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Eliot Kerlin - Broadwing Capital

Private Equity Fast Pitch

Release Date: 12/18/2025

Ignacio Jayanti - Corsair Capital show art Ignacio Jayanti - Corsair Capital

Private Equity Fast Pitch

Ignacio Jayanti is the Chief Executive Officer of Corsair and serves as Chairman of the Buyouts Investment Committee and as a member of the Infrastructure Investment Committee. He joined Corsair in 1993 when the first Corsair fund was launched and is based in New York. Ignacio is a director of Corsair portfolio companies IDnow and ZEDRA.   Prior to spinning off Corsair as an independent business from J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. in 2006, Ignacio played a key role as a senior member of the investment team of the predecessor Corsair funds and also was responsible for managing the operations...

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Omar Jaffrey - Palistar Capital show art Omar Jaffrey - Palistar Capital

Private Equity Fast Pitch

Omar Jaffrey has been involved in technology, media and telecommunications (“TMT”) investments, mergers and acquisitions, strategic partnerships, public and private capital raises, restructuring and bankruptcies for over 30 years.   Mr. Jaffrey founded Palistar Capital (formerly, Melody Investment Advisers, “Palistar”) in 2019 as a specialist digital infrastructure investor as his go-forward investment platform and created Symphony Wireless, an affiliated easements origination platform (“Symphony”). The team successfully raised a $2 billion dedicated digital infrastructure...

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Daphne Dufresne - Awani Capital show art Daphne Dufresne - Awani Capital

Private Equity Fast Pitch

Daphne Dufresne is the Founder and Managing Partner of Awani Capital. She leads the firm’s strategic direction, investment decisions, and value creation initiatives across the portfolio. With over 25 years of private equity experience, Daphne has a long-standing track record of building scalable businesses in the business and industrial services sectors. She plays an active role in all phases of the investment process—from deal sourcing and thesis development to portfolio company growth and exit strategy.   Before founding Awani, Daphne was a Managing Partner at GenNx360, a $2.2...

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Advice to Young Professionals and College Students from Female Private Equity Professionals show art Advice to Young Professionals and College Students from Female Private Equity Professionals

Private Equity Fast Pitch

In recognition of International Women’s Month, I’m releasing a montage of advice from some of the most accomplished women in our industry.   These remarkable leaders have navigated one of the most demanding and historically male-dominated corners of business and have done it with conviction, resilience, and extraordinary leadership.   If you’re a young professional, a student considering this industry, or a leader developing the next generation of talent, this episode is worth your time.   Sunaina Sinha - Global Head, Private Capital Advisory, and Senior Managing Director,...

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Suzanne Yoon - Kinzie Capital show art Suzanne Yoon - Kinzie Capital

Private Equity Fast Pitch

Suzanne Yoon is the Founder and Managing Partner of Kinzie Capital Partners, a Chicago- based private equity firm redefining the lower middle market. With over 25 years of experience, Suzanne founded Kinzie on the conviction that sustainable value is unlocked by integrating people and operational innovation with technology.   Under her leadership, Kinzie specializes in founder transitions across the manufacturing, business services, and consumer sectors. Suzanne and her team move beyond traditional oversight to serve as hands-on partners, utilizing tech-driven efficiencies to scale...

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Andy Unanue - AUA Private Equity Partners show art Andy Unanue - AUA Private Equity Partners

Private Equity Fast Pitch

Andy Unanue is the founder and Managing Partner of AUA Private Equity Partners, an operationally-focused, lower middle market investment firm with expertise in supporting and growing family-owned and demographic-driven businesses. Andy is a member of AUA Private Equity’s Investment Committee, and under his leadership, AUA has deployed over $800 million of capital to date.   AUA’s business model is driven by Andy’s own family background – he is a member of the Unanue family, which owns and runs Goya Foods, the largest producer of Spanish- and Latin-American foods in the United...

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Eric Wiklendt - Speyside Equity show art Eric Wiklendt - Speyside Equity

Private Equity Fast Pitch

Eric Wiklendt is a Managing Director at Speyside Equity, where he is responsible for sourcing, executing, managing, and exiting investments. Eric has previously held senior leadership and operational roles, and he currently serves on the Boards of several portfolio companies.   Before joining Speyside Equity, Eric was President & CEO of Kelix Heat Transfer Systems. Prior to that, he held leadership roles at Eaton and Hilti Corporation, where he oversaw M&A activities, established a manufacturing plant in Mexico, managed a large marketing team, and directed industrial sales...

