- For Overall ETA: SMBash
- For Self-Funded Acquirers: The Self-Funded Search Conference
- For Traditional Searchers: Harvard Business School ETA Conference
- For Regional Searchers: Southeast Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (SEETA) Conference
- For ETA Education/Training: MIT ETA Summit
- For Raising Capital and/or Investing in Deals: CapitalPad
Entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA) is an increasingly popular model that can be extremely fulfilling and lucrative for small business acquirers and investors alike. But usually, the biggest barrier to pursuing this path is having a limited network when you’re just starting out.
There’s no better way to jump straight into the search fund community than attending an ETA conference. Podcasts, emails and Zoom calls are no substitute for engaging with like-minded people face to face, shaking their hands, and talking over drinks or dinner.
In that spirit, here’s a list of my favorite events for acquisition entrepreneurs to consider.
Best for Overall Small Business Ownership and ETA: SMBash
Location: Austin, TX
Host: SMBash, LLC
SMBash is a perennial favorite event among the search community. As one of the original conferences focused on self-funded search, it has built a reputation as an excellent networking event for small business owners, search fund investors, and search entrepreneurs.
The conference features three immersive days of valuable content related to searching, fundraising, and operating small businesses. It provides plenty of opportunities to network with operators, investors, and other search professionals to make connections and begin to form long-term partnerships.
Why Attend: A great atmosphere and diverse attendees in the small business entrepreneurship space make this one of the most highly anticipated conferences each year.
Best for Self-Funded Acquirers: The Self-Funded Search Conference
Location: Varies throughout the U.S.
Host: Live Oak Bank
The Self-Funded Search Conference is all about equipping self-funded searchers with the knowledge and connections they need to succeed at acquiring and operating a business.
The event features tactical sessions and workshops covering topics that matter to self-funded searchers. Attendees will learn about deal sourcing, due diligence, and best practices for operating and growing SMBs. It’s also a great networking opportunity between self-funded searchers looking for capital partners and investors looking to invest in search deals.
Why Attend: The event’s exclusive focus on the self-funded search universe gives attendees unparalleled access to deal flow that can be hard to uncover elsewhere.
Best for Traditional: Harvard Business School ETA Conference
Location: Boston, MA
Host: Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Club (Harvard Business School)
The Harvard Business School ETA Conference is a classic search fund conference with a long history and prestigious reputation.
The event connects Harvard Business School students with seasoned search entrepreneurs, operators, and search fund investors. Self-funded searchers are also welcome and can get great value out of attending. Register early, because tickets for the conference and networking events are limited and usually sell out fast.
Why Attend: A prestigious event that attracts the cream of the crop among industry leaders, search entrepreneurs, and search fund investors.
Honorable Mentions: The Stanford Search Fund CEO Conference (Stanford, CA) appeals to a comparable audience but doesn’t happen every year. In fact, most other elite business school and MBA programs that participate in search funds host similar events for their graduates, which can also be great networking opportunities.
Best for Regional Networking: Southeast Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (SEETA) Conference
Location: Varies (Southeastern U.S.)
Hosts: Georgetown University McDonough School of Business, Duke University Fuqua School of Business, University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School, and University of Virginia Darden School of Business
The Southeast Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (SEETA) Conference is aimed at current and recent MBA students and mid-career search fund entrepreneurs. The event also attracts investors and other ETA professionals from around the southeastern United States and beyond.
The conference includes a few brief panel discussions from experienced searchers and operators, as well as other industry experts. But attendees will likely get the most value out of the abundant networking sessions and receptions occurring throughout the event, both for independent sponsors and for traditional and self-funded searchers.
Why Attend: Get a chance to network and build professional relationships with your regional ETA community.
Honorable Mentions: The Booth-Kellogg ETA Conference (Chicago – Midwest) and the Wharton ETA Summit (Philadelphia – Northeast) are two other large, regional networking events in their respective parts of the country.
Best for Education / Training: MIT ETA Summit
Location: Cambridge, MA
Host: ETA@MIT Club (MIT Sloan School of Management)
The MIT ETA Summit includes a robust slate of presentations and panel discussions aimed at educating and inspiring its undergraduate and graduate students exploring the ETA path. It also provides aspiring searchers with resources and connections to industry experts and investors.
The event’s program is engaging and interactive, including workshops and networking events on either side of the main day of presentations and panels.
Why Attend: A great ETA conference for learning best practices and tactics that help search entrepreneurs and operators grow acquired businesses and maximize their value.
For Raising Capital and Investing in Deals: CapitalPad
Although not an event or conference, CapitalPad is another great avenue for search funds, sponsors, and ETA to raise capital, and for investors to find deals.
It’s a central hub for SMB acquisitions, matching search entrepreneurs with investors looking for access to the asset class. Acquisition entrepreneurs can use CapitalPad as a simplified way to raise capital and manage correspondence with their investors. Investors can select which opportunities to participate in on a deal-by-deal basis.
Why Check It Out: A convenient networking and dealmaking alternative to costly, time-consuming travel to in-person conferences and events.
Conclusion
There are lots of great events out there for search fund entrepreneurs and investors. In particular, smaller local or regional conferences and meetups can be incredibly valuable, if a little harder to find. These are great budget options that usually cost less to attend and don’t require overnight travel.
But if you’ve got your sights set on one of the biggest and best conferences, any of the events on this list should be well worth your investment of time and money.
Podcasts are great, but in-person conferences allow you to take full advantage of the networking opportunities. That includes any formal networking sessions on the agenda, of course. But also meals, receptions, coffee breaks, and all the little moments in between are chances to chat with other attendees.
You never know who will turn out to be a valuable connection. Everyone there should be related to the industry in some way. So be open to talking to everyone.