James
Your connection to the growing world of independent sponsors and deal-by-deal private equity.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 2, 2025 • 1h 17min
Buying at <5x by Mastering Deal Flow
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 | LinkedInFor 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 channelConnect with hosts Will Smith and Niklas JamesVisit Minds CapitalCredits:Edited by Anton Rohozov

Mar 26, 2025 • 1h 16min
From UEFA Champions League to Deal-By-Deal PE
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 | LinkedInFor 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 channelConnect with hosts Will Smith and Niklas JamesVisit Minds CapitalCredits:Edited by Anton Rohozov

Mar 19, 2025 • 1h 9min
How to Build an Investor Database of 4,000 HNWIs
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 | LinkedInFor 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 channelConnect with hosts Will Smith and Niklas JamesVisit Minds CapitalCredits:Edited by Anton Rohozov

Mar 12, 2025 • 58min
How to Build an Indy Sponsor Team Before Chasing Deals
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 🇺🇸 | LinkedInFor 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 channelConnect with hosts Will Smith and Niklas JamesVisit Minds CapitalCredits:Edited by Anton Rohozov

Mar 5, 2025 • 1h 16min
From Searcher to Independent Sponsor to $225m Fund
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 | LinkedInRoss Porter | LinkedInFor 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 channelConnect with hosts Will Smith and Niklas JamesVisit Minds CapitalCredits:Edited by Anton Rohozov

Feb 26, 2025 • 1h 10min
Buying an 800-Unit Hair Salon during Covid
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 huge success story.References and how to contact Azhar:Azhar Quader | LinkedInFor 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 channelConnect with hosts Will Smith and Niklas JamesVisit Minds CapitalCredits:Edited by Anton Rohozov

Feb 17, 2025 • 1h 4min
20x a $10m investment in 2.5 years
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 | LinkedInFor 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 channelConnect with hosts Will Smith and Niklas JamesVisit Minds CapitalCredits:Edited by Anton Rohozov