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Sam Gaynor - Altamont Capital Partners show art Sam Gaynor - Altamont Capital Partners

Private Equity Fast Pitch

Sam Gaynor is a Managing Director at Altamont Capital Partners where he oversees their Financial Services practice.  Sam evaluates and underwrites deals in the insurance, asset / wealth management, and specialty finance sectors, working closely with management teams to help maximize the value of their businesses.  In particular, Sam has overseen Altamont's efforts to incubate new Financial Services businesses, having launched eight new companies over the last decade. 

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Quotes and Mottos Montage from Private Equity and Investment Banking Professionals show art Quotes and Mottos Montage from Private Equity and Investment Banking Professionals

Private Equity Fast Pitch

Throughout 2025, I sat down with CEOs, founders, investors, and leaders across the private equity ecosystem. In every conversation, I asked a question that I have asked since the very first episode of Private Equity Fast Pitch:   What’s the quote, motto, or what drives you?   The answers were telling as there were no slogans or catchy buzzwords.   What stood out was a shared seriousness about how success is built over time. Intention. Discipline. Mentorship. Compassion. Consistency. A deep respect for people and for the responsibility that comes with leadership....

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Eliot Kerlin - Broadwing Capital show art Eliot Kerlin - Broadwing Capital

Private Equity Fast Pitch

Eliot serves as Managing Partner of Broadwing Capital, which he co-founded after 20 years of operational private equity experience. He is responsible for overall direction of the firm and ensuring Broadwing achieves its investment objectives in a manner consistent with the firm’s mission and core values. He originates and leads investment opportunities, partners with management post-acquisition to achieve transformative results, and serves as primary contact at the firm for investors. Eliot has been a private equity investor since 2000, and has significant expertise in mergers and...

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Eliot serves as Managing Partner of Broadwing Capital, which he co-founded after 20 years of operational private equity experience. He is responsible for overall direction of the firm and ensuring Broadwing achieves its investment objectives in a manner consistent with the firm’s mission and core values. He originates and leads investment opportunities, partners with management post-acquisition to achieve transformative results, and serves as primary contact at the firm for investors. Eliot has been a private equity investor since 2000, and has significant expertise in mergers and acquisitions, corporate strategy, performance improvement, and realizations through sales, public offerings and dividend recapitalizations.

Prior to founding Broadwing in 2022, Eliot was a Managing Partner of Insight Equity, a private equity firm with $1.4 billion under management. During his 17 years at Insight, Eliot led numerous investments and exits, working with management teams to create significant value across pre-fund investments, three equity funds and one mezzanine vehicle. He was responsible for all stages of the investment process, collaborating closely with management to identify and implement strategic and tactical improvement opportunities. Eliot served as Director and Chairman of multiple portfolio company boards, acted as Chief Restructuring Officer at a portfolio company during the great recession, and led acquisitions and greenfield expansion efforts throughout the United States and in seven countries.

Before joining Insight, Eliot acted as turnaround manager for Bay State Paper Company. Earlier in his career, Eliot worked for three years at Jupiter Partners, a New York-based private equity fund focused on domestic manufacturing, distribution and services companies. Previously, Eliot worked as an investment banker in Merrill Lynch’s Global Communications Group advising public and private companies on corporate mergers, public offerings and bond offerings.

Eliot enjoys investing in the lives of his three sons and daughter and his local community. He co-founded and serves as Chairman of Casa Del Lago, an outreach to the Bachman Lake community in Dallas. In addition, Eliot previously served as a long-time board member of the Prison Entrepreneurship Program and other non-profit boards, Director and Chairman of a school board, English as a Second Language teacher, Assistant Scoutmaster, and coach of multiple soccer teams. Eliot co-founded a national impact angel network that invests in young companies and provides advice to their founders. Active in professional circles as well, Eliot was the Chairman of the DFW Private Equity Forum and Director – Private Equity with the DFW Association for Corporate Growth. Originally from Ft. Worth, Eliot roots for the Aggies, enjoys the outdoors, took up tennis to protect his knees from soccer injuries, and can play tunes on several stringed instruments. He lives in Dallas with his wife and their four children.

Eliot holds an M.B.A. with distinction from Harvard Business School, and a B.B.A. in Finance with honors from Texas A&M University.