Solomon Partners Presents: Recent Episodes
Solomon Partners
Listen in as Solomon investment bankers and advisors share their latest thinking and insights across a broad range of sectors, with a focus on M&A, financing, and deal-making.
In this episode of Solomon Connects, Solomon Partners Financial Institutions Partner Tannon Krumpelman and Technology Managing Director James Butcher join M&A Director Chris Moynihan for a mid-year M&A cross-sector outlook. They discuss the divergence between headline-making deal value and mid-market volumes, the evolving impact of AI on transaction dynamics, and the challenges in sponsor-driven activity amid financing constraints. The conversation also explores the themes shaping the second half, including scale-driven consolidation, defensive strategic moves, and a more opportunistic approach to capital deployment.
In this episode of Solomon Connects, Solomon Partners Co-Head of Consumer Retail Group Jeff Derman joins M&A Director Chris Moynihan to discuss how continuous disruption has reshaped the consumer retail sector and what separates today’s winners from the rest. They explore the importance of scale, operational agility, and disciplined strategy as companies navigate AI, inflation, tariffs, and shifting consumer behavior.
In this episode of Solomon Connects, Solomon Partners’ Head of M&A and COO of Investment Banking Jeff Jacobs joins M&A Director Chris Moynihan to discuss how AI is being deployed across investment banking today. They explore where AI is already accelerating workflow efficiency, why relationships remain central to advisory work, and how firms are thoughtfully integrating AI without compromising execution.
In this episode of Solomon Connects, Solomon Partners’ Head of Capital Advisory Vinod Chandiramani joins M&A Director Chris Moynihan to discuss how more complex capital markets are reshaping financing and recapitalization decisions across the middle market. They explore why proactive capital planning, creative capital solutions, and hybrid capital are increasingly critical as traditional amend‑and‑extend approaches face a higher bar — creating opportunities for capital advisory to unlock value amid constrained liquidity and shifting underwriting standards.
In this episode of Solomon Connects, Solomon Partners’ Head of M&A and COO of Investment Banking Jeff Jacobs joins M&A Director Chris Moynihan to break down the key forces shaping M&A activity following a strong but complex first quarter. They discuss the return of large-cap strategic buyers, persistent valuation gaps, and rising activism, while unpacking how boards and management teams should approach dealmaking in Q2 and beyond as macro volatility persists.
In this episode of Solomon Connects, Solomon Partners’ Head of Financial Sponsors Sash Rentala joins M&A Director Chris Moynihan to discuss the evolving M&A landscape amid elevated rates, macro uncertainty, and supply‑demand imbalance for assets. They explore why A‑quality assets continue to trade, what’s holding back broader exit activity, and how the secondaries market, AI, and private credit are shaping the broader dealmaking environment in 2026.
In this episode of Solomon Connects, Solomon Partners’ Head of Healthcare Jon Hammack joins M&A Director Chris Moynihan to unpack the current state of the healthcare M&A market and the key themes shaping a more constructive deal environment this year. Jon shares insights on sponsor and strategic dynamics, record pipelines, improving market clarity, and the sub-sectors driving deal activity from healthcare IT and pharma services to medtech.
In this episode of Solomon Connects, Solomon Partners’ Head of M&A and COO of Investment Banking Jeff Jacobs joins M&A Director Chris Moynihan to discuss how shareholder activism is becoming more prevalent, faster-moving, and increasingly focused on strategic change rather than simply financial performance and governance. They explore how activists are positioning themselves as constructive partners and why proactive self-assessment, clear communication, and shareholder engagement are critical as companies head into the upcoming proxy season.
Solomon Partners’ Head of M&A and COO of Investment Banking Jeff Jacobs sits down with M&A Director Chris Moynihan to discuss their M&A outlook for 2026. The conversation highlights key themes to watch for this year, including sponsor exit momentum, a renewed IPO market, increased in‑sector strategic consolidation, and a more accommodating regulatory environment.
This cross‑industry roundtable from Solomon Partners examines how the M&A landscape evolved in 2025 and the factors expected to shape deal activity in 2026 across healthcare, technology, and financial services. Industry coverage bankers Jon Pritti, James Butcher, and Alex DeOteris join M&A Director Chris Moynihan to discuss key macro and sector themes, including evolving sponsor dynamics, AI’s accelerating market influence, cross-platform collaboration and more.
Solomon Partners’ Managing Director Matthew Cornish from our Financial Institutions Group joins M&A Director Chris Moynihan to unpack the evolving market for illiquid financial assets, with a particular focus on tax receivable agreements (TRAs). They discuss the rise in interest for TRAs, navigating conflicts these agreements create for boards and shareholders, and best practices for managing and retiring these liabilities to enhance shareholder value.
