- The Self-Funded Search Conference
- SMBash (2025 date announced)
- Southeast Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (SEETA) Conference
- Booth-Kellogg ETA Conference
- IESE International Search Fund Conference
- Harvard Business School ETA Conference
- Stanford Search Fund CEO Conference
- MIT ETA Summit
- Wharton ETA Summit
The search fund scene may seem small, but once you’re plugged in, you’ll find the entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA) industry is more active than most would imagine. Full of podcasts, forums, and a host of great search fund conferences.
Because so much of search fund deal flow depends on collaboration and networking, it’s hard to overstate the value of attending industry conferences and events. They have been unbeatable opportunities for me to engage with my peers, discover investment opportunities, find capital partners, and learn from others in the ETA space.
Here’s a list of 9 of my favorite search fund conferences that I recommend.
1. The Self-Funded Search Conference
Location: Dallas, TX
- An event tailored to self-funded searchers and interested investors
This event, hosted annually by Live Oak Bank in various locations around the U.S., is a must-attend for self-funded search entrepreneurs.
Whether you’re considering starting down the self-funded search path or already have experience as a searcher or investor in the self-funded search model, the Self-Funded Search Conference is for you. It’s designed to empower and equip self-funded searchers to successfully identify and acquire a small or mid-sized business.
Tactical sessions cover key topics like sourcing and closing deals; operating and growing acquired companies; and legal, financial, and tax diligence. The event also includes a variety of panels, workshops, and keynote speakers addressing important topics and best practices in the self-funded search world.
The Self-Funded Search Conference is a great event for investors interested in participating in search fund deals. The networking opportunities are ideal for meeting self-funded search entrepreneurs and tapping into the notoriously difficult-to-access deal flow in the self-funded search space.
Investing and Raising Capital
This post is brought to you by CapitalPad.
CapitalPad is a platform connecting search fund entrepreneurs with investors in ETA deals.
Benefits for searchers raising capital:
- Tap into a group of accredited investors interested in SMB M&A deals
- Dramatically simplify and shorten the capital raising process
- Roll all investors into one check
- Zero cost to deal sponsors
- Learn more at CapitalPad.com/Raise
Benefits for investors in search fund deals:
- One location to access search fund deals
- Post-LOI deals only
- Ability to write smaller checks for diversification (investors are combined into one check)
- In-depth due diligence available
- Simplification of the investing process
- Learn more at CapitalPad.com/Invest (accredited investors only)
2. SMBash 2025
Location: Dallas, TX
Date: April 2-4, 2025
- An event for small and medium business (SMB) owners that focuses on searching, financing, and operating SMBs
The original self-funded search conference, SMBash remains one of the most important search fund conferences and networking events for small business buyers, investors, and operators.
Many in the search fund ecosystem consider this three-day conference held each year in Austin, Texas, a must-attend. It offers excellent networking opportunities with other professionals in the SMB space, and a jam-packed program of more than 30 speakers.
This immersive event delves into some of the biggest issues searchers face, including navigating debt and equity financing and the day-to-day challenges of operating a successful small business.
Attendees gain immeasurable value in learning about and discussing these topics alongside like-minded people, making connections that can evolve into valuable partnerships.
3. Southeast Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (SEETA) Conference
- Great for regional and local networking in the Southeast
The Southeast Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (SEETA) Conference draws members of the ETA community to the southeastern U.S. every fall.
The event brings together current and recent MBA students, mid-career search fund entrepreneurs, search fund investors, and other ETA professionals.
The conference is co-hosted by Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, and University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. The conference location rotates among the participating schools from year to year, so make sure you find the current agenda before making your travel arrangements.
Attending the SEETA Conference is a great way to develop and foster regional and local relationships for professionals in the Southeast. The formal sessions cover current topics and challenges relevant to search fund entrepreneurs. There are also plenty of local investment opportunities discussed in the networking sessions and receptions hosted during the event.
4. Booth-Kellogg ETA Conference
- A long-running Midwestern conference with robust search fund programming
This annual conference in Chicago is co-hosted by The ETA Group at Chicago Booth, the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and the Kellogg Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative.
The event brings together members of the search community from across the Midwest and beyond. It’s a great opportunity for participants in the ETA ecosystem to meet one another and share their experiences and insights.
