Name
What Went Right, What Went Wrong: Searchers Who Closed and Searchers Who Didn't (Sponsored by First Internet Bank)
Date & Time
Friday, October 30, 2026, 2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
Speakers
Katie Walker, Principal, Plexus Capital
Zach Gordon, Co-CEO, BaseCamp Franchising
Jed Morris, Founder, Sunset Coast Partners
Jay Subramaniam, Booth '15, Principal, Sea Link Ventures
Danqing (Dan) Ye, Kellogg '23, Founder, Closeness.ai
Zach Gordon, Co-CEO, BaseCamp Franchising
Jed Morris, Founder, Sunset Coast Partners
Jay Subramaniam, Booth '15, Principal, Sea Link Ventures
Danqing (Dan) Ye, Kellogg '23, Founder, Closeness.ai
Description
Roughly 40% of searchers never acquire a company, and almost nobody programs a session for them. This panel puts recently successful searchers alongside searchers whose funds closed without a deal, and works through what actually separated the outcomes: thesis discipline, sourcing volume, deal selection, investor and lender relationships, timing, and luck. Panelists will be candid about the decisions they would make differently and the warning signs they missed or heeded. Attendees will leave with a clearer, less mythologized picture of what the search year demands, and a framework for reading their own progress honestly at the six- and twelve-month marks.
Thank you to our session sponsor - First Internet Bank
Location Name
Grand Hall I
Full Address
Hyatt Regency Chicago
151 E Wacker Dr
Chicago, IL 60601
United States
151 E Wacker Dr
Chicago, IL 60601
United States
Session Type
Panel