Solomon Partners’ Head of M&A and COO of Investment Banking Jeff Jacobs joins M&A Director Chris Moynihan to discuss strategic discipline in M&A and lessons learned from the recent unwinding of several marquee M&A transactions. They unpack underlying challenges — from debt burdens to market shifts — and share how boards can stress-test mergers to ensure sustainable, long-term value.
Solomon Partners’ Craig Muir, Head of Software, Data & Analytics, joins Jeff Jacobs, Head of M&A and COO of Investment Banking to discuss how AI, data, and tech-enabled services are reshaping dealmaking in tech. They unpack M&A trends and valuation strategies as the year wraps up and we look ahead to 2026.
Arik Rashkes, Head of Solomon’s Financial Institutions Group (FIG), joins Chris Moynihan to discuss the evolving M&A landscape across insurance, wealth management, asset management and specialty finance sub-sectors. From increasing deal activity across distribution businesses to strategic consolidation and unbundling trends and the role of private equity, the episode explores key trends shaping FIG and what’s ahead for 2026.
Solomon Partners’ Head of M&A and COO of Investment Banking Jeff Jacobs joins M&A Director Chris Moynihan to unpack the momentum in the M&A market, despite the uncertainty earlier in the year. They explore the forces driving strategic consolidation and large-cap private equity transactions—offering insights into what’s fueling activity and what to expect heading into 2026.
Solomon’s Head of Healthcare Jon Hammack and Partner Jon Pritti explore the dynamics shaping today’s healthcare M&A market. Healthcare remains a resilient sector despite macroeconomic headwinds and continued interest rate and LP liquidity pressures. They share insights on why momentum is expected to build through late 2025 and into 2026.
Solomon Partners’ Head of M&A and COO of Investment Banking Jeff Jacobs joins M&A Director Chris Moynihan to discuss how the M&A process has evolved from a one-off event into a repeatable growth engine for acquirers. They break down the consistent drivers of deal success—clear strategy, holistic due diligence, and strong post-deal integration.
Solomon's Head of M&A and COO of Investment Banking Jeff Jacobs and M&A Director Chris Moynihan discuss the shifting landscape of corporate incorporation and why some companies are moving from Delaware to states like Texas and Nevada. They explore the legal developments and market trends that are prompting boards to reassess incorporation strategies as part of broader M&A and governance planning.
Solomon’s Healthcare Managing Director Brad Hildebrand speaks with M&A Director Chris Moynihan about the evolving healthcare M&A landscape, highlighting why the sector remains attractive due to its size, growth, and resilience. They discuss the impact of market conditions, including regulatory uncertainty and interest rates, as well as the dynamics of both private equity and strategic buyers in M&A activity today.
Our latest episode covers the increased activity in take private transactions. Solomon's Head of M&A and COO of Investment Banking Jeff Jacobs and M&A Director Chris Moynihan discuss the market trends driving the uptick in take-private M&A and the complexities behind these deals.
Solomon’s Vinod Chandiramani, Head of Capital Advisory, speaks with M&A Director, Chris Moynihan, about the shifting dynamics in the private markets and liquidity strategies to proactively navigate current economic conditions.
Solomon's Head of M&A Jeff Jacobs and M&A Director Chris Moynihan discuss the slow start to dealmaking in Q1, including the impact of tariffs, market volatility, and interest rates across the market, as well as the outlook for the rest of 2025.
Cross-border M&A volumes have been under pressure, impacted by both political uncertainty and market volatility. So, what’s driving the slowdown in foreign acquisitions of US assets? And how are US companies navigating outbound M&A, given increasing scrutiny, tariffs and protectionist policies? Solomon's Head of M&A Jeff Jacobs and Director Chris Moynihan discuss recent trends and activity in our latest episode.
Alyssa Rapp, CEO of Empower Aesthetics, discusses her journey and the company's mission to boost confidence through aesthetics. She talks about her firm’s M&A strategy for MedSpas, their support services offered to partners, and shares insights on values-based leadership from her book, Leadership and Life Hacks, in a conversation with Solomon Managing Director, Brad Hildebrand.
Explore the evolution and increasing acceptance of aesthetic treatments along with the importance of establishing trust through customer care in our latest Healthcare podcast on MedSpas with Alchemy 43 Founder & CEO Nicci Levy and Solomon Managing Director Brad Hildebrand.
In the first episode of our Healthcare podcast series focusing on Med Spas, John Wheeler, CEO of Alpha Aesthetics Partners, joins Solomon Managing Director Brad Hildebrand to discuss the growth of the aesthetics industry along with top strategies for success in the sector.
