ACG 101 February 19th 2026 Private Equity and M&A Panel

Tom Waldman’s practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, with a particular emphasis on private equity transactions, as well as providing strategic legal counsel to corporate clients and investors in alternative assets. Prior to joining Stradling, Tom served as Managing Director, Legal for The Gores Group, LLC, a Los Angeles–based private equity firm, where he represented Gores funds and their portfolio companies in platform and add-on acquisitions, portfolio company matters and exit transactions.

With 30 years of experience representing private equity firms and business sellers, Tom has advised on a wide range of matters, including platform and add-on acquisitions, complex carve outs, divestitures, sales of family owned businesses, corporate finance, structured equity and other minority investments, distressed transactions, such as acquisitions under Section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code, fund formation and representation of management teams in M&A transactions.  He represents international clients investing in the United States, and coordinates with international counsel on multinational investments.

David Bonrouhi is co-founder and Managing Director of Calabasas Capital, a boutique investment banking firm that provides M&A advisory and private equity and debt capital raising for lower mid-market companies focusing on family-owned businesses. David has over 25 years of investment banking and private equity experience. He began his investment banking career at Merrill Lynch in New York and later worked in private equity for UnionBanCal Equities focusing on investments in middle market companies. David began his career as a CPA and tax consultant with Price Waterhouse in New York.  He holds Series 7, 63 and 79 licenses with Fallbrook Capital Securities Corporation (Calabasas Capital is a dba of Fallbrook Capital), is a licensed California CPA (inactive) and a licensed California broker. David has an MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurial Studies from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, and a Masters in Tax and a B.S. in Accounting from Miami of Ohio.

Based in Los Angeles, Jared manages Trivest’s deal origination efforts in the West region. Prior to joining Trivest, he was at CriticalPoint Partners, a boutique investment bank and buy-side M&A advisory firm located in Manhattan Beach, CA where he was responsible for origination of platform and add-on investments for select private equity clients. Prior to CriticalPoint, he was with Caruso, a real estate development firm based in Los Angeles where he supported the acquisition and development efforts. Jared is a Colorado native; he received his B.S. in Accounting and his MBA from Colorado State University while a member of the D1 football team.