Join our upcoming live webinar series on capital, M&A readiness, and founder liquidity.Register once to access all three live sessions, including Q&A
Founder-led companies are facing critical capital, growth, and liquidity decisions earlier than ever. Choices made long before a raise, transaction, or exit often determine control, valuation, and long-term outcomes.
Join Dean DeLisle, Chief Revenue Officer at Regiment Securities with more than three decades of experience in capital raising and investor strategy, and Jack Baumann, Partner at Cogent Law with over 35 years advising on M&A, private equity, and complex corporate transactions, for a practical three-part webinar series focused on what investors and buyers expect before formal capital, M&A, or liquidity conversations begin. The series will examine how early legal, financial, and strategic decisions shape outcomes and how founders can prepare proactively, rather than react under pressure.
Session 1
What Investors Expect Before the First Capital Conversation
Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Time: 4:00 PM ET
Format: Live Webinar + Q&A
Raising capital is rarely about the pitch deck.
Investors evaluate readiness, structure, governance, and credibility long before the first formal conversation.
This session focuses on what sophisticated investors expect before capital discussions begin and the common missteps founders only realize when it’s too late.
Session 2
M&A Readiness: What Buyers Look for Long Before a Process Starts
Date: Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Time: 4:00 PM ET
Format: Live Webinar + Q&A
Most M&A outcomes are decided long before bankers are hired or buyers are contacted. This session explores the quiet work that determines valuation, leverage, and deal certainty and how founder-led businesses can position themselves well in advance of a transaction.
Session 3
Liquidity Isn’t an Event: Early Strategic Paths for Founders
Date:Wednesday, March 04, 2026
Time: 4:00 PM ET
Format: Live Webinar + Q&A
Liquidity is not a single moment, it’s the result of years of strategic decisions. This session helps founders understand the range of liquidity paths available and how early choices around growth, control, and capital shape optionality down the line.
What Attendees Will Learn
Across the three sessions, attendees will gain practical insight into:
- Investor expectations and readiness signals founders often overlook
- Legal, structural, and governance factors that influence capital outcomes
- How buyers assess risk, quality, and scalability before a process begins
- Strategic trade-offs between growth, control, and liquidity
- How early decisions impact valuation, deal timing, and leverage
- How to prepare without triggering unnecessary complexity or distraction
Only one registration is required to attend all three sessions and participate in Q&A.
Who Should Attend
- Founders and co-founders of growth-stage businesses
- CEOs, CFOs, and executive leadership teams
- Private company board members
- Business owners considering capital raises, strategic growth, or future exits
- Advisors supporting founder-led and middle-market companies
Meet the Speakers
Dean DeLisle
Chief Revenue Officer, Regiment Securities
Dean DeLisle leads capital raising and demand generation at Regiment Securities. With over 35 years of experience, he has raised more than $2.5 billion for clients and played a key role in five IPOs. His background spans investor education, capital markets, and strategic growth initiatives across founder-led and middle-market businesses.
Dean is also the founder of Forward Progress, an investor acquisition marketing firm that has helped raise an average of $50 million per month for clients over more than two decades.
John S. (Jack) Baumann
Partner at Cogent Law
Jack Baumann is a corporate attorney with more than 35 years of experience in mergers & acquisitions, private equity, complex corporate transactions, and securities offerings. His career includes senior roles at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, as well as leadership positions as Chief Legal Officer at Public Storage (NYSE: PSA) and Syncor International (NASDAQ: SCOR).
Jack advises founder-led businesses, family offices, and institutions on structuring transactions that balance growth, risk, and long-term outcomes.
Explore our live webinar series on capital strategy, M&A readiness, and founder liquidity.A single registration gives you access to all three live sessions, including Q&A.