Mark Makepeace, CEO of Wilshire Indexes, and Jeff Jacobs, Head of Mergers & Acquisitions at Solomon Partners discuss how new technologies, data sources and collaborations are driving changes in the global index industry. The conversation explores the growth of passive funds, the dynamics impacting ESG investing and the enormous potential for evolving technologies like AI to fundamentally reshape the investment industry.
In our latest episode, Dr. Rushika Fernandopulle, co-founder & CEO of Iora Health, and Ryan Stewart discuss the transformation of the healthcare delivery model. As a result of payment reform and a world where face-to-face medical encounters have not been possible, Healthcare is rapidly shifting towards an omnichannel communications environment, where patients are engaging where they want to be met - virtually - over voice, video and text modalities as well as in-office, as appropriate.
With an increasing shift towards value-based risk models, primarily in Medicare, Dr. Fernandopulle talks about the transformation of his business through collaboration with the nation’s leading Medicare Advantage plans and, most recently, through direct contracting with the federal government’s Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) which launched its Global and Professional Direct Contracting model on April 1st.
In this episode, fmr. Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy and Garen Staglin join PJ SOLOMON's Ryan Stewart to discuss the need for comprehensive mental healthcare and other advancements.
In this episode, Cathy Leonhardt, Co-Head of Global Consumer Retail, and Senior Advisor Steve Sadove discuss their outlook for retailers for the 2020 holiday shopping season and beyond.
Despite the rocky start to the year and the dismal outlook brought on by COVID-19, many retailers are experiencing a better than expected holiday shopping season and the outlook for 2021 is supported by the strength of the consumer and pent up demand.
Steve Sadove brings a unique perspective to the conversation given his extensive experience as a retail executive and investor. Chairman and CEO of Saks, Inc. from 2007 to 2013, he is a founding partner at JW Levin, a management and investment firm focused on consumer and retail companies. In addition, he is former Chair of the National Retail Federation, serves on the Boards of Colgate-Palmolive, Aramark, Movado and Park Hotels and Resorts, and is an advisor to Mastercard.
With the world waiting in anticipation for a vaccine to COVID-19, the role of specialty pharmacies has never been more essential. As the largest provider of specialty pharmacy in the United States, how does CVS Health think about providing the highest level of quality and service at the lowest cost possible to ensure optimum healthcare outcomes?
To find out, Head of Pharmacy Investment Banking Syed Husain hosts the latest episode of PJ SOLOMON Presents. He is joined by his good friend and former colleague Prem Shah, Executive Vice President of CVS Specialty and PBM Product Innovation at CVS Health.
PJ SOLOMON's Head of Financing Advisory Joe Stein speaks with David Shiffman and Jeff Derman of the firm's Consumer Retail Group about the keys to financing retailers amidst challenges facing the sector including a global pandemic.
PJ SOLOMON Chairman Peter J. Solomon and Managing Director James McGinnis discuss the factors that are leading the transition to clean energy in the US rapidly and forcefully ahead.
PJ SOLOMON Managing Director Irina Adler and Conor Begley, co-founder of Tribe Dynamics, discuss how beauty and personal care brands are reshaping their strategies in response to a rapidly evolving marketplace.
PJ SOLOMON's Head of M&A Execution and Cross-Border, Jeff Jacobs, speaks with Peter Adams of Vermilion Partners, the Chinese affiliate firm in the Natixis M&A network. They discuss the outlook for US-China cross-border M&A.
PJ SOLOMON's Head of Media & Entertainment, Rich Brail, speaks with CEO Marc Cooper on the state of experiential entertainment and the outlook for its reemergence in the post-COVID world.
David Shiffman, Co-Head of Consumer Retail, speaks with PJ SOLOMON Senior Advisors and retailing luminaries Stephen Sadove and Matthew Rubel about the industry’s paradigm shift and what companies will need to navigate the new world order.
Cathy Leonhardt, Co-Head of Consumer Retail, and Jason Russell, Head of Industrial Technology & Software, discuss the growing need and opportunity for investment in supply chain and logistics management in light of the new market environment created by COVID-19.
Cathy Leonhardt, Co-Head of Consumer Retail at PJ SOLOMON, and Zack Werner, CEO of The Maze Group, discuss digital marketing pitfalls and opportunities facing consumer and retail companies given the uncertain market environment brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
PJ SOLOMON's George Ward and Tero Jänne discuss what’s next for the Energy sector as it grapples with historically low oil prices and plunging demand amidst a global pandemic.
PJ SOLOMON’s Co-Head of Consumer Retail, Cathy Leonhardt, and Derek Pitts, Head of Debt Advisory & Restructuring, discuss how they are advising Consumer and Retail clients amidst the spread of COVID-19. Derek advises clients to “be the co-authors of their own story” and Cathy questions whether consumer behavior will be forever changed.