The conference blends academic and private sector perspectives on the ETA model through a robust program, which includes case studies, expert panels, and networking opportunities with industry veterans. It focuses on distilling the practical knowledge and experience of industry experts and practicing entrepreneurs.
The Booth-Kellogg ETA Conference usually falls in early November, but double check the conference’s website for the upcoming dates of the next event. This conference is one of the favorite conferences for acquisition entrepreneurs.
5. IESE International Search Fund Conference
- A cornerstone event for the global search fund community
Most of the conferences on this list focus on U.S. business deals, but there’s a robust international search fund marketplace as well. The IESE International Search Fund Conference is a great entry point into the global search fund community.
The event takes place annually in Barcelona, Spain, hosted by the IESE Business School. It’s a convenient place to meet and engage with a diverse mix of searchers and investors from around the world.
The conference offers an opportunity for active searchers, new searchers, and current search CEOs to connect with one another and with search fund investors. The event’s programming addresses the latest trends and challenges in the international search fund ecosystem.
6. Harvard Business School ETA Conference
- Among the oldest and most prestigious ETA conferences
Hosted by the Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Club, a student-run club at Harvard Business School, the annual Harvard Business School ETA Conference is one of the oldest and most prestigious events of its kind.
This event takes place at the Harvard Business School campus in Boston, MA. It introduces MBA students to other members of the ETA community, including experienced search fund entrepreneurs, investors, and some independent sponsors.
The conference is a one-day event that attracts many industry leaders, top searchers and search fund investors. Limited tickets are available each year and they usually sell out fast.
7. Stanford Search Fund CEO Conference
- A valuable, biannual event for search fund CEOs and investors
The Stanford Search Fund CEO Conference is a unique opportunity to go back to where it all started. The search fund model originated at the Stanford Graduate School of Business in the 1980s, and the institution continues to support a robust search fund community. Stanford is also where the best info and statistics on search funds is released each year in their (somewhat) famous annual study.
This event offers networking opportunities for search fund CEOs and frequent investors. It includes a lineup of insightful speakers and sessions where attendees can learn from successful search CEOs and other industry experts, in addition to the faculty of the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
The event also includes CEO Circles—sessions exclusively for search fund CEOs to discuss topics and challenges they face with small groups of peers.
This is a newer conference that doesn’t take place every year, and the next iteration hasn’t been announced publicly as of this writing. But historically the conference has taken place biannually, in odd years.
8. MIT ETA Summit
- Future-focused conference featuring tactical deep-dive workshops
The MIT ETA Summit brings new searchers, experienced operators, and investors to Cambridge, MA, each year. The summit is presented by ETA@MIT, MIT’s hub for search fund resources for its undergraduate and graduate students. It has also partnered with the Acquiring Minds podcast to help expand the reach of the event into the broader ETA / search fund community.
The conference features keynote speakers and panel discussions focused on topics that reflect the present and future state of search fund entrepreneurship, including social, economic, and technological shifts.
The summit packs these insightful presentations and sessions into a single day, with additional workshops and networking events scheduled around the main program.
The workshops are valuable, tactical deep-dives that address common operator pain points—these alone may be well worth your time. The networking opportunities and insights from industry experts could prove to be icing on the cake.
9. Wharton ETA Summit
- An approachable and accessible event for search fund professionals in the Northeast
The annual Wharton ETA Summit draws search fund professionals to Philadelphia, PA, each spring to network and learn from some of the best in the business. The event brings MBA students together with search fund entrepreneurs, investors, and other members of the ETA ecosystem.
The powerhouse panels and fireside chats differentiate this summit, attracting talented industry experts to speak about a wide variety of topics covering searching, operating, and investing.
There’s also a welcome happy hour event the evening before the main program, which serves as an excellent forum for searchers and investors to do some informal networking with peers.
Final Thoughts
Attending any conference can be time consuming and costly, so you want to choose the best events and make the most of your time there. These top search fund conferences are great places to start.
Be sure to register as early as you can, because many of these events have limited capacity or reserved hotel blocks that can fill up. Planning ahead will help you secure a ticket and save you money on travel and accommodations.
Depending on where you live, you might also find local events and meet-ups that can be extremely valuable, too. They’re usually a lot smaller and more intimate, offering you the potential for more face time with members of your local ETA community.
Note* I will be diligently updating this list whenever the 2025 dates are announced.
