A Networking Night in Providence | When is Growth Equity the Best Alternative for Your Business?

Michael Sweeney is the president and co-founding shareholder of Duffy & Sweeney, a leading boutique business law firm headquartered in Providence.

Known as a savvy deal-maker and negotiator, Mike leads the mergers and acquisitions practice where he regularly handles mergers, sales and business acquisitions as well as recapitalizations and equity financings. He serves as general corporate counsel to a number of privately held, mid-market businesses. He is a frequent speaker and writer on contemporary middle-market strategies for companies.

He is recognized annually by key ranking organizations including Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers and Chambers USA: America’s Leading Guide for Business, among others. He received the Deal Maker of the Year award from Finance Monthly in 2012. He was recognized as “Lawyer of the Year”  in Rhode Island for his expertise in mergers and acquisitions (2014) and with closely held companies/family businesses (2017) by Best Lawyers. Mike holds Martindale Hubbell’s highest rating of AV.

“Mike Sweeney has a fine reputation for problem solving and is praised by clients who say his strength is the ability to see the big picture of what people are trying to accomplish. He solves problems, he doesn’t create them.” | Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business

Mr. Conaton is a founding member of Cyprium Partners. Prior to forming Cyprium, he was a partner at Key Principal Partners (KPP). Prior to joining the Greenwich office of KPP in 2000, Mr. Conaton was a manager of alternative assets and direct investments for a private family office in San Francisco. Activities included direct equity and mezzanine investing in middle market businesses in the U.S., Asia and Europe. During his tenure, Mr. Conaton was a co-founder of a Small Business Investment Company (“SBIC”), under license by the U.S. Small Business Administration. He had previously enjoyed a long career in many roles at The Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A., including as a Vice President focusing on Leveraged Buyout activity in the bank’s Corporate Finance Group in New York. He received a B.A. with a double major in Economics and Political Science from Stanford University.

Todd is a Managing Director in the Boston office of H.I.G. Capital. Since joining the firm in 2009, he has been responsible for evaluating and executing new investment opportunities, as well as working with portfolio companies. Todd has nearly 20 years of experience investing in middle market private equity transactions and has worked on investments in a broad range of industries, including building products, business services, enterprise software, food and consumer products, hospitality and travel services, and media and marketing services. He currently serves on the boards of several H.I.G. portfolio companies.

Prior to H.I.G., Todd was an investment professional at Parthenon Capital Partners in Bosotn, at GTCR in Chicago, and at The Halifax Group in Dallas, TX. He began his career as an investment banker at Lazard Frères, specializing in mergers & acquisitions advisory services. Todd graduated with Bronze Tablet honors from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in Accountancy (CPA) and received an M.B.A. with honors from Columbia Business School.

Todd currently lives in Wellesley with his wife Niki and 4 children (Henry, Isabel, William and Eleanor).

Prior to joining Bay Capital Investment Partners in June of 2012, Mr. Williams was President of DWQ Associates, Ltd. DWQ is a boutique investment banking firm focused on middle market companies, providing strategic and M & A advisory services as well as private placements of debt and equity.

Prior to DWQ, Dan served in several senior management roles at FleetBoston Financial, including Group Head of Fleet M&A Advisors and Fleet Corporate Advisors. Additionally, he served as Group Head in the Managed Assets Division. Dan began his career at Fleet in commercial lending, focused on leveraged loans to the media and communications industries.

Dan is a graduate of Harvard University with a BA in Economics.