Investor Introductions with McGuireWoods' Christian Berger

Facilitating introductions between independent sponsors and capital partners who can fund their deals is the first step in a successful M&A scenario. Knowing how to efficiently leverage relationships and get in front of the right people is key to getting deals done. 

Christian Berger joins this episode of Deal-by-Deal to share how introductions play into business development and his approach to the process. 

“We [make introductions] to help our clients, prospective clients, and others in our network meet each other and find opportunities that they otherwise wouldn't have seen,” Christian explains. Ultimately the goal of making introductions is to complete successful private equity partnerships. 

Also on this episode, get insights into the best way to approach finding introductions. Christian shares how to calculate the number of introductions you might need by sharing his three assumptions for finding investors, and outlining what a capital firm considers a strong deal. 

Christian and Greg also share details on the upcoming McGuireWoods Independent Sponsor Conference in Dallas. The conference is an opportunity to see firsthand what makes McGuireWoods a collaborative firm that knows how to leverage relationships to make the right introductions. 

Featured Guest

Name: Christian Berger

Title: Partner at McGuireWoods

Speciality: Joining McGuireWoods in 2015, Christian focuses on helping new and existing clients in the firm’s private equity practice. He has received a number of industry awards, including the Most Innovative Law Firm in the Business of Law from the Financial Times in 2018, and Executive of the Year by Legal Sales and Service Organization in 2018.

Connect: LinkedIn 

Acquired Knowledge

Top takeaways from this episode 

★ The investor introduction process. Facilitating investor introductions is part of business development. It’s a way to connect with clients who are doing M&A deals that need legal counsel. A firm like McGuireWoods helps guide independent sponsors to get a clear understanding of the opportunity and find the right investors for their unique position.  

★ Attributes that make an independent sponsor attractive to a fund. These funds are looking for someone who has an attractive opportunity requiring capital that matches the needs of their fund. It’s common to see single transactions in the 20 million dollar range, with many private equity firms looking to make 10 transactions out of a single fund. It’s important to have a clear identity that allows firms to match what you need with the box they’re looking to fill. 

★ Three assumptions when finding investors for a deal. First, what is the target check size for the investors? Secondly, what percentage of investors will accept an introductory call from an independent sponsor? Third, how many investors will be willing to invest in a deal? Asking these questions allows you to work backward and determine how wide you need to cast your net. 

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