Middle Market Growth

Hosted by Association of Corporate Growth

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Episodes

202

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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About the show

The Middle Market Growth podcast features in-depth interviews with industry experts and middle-market dealmakers about trends impacting midsize companies and M&A. This podcast is a production of the Association for Corporate Growth. To learn more about ACG, visit acg.org. To hear more interviews with experts and thought leaders, subscribe on Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 30, 202620 min

Carve-Out vs. Wind-Down: A Guide to a Complex Exit

When an otherwise healthy business has a poorly performing division, sometimes exiting that division is the right choice. Deciding to exit via a carve-out or a wind-down can be the next tough choice leaders have to make. Eric Kaup, chief commercial officer, head of global originations and special counsel at Hilco Global joins the podcast to discuss when exiting is the right choice, how to decide whether to sell or wind-down, and what determines whether a wind-down is a success. This episode is brought to you by Hilco Global. Learn more at hilcoglobal.com. The Middle Market Growth podcast is produced by the Association for Corporate Growth. To hear more interviews with middle-market dealmakers and industry experts, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

October 23, 202617 min

Rethinking the Five-Year Exit: How Sponsors and Lenders Are Responding to Longer Hold Periods

According to Bain, average hold periods for buyout funds have extended to roughly seven years, necessitating a recalibration in approach for both sponsors and lenders. TPG Twin Brook’s Betsy Booth is back with the podcast to talk about this new normal, how dealmakers are strategically adjusting, how LPs are responding, and how sponsors can plan for the next few years. This episode is brought to you by TPG Twin Brook Capital Partners. Learn more at twincp.com. The Middle Market Growth podcast is produced by the Association for Corporate Growth. To hear more interviews with middle-market dealmakers and industry experts, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

October 16, 202615 min

The Dealmaker’s Guide to Stress Testing AI Value

If you ask private equity firms or their portfolio companies if they’re using AI, the vast majority will say yes, but many of them are still not seeing major value from the technology. GrowFast Advisory’s Stephen Murray is back with the podcast to share his insights on how to spot real AI-generated value, tips for retaining and nurturing that value, and the AI metric every leader should be tracking. This episode is brought to you by GrowFast Advisory. Learn more at growfastadvisory.com. The Middle Market Growth podcast is produced by the Association for Corporate Growth. To hear more interviews with middle-market dealmakers and industry experts, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

October 9, 202621 min

Inside the Fastest-Growing Corner of Private Credit: Asset-Based Finance

Asset-based finance (ABF) is a rapidly growing niche of the highly scrutinized private credit space, with some analysis projecting a 10.2% compound annual growth rate from 2026 to 2035. Alex Knowland and Brenden Gallinek are building out ABF business at WhiteHorse Capital, and they join the podcast to share their outlook for ABF, digest some recent fraud headlines from the space, and discuss how ABF best works for the middle market and how to strategically deploy it. This episode is brought to you by WhiteHorse Capital. To learn more about WhiteHorse, visit WhiteHorse.com. The Middle Market Growth podcast is produced by the Association for Corporate Growth. To hear more interviews with middle-market dealmakers and industry experts, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

October 2, 202642 min

Finding the Entry Point Into AI’s Hyperscale Buildout

As AI drives an unprecedented wave of data center construction, where can middle-market investors find a foothold? Brian Thom and Ryan Gillis of Brown Gibbons Lang & Company join the podcast to explore the M&A opportunities emerging beyond the headline-grabbing megaprojects, share where deal activity is accelerating, discuss the challenges facing AI infrastructure development, and more. This episode is brought to you by Grata. Learn more at grata.com. The Middle Market Growth podcast is produced by the Association for Corporate Growth. To hear more interviews with middle-market dealmakers and industry experts, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

September 25, 202626 min

The Founder's Guide to Capital

For a founder or entrepreneur, choosing whether or not to opt for outside capital is an important inflection point. Joe Camberato of National Business Capital sits down to talk about the misconceptions many founders hold about capital, how they can prepare for a first-time capital infusion, and how to best utilize that money when they get it. This episode is brought to you by National Business Capital. Learn more at nationalbusinesscapital.com. The Middle Market Growth podcast is produced by the Association for Corporate Growth. To hear more interviews with middle-market dealmakers and industry experts, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

September 18, 202637 min

Rocketing Defense Spending’s Effect on Middle-Market M&A

Rising geopolitical conflict and projected record defense spending signal a potential wave of middle-market deals for companies in the aerospace and defense sector. Merit Investment Bank’s Chris Abato and Leonid Capital Partners’ James Parker join the podcast to discuss trends in defense sector dealmaking, the health of the A&D supply chain, and what considerations dealmakers should keep in mind as they scour the sector for targets. This episode is brought to you by Grata. Learn more at grata.com. The Middle Market Growth podcast is produced by the Association for Corporate Growth. To hear more interviews with middle-market dealmakers and industry experts, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

September 4, 202624 min

Addressing AI's Deal Sourcing Blind Spots

Grata was acquired last year, but the firm still gets emails from investors wanting to participate in its Series A funding round. It could be the result of business development professionals relying on AI to source deals without addressing the technology's blind spots, says General Manager Nevin Raj. He shares how to mitigate the shortcomings of LLMs and scale AI agents in deal sourcing through better data, improved prompting, MCPs, and more. This episode is brought to you by Grata. Learn more at grata.com. The Middle Market Growth podcast is produced by the Association for Corporate Growth. To hear more interviews with middle-market dealmakers and industry experts, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

August 28, 202619 min

Building HR to Scale with Portcos: Part 1

The human resources function can struggle to keep pace with a scaling business, so how can teams implement an HR strategy that enables growth rather than hampering it? In part one of a two-part series, Insperity’s Chris Sloan and Mike Iapalucci join the podcast to talk about the HR solutions that support portfolio companies in the era of AI disruption, longer hold periods, and challenging post-merger integrations. This episode is brought to you by Insperity. For more information, visit Insperity.com/ACG. The Middle Market Growth podcast is produced by the Association for Corporate Growth. To hear more interviews with middle-market dealmakers and industry experts, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

August 21, 202623 min

Beyond the Business Card: Networking to Drive Growth

Young professionals—and M&A professionals of all seasons—are told time and time again that M&A is all about who you know, but actually making meaningful connections that lead to real deals takes more than showing up and handing out business cards. J. Michael Fischer Jr., managing director at DBD Investment Bank and vice president of ACG New Jersey, joins the podcast to share how he builds and utilizes his network, how he works with founders to gain their trust, and how he gets the most ROI out of ACG. This episode is brought to you by SRS Acquiom. Learn more at srsacquiom.com. The Middle Market Growth podcast is produced by the Association for Corporate Growth. To hear more interviews with middle-market dealmakers and industry experts, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.