First Close
Tom Pinnell sits down with some of the most exciting emerging spinout and startup fund managers in private equity, as well as the people that back and advise them, to discuss their careers to date, why now is the time to launch an emerging manager, and the trials and tribulations involved in reaching a first close. Powered by Langham Hall, the award winning fund services platform for emerging managers.
Episodes
Guy Ellis, Founder at Broadfield Capital
Will Broadfield ever raise a fund, why the independent sponsor model is maturing in Europe, and the importance of personality types in high performing teams.Guy Ellis began his career as a management consultant focusing on operational improvement and value creation, before holding roles at Goldman, Alcuin Capital and most recently Rockpool Investments.Across his career, he's made nine platform inv
John Messer, Founder at Copilot Capital
Is AI really taking over the world, are zombie funds a good thing, and when should a founder step down as CEO?John Messer is the founder of Copilot Capital, a lower mid market SaaS investor.John has spent a decade in private equity in the UK, including roles at Inflexion, Alchemy Partners and Tenzing, almost exclusively focused on software buyouts. In 2023, he founded Copilot Capital, which invest
Mark Williams, Co-Founder at Goldenpeak
Why private equity has become lazy, the importance of trust, and the key to a successful fundraise.Mark Williams is the co-founder and managing partner of Goldenpeak, one of the most exciting private equity firms to have launched in recent years.Mark began his career in investment banking at Close Brothers, before holding key investment roles at Bank of America, Sovereign Capital and most recently
Welcome to First Close
First Close is the emerging manager podcast, hosted by Tom Pinnell. Each episode, Tom will sit down with emerging managers and the people who back, advise, and work alongside them — talking honestly about what it really takes to build a private equity firm from scratch. The fundraises, the failures, and the moments that define whether a first-time fund becomes a lasting franchise.Episode 1 is comi
