Goodbye Partner Track, Hello “F2E”: James Bohannon of Belzberg & Co.

Today’s guest is James Bohannon of Belzberg & Co., a family office with a significant history of backing lower middle market independent sponsors and leading direct investments.

James joins Peter to discuss the emerging “F2E” (Finance to Entrepreneurship) category, where pedigreed investment professionals are leaving “partner-track” roles in private equity or investment banking to acquire and operate lower middle market businesses. 

James shares how this category differs from traditional ETA or independent sponsor models, why more top-caliber finance professionals are pursuing this path, and how family offices evaluate and partner with these emergent operator investors. The discussion also covers James’ perspective on capital formation, the role of anchor investors, and the key characteristics he sees in the most promising “F2Es”.

Discussion Points:

• The emergence of the “F2E” (Finance to Entrepreneur) investor in small business acquisitions
• How “F2E” differs from ETA, search funds, and traditional independent sponsors
• Why mid-career finance professionals are leaving partner-track roles to buy businesses
• The risks and personal stakes F2E operators bring when investing their own capital
• How capital formation works between F2Es and family offices
• The role of anchor family offices in supporting these new sponsors
• How reputation and relationships drive deal flow and partnerships in the ecosystem
• Gaps in skill sets when transitioning from large PE firms to smaller, scrappier deals
• Why fundraising and sales become core responsibilities for first-time sponsors
• How family offices source and evaluate emerging sponsors
• The importance of alignment and trust between investors and F2E sponsors
• Why the individual operator (“the jockey”) often matters more than the specific deal
• The potential for F2E to become a meaningful pipeline of talent into the lower middle market over the next decade

Masters in Small Business M&A is produced by its host Peter Lehrman and the team at Axial (www.axial.com). Axial makes it easy for small business owners to confidentially explore growth capital and exit transactions with top-ranked lower middle market M&A advisors and professional acquirers. In every episode, we explore the dynamic world of small business M&A, interviewing a mix of proven and emerging owners, operators, acquirers, and M&A advisors whose strategies and methods are being put to the test.

If you’d like to go deeper, head to Axial.com, where we make available the Axial member directories, downloadable tools for dealmakers, the Axial quarterly lower middle market investment banking league-table rankings, our Industry Top 50 reports, the SMB M&A pipeline report, and other useful information. If you’re a business owner, professional acquirer, or M&A advisor, you learn more and get started for free at Axial.com.

Resources

• James Bohannon LinkedIn
• Peter Lehrman LinkedIn
• Belzberg & Co.
• Axial Website